Since Shane McMahon returned to WWE in February of 2016 in the build-up to Wrestlemania 32, he has created some memorable matches and moments in the feuds he participated in. He has been absent from WWE TV following his latest feud from Wrestlemania 37, but in the time he appeared as a regular, he was involved in both poor and great feuds.These feuds drew attention for various reasons, for the creative direction they took and the resulting matches. Shane McMahon is a non-wrestler who happens to train well enough to be in matches, and when he does, he will make a moment worth mentioning.
6 Braun Strowman
Shane's most recent and poorly thought-out feud was with Braun Strowman for Shane's match at Wrestlemania 37 in 2021. The creative, as far as the story and promos, for this feud were childish and made Shane in particular appear foolish. The idea for this rivalry, which lasted across two pay-per-views and several uncomfortable promos on Raw, saw Shane insult Braun's intelligence repeatedly.
Shane began calling Braun stupid and even went as far as to make up a phony report card from Braun's childhood to prove his point, as well as pouring green goo on Braun in a brawl between the two. Braun did get even with Shane in their Wrestlemania match, in a Steel Cage match, no less. Shane's big Wrestlemania moment saw Braun toss Shane from the top of the cage to the canvas below. Shane did the favors for Braun, as was appropriate for the story, but the premise for the feud was a bit insensitive.
Braun even made mention of the insensitivity in a promo, saying that calling someone stupid causes agony for the person being called stupid, since it is a form of bullying. This was the worst feud Shane McMahon was part of, for the storyline itself and because the pay-off in the match was mediocre.
5 The Undertaker
Shane's first feud upon returning to WWE in 2016 for Wrestlemania 32 was with The Undertaker. Shane returned in a segment designed for presenting Mr. McMahon with an award, with Stephanie McMahon also present. Shane had big kayfabe plans to make WWE more about the fans and less about the corporate agenda, with the feud's story turning into mentioning a lockbox that Shane would get access to if he won his Wrestlemania match.
The lockbox aspect of the feud was dropped following the first segment Shane came back for, which makes fans wonder why it was even mentioned, to begin with. Nevertheless, Shane's Wrestlemania match was with The Undertaker, inside Hell in a Cell. Before the Hell in a Cell match, Shane and Undertaker had an exciting brawl on Raw, including Shane's elbow drop off of the top rope onto Undertaker through the commentary table.
The Wrestlemania Hell in a Cell Match featured a move for the highlight reels, Shane jumping off of the top of the cage onto a prone Undertaker through the commentary table. Shane showed courage for agreeing to do that, but that did not mean the match itself was engaging. It was slow and exposed the ring rust of both Shane and Undertaker. Though Shane lost, he was rewarded anyway as the new General Manager of Raw the next night. This feud featured one match, with a story plot hole and served only to get Undertaker in a Wrestlemania match.
4 Roman Reigns
Shane and Roman's feud in 2019 occurred in the middle of Shane's heel run as Best In The World. This feud extended throughout the summer of 2019, spanning three pay-per-views, and came off as Shane trying to appear like a newer version of his father's persona from years before. Shane did not perform that persona as effectively, being flanked by Drew McIntyre and Elias throughout the feud to try and hide his weaknesses as a wrestler.
Roman did his best to carry Shane through a rivalry that was really just Shane being on the show because he could. Roman even did a job for Shane at Super ShowDown 2019, albeit with McIntyre's assistance to Shane. This feud was a waste of time for the fans, and Roman's abilities in the ring.
3 AJ Styles
In the build-up to Wrestlemania 33 in 2017, Shane worked a rivalry with AJ Styles. The premise was that AJ felt Shane cost AJ a Wrestlemania WWE Title match, with the two getting in a kayfabe heated argument in the Gorilla Position that was shown on Smackdown. From there, AJ ambushed Shane in a parking garage and put his head through the window of a parked car. At that point, Shane challenged AJ to a match at Wrestlemania.
This Wrestlemania match between Shane and AJ exceeded expectations, with the two being the curtain-jerker match and putting on a performance that turned out to be one of the better-wrestled matches of that Wrestlemania. Shane lost, with he and AJ putting their differences behind them afterward, but the feud was well-done and the pay-off match was great despite what fans expected.
2 The Miz
Shane and Miz started their feud as tag team partners following Shane winning the Best In The World Tournament at Crown Jewel 2018. Miz begged Shane to be partners for weeks, with Shane eventually agreeing and Shane and Miz winning the Smackdown Tag Team Championship at Royal Rumble 2019. Following Shane and Miz losing their Tag Team Titles, Shane turned heel and began his Best In The World persona.
During the heel turn and assault on Miz, Shane attacked Miz's father and made the following feud personal. Miz wanted revenge for his Dad and thus, the match was at Wrestlemania 35. It was Falls Count Anywhere, and Miz's Dad got involved. Shane kneed Miz's Dad in the ribs and ended up defeating Miz following a suplex off of a platform in the crowd. Shane and Miz ended their feud at Money In The Bank, with Shane winning a Steel Cage match between the two.
This feud had a good, dramatic story attached to it. Miz did look a bit weak in kayfabe by losing to Shane at Wrestlemania and not getting the revenge for his Dad, but the promos were good enough to make up for that detail.
1 Kevin Owens
Shane and Kevin's feud lasted for two years, between 2017 and 2019. It began on the Talking Smack segment with Kevin accusing Shane of favoritism and not being fair with opportunities. This led to Shane being a referee in one of Kevin's matches and Kevin losing that match. Kevin faulted Shane, mentioned his immediate family, and made it personal. Thus, the two fought in a Hell in a Cell Match, with Kevin getting help from Sami Zayn to defeat Shane.
After that part of the feud, the two resumed the feud in 2019, with Kevin defeating Shane at Summerslam and on Smackdown In a Ladder Match. This feud was engaging, with both Shane and Kevin portraying heel and babyface at different times. The matches were exciting and the 2017 portion saw some great promos between them.