Vince McMahon has said he never plans to retire and he firmly believes he's never going to die. At 72 years old and still taking headbutts in a WWE ring, maybe he's right. With that in mind, if Vince has no plans to depart the company, that makes it tough for anyone next in line to take the reigns, even as Vince gets older and less in touch with the WWE Universe. Let's suggest for a second that Vince wises up or heaven forbid, passes on. There are plenty of people willing to take on the role. Triple H and Stephanie are a power couple ready for the rigors of running a multi-million dollar public company. They've been groomed for this job since they got married in 2003 and most would assume they are next in line.

Or, considering that the WWE is now a publicly traded company, Vince could also sell off the majority of his shares before his death. That would leave whoever purchased those shares the new king of the castle and introduce the possibility that someone completely unrelated to the McMahon family takes over.There is one other option. He left the WWE for a while and returned after proving he had the business acumen to do things on his own. When the WWE was in need of a significant name to come back and wrestle The Undertaker, he did so and that pay-per-view produced huge numbers. That person is Vince's son, Shane McMahon.

If Shane McMahon inherited the WWE today, it would look a lot different than it does currently. Ever wonder how? We've considered 15 things that would happen if Shane McMahon inherited immediately. Here's how it would theoretically affect the WWE landscape.

16 15. The Owner Would Wrestle A Lot More

There was a time when Vince was willing to step into the ring. He always wanted to know what it felt like to be one of his WWE Superstars and he got that chance against guys like Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin. He was never terribly gifted as an in-ring performer, but it didn't matter because the Mr. McMahon character was enough to compensate for his lack of athleticism.

Shane already has a reputation for being a good wrestler. He's not a full-time performer, but he's far more gifted than Vince ever was and he seems to genuinely enjoy stepping between the ropes. He's produced some of WWE's most memorable in-ring moments and if Shane was running things, it stands to reason that there would be a few more storylines involving him as a talent.

15 14. WCW Could Come Back

It was of course only a storyline, but Shane was once known as the owner of World Championship Wrestling (WCW). With Shane running the WWE, if the show ever needed to add another brand or introduce a heel story with its owner one natural idea that has an already built in history would be to bring back WCW.

It would be a completely different WCW since the wrestlers who made that company popular are now mostly gone, but if anyone wanted to give an on-camera but non-wrestling job to guys like Sting or Hogan, Shane could. If you brought in new talent who could be mentored by the likes of Chris Jericho, Eric Bischoff and others, it does have the potential to become a totally new brand that would surpass companies like GFW quickly.

14 13. There Would Be Many More Mark-Out Moments

The one mantra that Vince always lived by was that he would never ask wrestlers to do something he wouldn't do. Well, Shane is crazy and there's nothing he wouldn't do. So, if wrestlers take the idea of being able to outperform the boss, they'll need to be willing to do things they might not have otherwise considered.

Outside of the ring, Shane has admitted that he's prone for marking out to certain storylines. He's been known to sit in the crowd and go bananas over surprise moments he wasn't aware of and he loves that part of the business. The WWE run by Shane McMahon would likely be full of high spots and mark-out moments which would be incredible for fans. It's an art that has sadly been lost in the past few years.

13 12. Hold A Number of Funerals

If Shane took over, it would most likely mean that Vince, Triple H and Stephanie had all passed away. As sad (and unlikely) as that would be, all three are likely more entitled to the WWE than Shane considering he left for some time to pursue his own business venture. The reality is, Vince doesn't want to quit yet and Triple H and Stephanie have been busting their butts to be ready for the eventual day the company becomes theirs.

The first thing that would happen if Shane was taking over is likely three funerals and the most important tribute shows the WWE has ever produced. All three are major players in directing what the WWE is, was and ever will be and they'd deserve the most respectable goodbye in WWE history. It would be a sad day for the WWE Universe.

12 11. Triple H Would Really Run Things

We suggested that if Shane McMahon was given the company, it was probably because the more likely options (Triple H and Stephanie) would have perished (or gone missing) meaning they couldn't take it over. Most people probably believe that ahead of Shane in the lineup are his sister and brother-in-law. But what happen if "The Game" wasn't gone?

If Shane was left with the company and Triple H was still a part of it, then Triple H would more than likely be calling the shots. While Shane has grown up in the business, Triple H has been groomed for it and has the wrestling knowledge to find the talent and plan the shows that Shane might not. Triple H would ensure a much smoother transition of ownership. He's basically Vince's right hand.

11 10. The McMahon Name Would Stay Alive

Despite how tragic the loss of Vince McMahon, Triple H and Stephanie would be, the good news is that with Shane as the new man in charge, the McMahon name would stay alive. Something tells me that's extremely important to Vinny-Mac. Perhaps more important than the actual WWE brand (which has already been changed from WWF and other versions), the McMahon name is of major value and it's a brand Vince has been building since the late 1970's.

Shane would do everything in his power to ensure that his father's work was not in vain. There might be no more of a motivating factor than continuing a strong legacy as Shane seems competitive enough to be up to want to one-up his father by improving his legacy. He'd have a lot of help too, ashere are plenty of people who still love and worship the McMahon's and they'd want to keep the name alive.

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9 9. Former Fans Would Return

What comes with Shane is a built-in audience from the days when he was popular in the Attitude Era. With news that he would be in charge, the WWE would likely see an influx of older fans from that era return to see what he would do next. It's possible he might even change aspects of the company to make it less "PG" and more geared toward that older demographic.

We might see the return of some of the older wrestlers as well with people Shane's age being the new target audience. This isn't a guarantee because the WWE going "PG" was a financially motivated move and if Shane is smart, he stays where the money is. What's more likely is shades of the old WWE creeping into storylines a bit more than they do now.

8 8. He Would Buy A Lot More Shoes

As a collector, Shane-O-Mac is a big fan of his shoes. Since his debut in the WWE, he has been one of the company's most notable and public shoe aficionados, flying off cages and set displays in some of the most popular pairs of shoes Nike and the Jordan Brand have ever produced. Forget the fact that wrestling in those shoes likely ruins and diminishes their value significantly, Shane doesn't care; it's the joy of collecting that Shane loves.

With the money he'd make from running the WWE, you can bet your bottom dollar that he'd be making multiple trips to the store to purchase the newest and coolest pairs of sneakers Nike has to offer. One can only imagine what his collection is like today. With the title of CEO and majority shareholder type money, his collection might be ridiculous when all is said and done. Some people buy expensive cars, planes or houses. Shane-O-Mac collects shoes.

7 7. WWE Would Lose A Natural Heel

Part of what makes Vince and Stephanie so effective is that they're both natural heel characters. While Shane has played the heel role before, it's not something he does terribly well and because of the insane bumps he takes in the ring, people tend to naturally cheer and respect what he does. In short, he's not a believable villain, and that would be a huge loss.

As much as people say they are sick of "The Authority", the only way good guys work is if they have a larger-than-life bad guy to play off of. Shane can't offer that and as such, he'd need to find someone who could. There would likely never be another storyline where the McMahon's (or in this case, a McMahon) tries to screw over a wrestler. It wouldn't be believable.

6 6. The Passion Will Leave WWE

This one is perhaps a long shot because one, wrestlers are loyal to a paycheque more than they are a person and two, because Shane does have some history in the wrestling business that goes way back. Having said that, there is a certain level of credibility that comes with the WWE because of Vince McMahon. There are even some who believe that without Vince, the WWE will fail. After all, every decision goes through Vince.

No one has the passion for the wrestling business that Vince McMahon does. Ask anyone and they'll tell you, as much as they despise Vince, they all admit he works harder than anyone in the world to make his company successful and they all know that he's the boss. All hours of the day, no matter when, you can reach him. It doesn't matter if it's Shane or someone else because when that goes away, some wrestlers might feel they can try to run the yard. The opposite could be true however if Shane institutes some of the bonuses wrestlers have long been crying for and it becomes a more talent friendly environment.

5 5. Focus On Wrestling

The one thing about Vince is that he's not terribly high on promoting the best wrestlers. He's more into promoting what a wrestler is supposed to look like. Shane seems a bit more new age in the same way Triple H is. In-ring talent trumps everything and because of it, guys who are smaller in stature and can maneuver better might get more of an opportunity.

There will always be a place for wrestlers like Brock Lesnar or Goldberg, but with Shane running the ship, those guys who get work simply because they look the part, might not be given the same slack that they have now. Shane preferring to run SmackDown Live over Raw gives credibility to the idea that Shane likes the actual "art" of wrestling more than Vince seems to.

4 4. Would Need To Take Promo Classes

God bless Shane McMahon, but he's not a very talented worker when it comes to his microphone work. You can immediately tell he becomes uncomfortable when he's given a lot to say and it's especially awkward when he's not working opposite a master of the mic like Kevin Owens. Shane starts to sweat bullets, flubs his lines and simply doesn't have the acting chops to make those promos a huge success. If Shane plans to be the next Vince, he'll need to step up his promo game in a big way.

Where Shane excels is in the ring (even though he's not great). His crazy bumps and death defying feats are enough to make him extremely popular with the WWE Universe. So unless Shane wants to take the WWE back to a day of guys like Jack Tunney and no visible owner on camera, he'll need to take promo lessons and get better at that part of the job.

3 3. Triple H Would Quit

If Shane inherited the company, it would almost guarantee that Stephanie and Triple H would feel slighted. Triple H believed he was getting the keys to the kingdom, and if things went bad enough he might just leave if he doesn't.

Dethroning Triple H would cause a major ripple in the family for many reasons. Maybe Triple H can't work under someone he doesn't respect as much as Vince. Maybe Stephanie leaves out of anger and Triple H then has to as well. Perhaps Triple H feels that Shane would never relinquish the reigns and he would never get his shot, meaning he might move on to something else. While it's all possible, most of the scenarios don't play out with Triple H being happy he was overlooked.

2 2. Stephanie Would Sue Shane Or Quit

They are both Vince's kids, but money has a way of making people do crazy things. Stephanie has never wavered in her support of the WWE. From the moment she could work, she was contributing to the company and her plan was never to go anywhere else or do anything other than continue the legacy of making the WWE the biggest sports entertainment brand in the world. She puts in far more time than Shane does on WWE initiatives and frankly, she's much more deserving to take over.

If Shane got the company, it's unlikely Stephanie stays the loyal soldier. Despite Shane being her brother, she would feel betrayed and she already has a reputation for being hard-nosed as a business person as it is. This would definitely lead to issues between the two and Stephanie would either sue or quit.

1 1. A Legit Competitor Might Emerge

There's a good chance when Vince does finally pass on, competitors will see an opening and try to pounce. Many might believe the WWE would be weaker without its king. Others might see the kids struggling to keep things moving forward, but there would be no bigger opening and no better time to try and compete with the WWE than when Vince isn't running the show.

Add to that the fact that Shane being in charge means Triple H and Stephanie got shafted, and perhaps they branch out on their to start something else if they feel they aren't respected. They have the knowledge no one else has, they have the connections, the financial backing and they have strengths Shane doesn't. An opposing brand of wrestling led by Triple H and Stephanie would immediately be a legitimate threat to the WWE.