Following a seven-year hiatus, Shane McMahon made a thrilling and unexpected return to WWE on the Feb. 22, 2016 episode of Monday Night Raw.
Shane interrupted a segment between Stephanie and Vince, expressing his desire to earn control of Raw. That prompted the WWE chairman to place his son in a match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 32.
The stipulation was that if Shane emerged victorious, he would receive full control of Raw, and Undertaker would be barred from ever competing at WrestleMania again.
In an interview with Corey Graves on After the Bell (h/t WrestlingInc.com), McMahon explained the key factors that led to him coming back for a highly-anticipated showdown against the Deadman.
McMahon explained that he left WWE in 2009 for his three sons, but they were "also the reason" why he came back. Shane O'Mac noted that they had never seen him wrestle live, which served as motivation for him to get back into the ring.
"I always had a longing for it," McMahon said. "It's in my blood, literally, and my my boys, this goes back to WrestleMania 32 with Undertaker in Hell in a Cell, my boys have been saying to me prior to that for a couple years like, 'hey dad, you ever think about getting back in there?' Because my sons never saw me live and they really saw me via DVD or YouTube or things like that."
Finally, he explained that the Undertaker needed an opponent for the big show at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. There were only so many options on the table for the Phenom, after all. And Shane fit the bill.
"Taker need an opponent for WrestleMania and needed to be special, and there was talks even back then," McMahon said. "In Texas, where Undertaker's from (and) WrestleMania, that magnitude of a hundred thousand people that set the indoor attendance record, that was going to be an awesome way out. I really thought it may be, again, a one and done. So I got the call from Taker saying, 'hey, would you ever consider this? I was like, 'huh, well, let me think about it.' About 10 minutes later, I get a call from my dad. He's like, 'well, congratulations. This is what we're doing. What do you think?' I was like, it doesn't sound like I'm thinking much. In typical Vince fashion, he's like, 'we want you to think about this.' I was like alright and then really started coming up with the creative."
Shane also explained that the Hell in a Cell match was actually his idea, noting that it was pivotal to have the "emotional" factor in the storyline.
When all was said and done, Undertaker defeated Shane via pinfall to ensure that Stephanie stayed in power. However, Vince decided to give his son control of Raw for a brief period.
Of course, the brand split and 2016 WWE draft soon followed, with Shane and Stephanie being named the commissioners of SmackDown and Raw, respectively.
Shane Was The Perfect Opponent For Undertaker
Entering WrestleMania 32, there were very limited options for the Undertaker. Not only was Shane a more than suitable opponent for the wrestling icon, but the two put on a match for the ages, with the former performing a jaw-dropping jump off the top of the cell. This match will undoubtedly go down as one of the best in their respective careers, and Shane deserves plenty of credit for stepping up and providing Undertaker with a grade-A opponent.