WWE Turned Down Shane McMahon’s Return Attempts After WrestleMania 39

Shane McMahon has long been regarded as the shining beacon of goodness within the McMahon family, but he hasn’t been involved with WWE since his appearance at WrestleMania 39. With that said, it appears WWE turned down McMahon’s attempts to return due to negativity.

Shane McMahon’s highly anticipated return to WWE at WrestleMania 39 was unfortunately marred by an injury. During the event, McMahon suffered torn quad, abruptly halting his match against The Miz. As a result, hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg stepped in to deliver his own rendition of the People’s Elbow, filling in for McMahon.

In the meantime, rumors persisted that Shane McMahon would join AEW and that gained even more steam after AEW CEO Tony Khan held private meeting with Shane McMahon on Monday, July 29, 2024, at a private office in Arlington airport. The discussion focused on “possibilities moving forward,” making fans wonder if McMahon would work with Khan soon enough.

While speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer stated that Shane McMahon has been trying to return to WWE since WrestleMania 39, but WWE is not interested in bringing him back due to ongoing issues. Meltzer mentioned that Shane recently met with AEW CEO Tony Khan, but it’s unclear if this meeting is part of a strategy to get WWE’s attention. Shane was well-paid in the past for his limited wrestling appearances.

“I know Shane McMahon has looked to get back in WWE. I know that the people in charge of WWE have no interest in him. Could that change with the idea that he would be willing to go to AEW? Maybe, maybe not…Shane got a lot, a lot of money if you compare the amount of money Shane got for the amount of work that he did when he was an active few-times-a-year pro wrestler. It was a really high number.”

Meltzer also suggested that Shane’s meeting with Khan might be a tactic to pressure WWE into offering him a return. He pointed out that WWE has had no interest in Shane and that the negativity surrounding him has been a long-standing issue. When Shane was previously away, WWE didn’t actively seek his return, and Linda McMahon had to push for it due to injuries and existing plans with The Undertaker.

“Is it a leverage play for him to try to get back in WWE? Wouldn’t surprise me at all but I know from people in WWE, yeah, like I said, he’s tried to get back and they don’t have interest. There’s a lot of negativity, I would say, has been there for a long time.

“His coming back, it wasn’t like when he was gone they were begging him to come back. Linda pushed very, very hard for a long time for him to come back and they took him back because there was injuries and they knew him and Undertaker was going to do business.”

We have also reported WWE’s internal reaction to Tony Khan and Shane McMahon meeting as no one in the company was particularly shocked by McMahon’s actions. Regardless, only time will tell what Shane McMahon will do next, as the world is truly his oyster right now.

What do you think of WWE turning down Shane McMahon’s attempts to make his return to the company? Sound off in the comments section below!