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What’s the story?
Since Shane McMahon returned to WWE as SmackDown Live commissioner, there's been a lot of speculation as to his role within the company.
Well, in a recent interview with Bloomberg, Stephanie McMahon has opened up about his role behind the scenes.
In case you didn’t know…
Shane McMahon returned to WWE in February 2016 and has since competed in two Hell in a Cell Matches - one against Kevin Owens and the other against The Undertaker.
Shane is a mainstay on WWE television and has been a prominent feature on SmackDown Live this year - having wrestled against AJ Styles at WrestleMania before feuding with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn more recently.
The heart of the matter
Well, Stephanie McMahon commented on Shane's overall role within the company in an interview with Bloomberg.
After his first stint in WWE, McMahon announced his resignation in 2009, which came into effect January 1, 2010.
Well, Shane's return to the WWE in 2016 has seen a change of role, as Stephanie McMahon confirmed that Shane-O-Mac is purely an on-screen character.
He is really a strong talent for us right now.
Stephanie went on to point out that Shane isn't actually an executive and is purely signed to WWE as, effectively, talent.
What's next?
While his role behind the scenes could always change, it looks like Shane McMahon will be an on-screen talent for the foreseeable future with WWE teasing an angle between Shane and SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan as part of the rivalry between Shane, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn.
It's rumored that Daniel Bryan may return to the ring to face off against Shane, but that obviously depends on whether WWE will eventually clear him. The official word is that they won't, but the actual programming suggests otherwise.
Author’s take
Well, this doesn't come as a great surprise as WWE's day-to-day dealings and press conferences don't involve Shane. Any official word on the business matters of WWE tends to come from Vince, Stephanie or Triple H.
With Shane rumored to have earned over $1.8m in his first year as an on-screen talent, though, it doesn't look like this is too bad of a deal for either party!
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