The fall-out from the 2022 Royal Rumble continues with the news that Shane McMahon is reportedly out of WWE.
The surprise return of Shane McMahon at the 2022 Royal Rumble sparked debate not only among fans, but also backstage within WWE. On-screen, Shane O’Mac entered the match at number 28, eliminated old rival Kevin Owens to make it down to the final three, before being dispatched over the top rope by Brock Lesnar.
However, his involvement in proceedings also extended to having a role in producing the entire match with a number of other figures. This caused great consternation backstage, with McMahon gaining “a lot of heat” for how he went about trying to put the match together.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Melter reported that Shane had rubbed people up the wrong way with his involvement. Furthermore, planned matches featuring McMahon at Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania 38 were scrapped.
It has now been reported that McMahon has left the company altogether. As noted by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, Shane is “out of WWE.” The news comes after it was reported that McMahon had been “quietly let go.”
Shane McMahon began working with WWE in the late 1980’s as a referee. He later transitioned into a backstage role before returning to television during the Attitude Era. During this period he competed in a number of famous matches, performing a number of death-defying feats along the way.
McMahon left the company in 2009 announcing his resignation that October. After pursuing a number of business interests outside of wrestling, McMahon returned to his father’s company in early 2016 as an on-screen figure. This eventually led to him reprising his role as a member of the production team.
Ahead of his Royal Rumble appearance, McMahon had last wrestled at WrestleMania 37 where he was defeated by Braun Strowman in a Cage Match.