When news broke that Shane McMahon had met with Tony Khan about AEW, it garnered some pretty incredible reactions from around the professional world.
Some wondered if McMahon would formally sign with the promotion, while others asked if this was nothing more than a way to juice up the hype cycle, but the prevailing thought wasn't so much how Shane-O-Mac would fit in AEW but who he would fit alongside, as at 54, there's basically no way the former SmackDown Tag Team Champion could hang on his own as a singles wrestler.
Fortunately, between the AEW roster and the rest of the professional wrestling world, there are plenty of interesting options to make things work should he decide on the dotted line, with the potential to create a new main event-caliber act with his inclusion.
1. Shane McMahon teams with Mercedes Mone
If Shane McMahon is going to partner with anyone in AEW, the most obvious choice is Mercedes Mone.
Mone is a big reason why the McMahon theories began, openly met with him at the airport, and has even taken credit for taking Tony Khan's picture with the former WWE employee. Factor in his high-profile former employer and instant name recognition among fans, and he could instantly add even more smoke to Mone's fire.
Now granted, does Mone really need a manager? No, she's doing pretty well on her own, and is even moonlighting as Kamille's manager, serving as the HBK to her Big Daddy Cool Diesel. But adding a McMahon to the former WWE wrestler's presentation? When she's already doing an “us vs. them” angle with AEW Original Britt Baker? Now that has the potential to be an all-timer.
2. Shane McMahon and a Big Bad
If Mone and McMahon aren't the play, AEW could easily bring him in as a Paul Heyman-style manager, overseeing some big bad like the WWE Hall of Famer did for years with Brock Lesnar.
Fortunately, considering all the recent WWE releases, there are plenty of options for McMahon to choose from and play the role of billionaire hotshot with the best muscle money can buy.
If Bobby Lashley doesn't want to do the Hurt Business again, a pairing with McMahon could be perfect. Alternatively, considering their history, having the former Jinder Mahal come to AEW with McMahon as his mouthpiece could pop internet fans while helping everyone to get over along the way.
3. Shane McMahon as a babyface
If the most obvious way to bring McMahon into AEW is as a heelish invader, either connecting with one of the promotion's existing stars or bringing his own champion and/or faction into the promotion, then the other option would be to start him as a babyface.
Sure, McMahon is everything that was written above, but he's also one of the faces of WWE due to his family's legacy; if he were to leave and it to sign with AEW, it would make him not just an incredibly savvy self-promoter but also a borderline hero to independent wrestling fans the world over, as he rejected his family's big machine in favor of the little guy. This wouldn't be Shane buys WCW or Stephanie buys ECW, quick marketing ploys that ultimately amounted to nothing, this would be adding a legitimate headline-grabbing main event caliber act to the AEW roster, even if his ultimate success will be based on the infrastructure around him.
Why couldn't McMahon manage Baker against Mone? Why couldn't McMahon take a wrestler like Scorpio Sky and finally give him that singles push he's been after for years, promoting him like the next big thing some once thought he could be? Heck, what if McMahon debuted with a faction of former WWE wrestlers and indie guys who he believed were underutilized and use his star power to elevate multiple performers who never quite got their due?
AEW is where the best wrestle, right? TNA has sent wrestlers to compete in the promotion, as has New Japan, as has CMLL, and beyond; everyone knows McMahon has money, so why couldn't he use it to hire some wrestlers of his own and put together a team to compete in the promotion? In Kayfabe, they can all work for McMahon, not AEW, and that idea could be extrapolated out into any way the promotion sees fit, including via heel turns.
Remember when MJF brought in outside talents like Timothy Thatcher and Nic Gage to challenge his foes? Imagine that, but on a scale a hundred times grander.
With All In rapidly approaching, AEW needs to do anything in its power to capture headlines and build positive momentum into the show: bringing in Shane McMahon is a guaranteed way to do just that, all the while helping some actual wrestlers get more traction via his star power.
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