It had been quite some time since the WWE Universe had seen Shane McMahon, as the Smackdown Commissioner has largely been allowing his right hand woman, Paige, to handle the weekly responsibilities of the blue brand. That is, until last week’s huge Smackdown 1000 special, where Shane O’Mac kicked off the show alongside his father and sister.
It looks like the more fan-friendly McMahon may be back full-time, as he made yet another appearance this Tuesday night hyping the upcoming WWE World Cup tournament set to take place next Friday at the highly controversial WWE Crown Jewel event.
In the tournament four superstars from Monday Night Raw (which apparently includes John Cena this time) and four from Smackdown will face off to determine “the best in the world” – a phrase the company has been pushing non-stop for several weeks now, to the point where it’s become something of a talking point among fans online.
Of course, a certain Chicago-based former WWE Champion also happened to use that phrase as his go-to slogan for many years, so when Shane McMahon found himself on the receiving end of a loud “CM PUNK!” chant this week on Smackdown Live, the commish quickly dodged it by cleverly replying, “I don’t think he’s in the tournament…”
UPDATE: WWE has since uploaded footage of McMahon’s return to Smackdown, which you can check out below. Surprisingly, they actually kept the crowd chant and his reaction to it in the video.