What's the story?
According to a report by PWInsider, Vince McMahon and his son Shane were reportedly not backstage at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in Phoenix, Arizona. We've come to expect Shane not appearing on every show but it's somewhat odd to not see Vince at an event of this magnitude if the rumours are indeed true.
In case you didn't know...
Shane McMahon, the Commissioner of SmackDown Live, isn't required at every weekly edition of the show, however, he has been appearing at notable pay-per-views more often than not. There's been no reason given as to why he wasn't present, meanwhile you usually wouldn't be able to get Vince away from WWE for two minutes.
Heart of the matter
The report suggests that the father and son weren't even in Phoenix at all on Sunday, which is interesting when you consider the polarising reaction that the event has received over the last few days.
In terms of who ran the show, some people are suggesting that Triple H will also be taking more of an interest in SmackDown's week to week production with the show drawing comparisons to NXT.
What's next?
It'll be interesting to see whether this leads to Vince taking even more of a back seat in the weeks and months to come, especially considering his advanced age. Several people behind the scenes have said in the past that he'll work until the day he dies, but maybe that won't be the case.
In terms of Shane, we'll likely see him back on our television screens in the near future.
Sportskeeda's take
There shouldn't be too much made of this news for now, but if it persists then it could be fascinating to see the direction that the company is taken in. It's a bit odd to us that SmackDown Live's only major stop on the road to WrestleMania doesn't feature Shane, but perhaps that'll wind up being part of a bigger story.
It'd be smart for Vince to take some time off in the near future, as he's been working himself into the ground for years on end now.
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