— Very few people were aware Shane McMahon was returning to Raw until the day of the show. The deal between Vince and Shane was truly only struck four weeks ago and came to materialize after Vince accepted the fact that Undertaker vs. John Cena was not going to happen at this year’s WrestleMania.
— While there have been several major injuries in WWE over the last year, including Seth Rollins and Randy Orton, the backstage news is that when Cena went down, Vince was “devastated” because he had his “heart set on” having Cena/Undertaker in a Legend vs. Legend match to carry WrestleMania.
— The Cena injury was ultimately the precursor to have Vince go in a completely different direction with Shane as there was growing criticism that this year’s WrestleMania was going to be one of the weakest in years, both from a lineup and interest perspective.
— At this point, the plan is for Shane McMahon to be a short-term performer and simply work through WrestleMania but because of all the drama and dynamics of the McMahon family backstage, he could stick around longer. Some are already anticipating that the soap opera that will now play out backstage with Shane in the mix is going to end up being far more entertaining than the one playing out on TV.
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Subscription information & prices available at f4wonline.com