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What's the story?
SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon came out on tonight's SmackDown to address the events that transpired in the six-pack challenge at Fastlane.
Advertised as a big WrestleMania announcement all throughout the night, McMahon dropped a few bombshells before he was viciously attacked by Kevin Owens and Sam Zayn.
Shane McMahon first announced that he would be taking a temporary leave of absence from SmackDown and went on to add Zayn vs. Owens for Mania.
In case you didn't know...
McMahon's announcement of a match between Zayn and Owens didn't go down well with the two best friends, who interrupted the proceedings and vented out their frustrations in a predictable fashion.
Zayn blindsided McMahon and Owens joined in to pummel the 48-year-old veteran. They made the segment as cringe-worthy as it could be by placing McMahon's head in between a chair and slamming him face first into the steel ring post.
Zayn and KO then dragged McMahon's lifeless body out of the arena but they weren't done yet. Owens dealt the final blow when he power bombed McMahon onto some equipment backstage.
The heart of the matter
WWE is expected to give the fans some clarity on the Zayn vs. KO match at Mania and also on the status of Shane McMahon. Daniel Bryan was earlier not scheduled to be on next week's episode as revealed by McMahon but the plans may change as we speak.
What's next?
Is WWE building up towards a Daniel Bryan in-ring return? While the differences between McMahon and Bryan have been well-documented, tonight's brutal assault should force Bryan to finally take his boss' side.
Whether this leads to a match at Mania is to be seen and we'll keep you updated on the same.
Author's take
I must admit, the on-going storyline seems dragged out but intriguing at the same time and it's all due to the ambiguity surrounding Daniel Bryan.
Will Zayn and KO actually face each other at Mania? Will McMahon return to get some retribution with Bryan by his side or will Bryan, in turn, have a surprise in store?
Patience is a virtue and we hope it's worth it on the road to WrestleMania!
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