WWE Rumors: Shane McMahon's 'Release' Stems From Major Backstage Issues

After his return to WWE programming during the men’s Royal Rumble match, news broke that the promotion has “quietly let go” of Shane McMahon and the details as to why have begun to surface.

According to a series of exclusives put out by Ringside News, McMahon had allowed his hand to dabble too much into the match where it came to a point that he is being blamed for the lackluster men’s match.

“Shane [McMahon] fighting everyone, booking himself to be one of the last ones out, eliminating KO [Kevin Owens], and just standing toe-to-toe with everyone has the entire locker room really angry,” a source told Ringside News.

McMahon’s backstage interference with the Royal Rumble match even included that of the number where recording artist and lifelong pro-wrestling fan Bad Bunny would enter.

Mike Johnson of Pro Wrestling Insider confirmed that McMahon was way too involved in the men’s Royal Rumble, and his ideas being shot down by his father--WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon--led to much tension backstage.

“It was said that Shane [McMahon] was obviously frustrated the day of the show and that some believed that came from his ideas being shot down by Vince McMahon. The talk was he was upset that ‘he wasn't being allowed to do what he wanted’ and that he was ‘greatly preoccupied’ by his own role in the Rumble,” Johnson wrote.

However, Johnson later added that a McMahon return could be on the horizon once the issue blows over.

The inclusion of the 52-year-old McMahon in the Royal Rumble match had fans grumbling on social media as many believed that his spot could have been given to another superstar who needed the exposure.

Prior to the event, fans were buzzing about rumors about a “forbidden door” entrant in the men’s match (similar to that of Impact Wrestling’s Mickie James in the women’s match), but it would not come to pass as the match entered the latter half.

Brock Lesnar, who had just lost his WWE Championship in the match prior, would become the eventual winner of the men’s Royal Rumble and is believed to be headed towards a title-versus-title match with Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 38.

With McMahon out of the picture for the foreseeable future, fans cannot help but feel disappointed with his inclusion in the Royal Rumble in the first place.

Johnson also reported a storyline with either Austin Theory or Seth Rollins was supposed to happen at WrestleMania for McMahon.

An angle pitting Theory and Rollins could be in the works as WWE sad been featuring the former heavily on weekly programming.