WWE officially shoots down speculation on Shane McMahon's backstage power

In a bit of 'Reality' Era publicity WWE surely loves, the New York Post ran a story yesterday openly musing about what Shane McMahon's on-screen return to the company means about the behind-the-scenes power structure of the company.

Officially, WWE gave the paper a statement downplaying any changes to their corporate org chart:

A WWE spokesman advised against reading too much into Shane's bid to run "Raw," saying the son's merely "playing a character on a TV show."

That the story exists in a mainstream media outlet like the Post gives some life to the angle among casual fans. In story, Shane is fighting Undertaker for control of Raw. On the internet, moments after the pleasant surprise of his re-emergence sunk in, questions about what this meant for his sister, Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon and brother-in-law, Executive Vice-President Paul "Triple H" Levesque arose.

Getting folks invested in the worked program via interest in possible real-world drama is an old trick, and one WWE must be only too happy to see come into play on the road to WrestleMania 32 as they prep for the huge show with an injury-depleted roster.

It's a story that easily lends itself to such speculation, too, because it makes so much sense. As "Wrestlenomics" expert Chris Harrington is quoted in the Post, the ventures Shane left WWE to pursue exposed him to a market his father's company is now trying to tackle as they push WWE Network into China and other Pacific countries:

"He has spent years focused on the issue of how do you generate real revenue with Chinese OTT media," Harrington wrote Wednesday in a piece for Seeking Alpha. "That's a topic where WWE needs an expert."

For however long Shane is back, rumors will persist that there's something going on in the halls of Titan Tower in Stamford.

And that's just the way WWE likes it.

source: cagesideseats.com