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Shane McMahon has always been portrayed by people with experience inside WWE as being "his mother's son," whereas younger sister Stephanie McMahon was always considered "her father's daughter." Eric Bischoff reiterated that in his "Torch Talk" a few weeks ago talking about working with Stephanie McMahon.

Jerry Jarrett said in a "Torch Talk" years ago that he remembers a time where he had dinner with the entire McMahon family when Shane and Steph were teenagers. A comment was made about Shane taking over the family business some day and Stephanie interjecting, with a sense of entitlement and determination, that she, not Shane, would run WWE some day. I've heard similar stories over the years from others.

In other words, even when they were teenagers, Stephanie had her eye on running WWE some day. Shane, the less dominant personality, has always known he'd have competition for being the "next McMahon" to run WWE.

Whenever that time comes, and it could be next month or in 2025, maybe Shane doesn't want to be around only to be officially passed over.

However, even more likely is that Shane does want to get out from under the shadow of his father and sister. With his mother leaving WWE to pursue a seat in the Senate, it trailblazed the path for Shane to also leave without being branded disloyal to the family business.

Almost 20 years ago during a tour of the new WWE headquarters, Shane McMahon and I were introduced to each other and shook hands. Being similar in age, there was a little buzz afterward among other reporters on the tour that it was the first meeting of a long relationship that would develop, with me covering him decades later as he ran WWE. Instead, twenty years later he's barely on the map of wrestling influence, "relegated" to New Media and lower profile generic corporate positions within the company.

Let's not forget, either, that Shane was a hideous embarrassment on air recently in the Super Shane-o-Mac storylines where he was beating up heel wrestlers 15-plus years younger than him. It was ridiculous and unbelievable. It showed a lack of instinct and judgment on Shane's part to even agree to participate in something as silly. It showed a disconnect from reality, a lack of any sense of internal logic regarding what made sense in the WWE Universe. Maybe Shane has finally realized he doesn't have a knack for pro wrestling, or even a passion for it, given the total lack of good judgment and the internal and external ridicule that resulted.

Maybe Shane wasn't pleased with Stephanie calling him out as being irresponsible, more interested in a night on the town than running WWE, as she recently did on Raw. As has been well-established over the years, a lot of what is said on WWE TV on any given week is an expression of Vince McMahon's feelings at that particular moment. Maybe Vince was sending Shane a message.

People who have known the family over the years have told me that Shane lived for his dad's approval, but always felt he came up short. He has never been a gym rat, seeming more pudgy than chiseled over the years. While he seemed to lack an instinct for the creative side of pro wrestling, he always seemed almost too nice to be his dad's son. He didn't seem to have the ruthless side that Stephanie had that gave her the edge and authority to be a respected member of management as early as her late-20s despite the accusations and beliefs she had her job only because she was born into it.

As Shane approached the big-four-ohh, it's no surprise that he'd like to live independently, not under the scrutiny and expectations of his father and in the shadow of Stephanie's rise to power. He might put himself in a situation where he can find out once and for all how much of any success and riches he's acquired had to do with preferential treatment. He can now fend for himself, with an admitted head start of millions of dollars and a guaranteed soft landing, in the real world outside of pro wrestling. It could be politics, it could be MMA, it could be a kite or envelope company, or maybe he just wants to be a stay-at-home dad.

Whatever path he takes, he's stepping into a new chapter of his life that many doubted he would ever be brave enough to do.

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