Shane McMahon is the face of the McMahon family on WWE television right now. While he made his return to WWE as a babyface authority figure, welcomed back by fans who love him, he recently turned heel and has been involved in a major feud with The Miz. However, looking back at his career, McMahon has always been someone who can comfortably play both sides of the fence.
As the son of Vince McMahon, he was groomed early to step into his role in WWE but he has been out of the WWE almost as much as he was part of it and has a nice successful career both inside and outside the squared circle. Here are 10 things you might not know about Shane McMahon.
10 10. STARTED CAREER AS A REFEREE
The first time anyone saw Shane McMahon in WWE, he was working as a referee. Much like his father, who was given various jobs around the ring when his dad ran the company, Shane broke in slowly. With that said, Shane refereed one of the most important matches in WWE history.
Shane was one of the ringside officials during the very first Royal Rumble match. That was years before the WWE title opportunity was a prize and it wasn't even the main event of the show, with Hacksaw Jim Duggan winning the match. A young McMahon was also seen in a backstage skirmish during the Randy Savage and Ric Flair feud.
9 9. COLOR COMMENTATOR ON SUNDAY NIGHT HEAT
After a while, Vince McMahon moved his son to a new position. Fans likely remember that Vince was a commentator for television shows and was one of the main announcers for years before he finally let the world know that he was the owner of WWE. Just like his dad before him, Shane McMahon also worked as an announcer.
While Vince worked the main shows like Monday Night Raw, Shane McMahon got a smaller gig as the color commentator on Sunday Night Heat, alongside Jim Cornette. That not only gave Shane a great seat to learn more about professional wrestling but paired him up with one of the best minds in the business.
8 8. LAUNCHED WWF.COM
Professional wrestling magazines have been around for decades and WWE ran its own magazine to counter ones like Pro Wrestling Illustrated so that WWE could spin the stories their own way. Professional wrestling dirt sheets have been around since the '90s, and that led WWE to create their own website as well, to curate their own news releases.
In 1997, Shane McMahon was doing a lot of work behind the scenes, mostly on the business side of WWE. It was at this time that Shane was instrumental in launching WWF.com in 1997, taking the company into the digital age.
7 7. WON WWE EUROPEAN TITLE IN 1999
In 1999, Shane McMahon moved away from his job as a commentator for Sunday Night Heat and joined his father in working angles as an on-screen performer. Shane started out in cameo roles as the son of Vince McMahon but then pushed his way into the main event storylines when he turned on Stone Cold Steve Austin and joined McMahon's corporation.
In his first month as an active wrestler, Shane McMahon beat X-Pac for the WWE European Championship. It was his first title and he was almost the last champion, ignoring the belt until a member of the Corporate Ministry found the title in McMahon's luggage and asked if he could have it, reactivating the title.
6 6. WON PWI ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
By the end of 1999, Shane McMahon had impressed everyone with his wrestling skills and his willingness to do just about anything in the name of entertaining the fans. He beat X-Pac a second time at WrestleMania XV and then built the Corporation into a legitimate faction.
Shane feuded with his dad, joined forces with Undertaker to create the giant Corporate Ministry, and then helped his dad win a ladder match against Stone Cold Steve Austin for control of WWE. By the end of the year, Pro Wrestling Illustrated named Shane the Rookie of the Year. What is impressive is that he rejected the award, saying it was "for the boys."
5 5. NXT FORMAT WAS ORIGINALLY HIS IDEA
Seeing the rise of NXT under Triple H has been impressive. He took the idea of a developmental system, had it added to the WWE Network as an Internet-only promotion, and has created a brand that routinely has the best matches of any show in WWE.
What is interesting is that, when Shane McMahon was working full-time behind the scenes in WWE, he tried to start the same thing. When WWE re-started ECW, Shane wanted it to be a developmental territory that was streamed as an online-only promotion. Shane wanted ECW to be what NXT turned into years before Triple H ran with the idea.
4 4. RESPONSIBLE FOR GLOBAL EXPANSION
Shane McMahon has traveled the world and was instrumental in WWE becoming a worldwide phenomenon, thanks to his deal-making and hard work. These days, WWE is known for going everywhere from China and Saudi Arabia to Mexico and Australia. They even have a new TV show coming from the U.K.
In the '90s, their reach was much smaller but McMahon set out in the new century to ensure that WWE increased their reach dramatically. Shane was responsible for the major WWE TV deal in Brazil in 2007. He was the man who finalized the television deal with Mexico in 2008 to put WWE on their biggest networks. Shane has always been ready to move the company forward.
3 3. RESIGNED OFFICIALLY FROM WWE IN 2009
In 2009, WWE fans were taken by surprise when Shane McMahon resigned from his position as an executive for the company. The son of Vince McMahon officially left the family business. The reason for this was simple. Shane wanted to prove himself outside his family's company.
Shane wanted to show that he could be a successful businessman like his father without relying on the family business to do so. His resignation was effective as of Jan. 1, 2010, and McMahon said he wanted to explore outside ventures for the first time in his life. While Shane has returned since that time, he is only an on-screen star and not an executive.
2 2. CEO OF CHINA BROADBAND INC.
Shane McMahon wanted to prove that he could run a business outside of WWE when he resigned and he proved that he was more than up to the task. McMahon became the CEO of a company called China Broadband Inc. in 2010, a cable internet provider in China.
McMahon also branched out in China and became the CEO of You On Demand, an on-demand pay-per-view provider in the country as well. This was the first video-on-demand service in China. In 2011, Shane also joined the Board of Directors for International Sports Management, an agency that represents names like Ernie Els.
1 1. APPEARED IN NCIS: LOS ANGELES
With so much success in his career, both in and out of WWE, Shane McMahon recently decided to try something new that many professional wrestlers he worked with have branched out into. While he hasn't reached the level of success of a Dwayne Johnson or John Cena -- or a Big Show for that matter -- McMahon has tried his hand at acting.
In 2019, McMahon appeared on an episode of NCIS: Los Angeles. In the episode, Shane starred as a character named Army Criminal Investigative Department Special Agent Steve Evans, who teamed with Kensi to recover a hard drive with sensitive military intelligence on it.