Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon: Gauging Fallout of Each Possible Outcome to Match
No match will shake up the WWE landscape after WrestleMania 32 like Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon.
Championships and pride are on the line elsewhere on the card, but control of WWE Raw and Undertaker's WrestleMania future are at stake inside Hell in a Cell on Sunday. A victory for The Deadman maintains the status quo. But should he fall to McMahon, an upheaval will be on the way.
The storylines emerging after The Show of Shows will be of the business-as-usual variety, or WWE will replace this long-running narrative built around The Authority with one heavy on Shane-O-Mac, as fresh blood takes over kayfabe power of the company.
That all adds up to anticipation and suspense aplenty, but how does the result of the Hell in a Cell clash at WrestleMania impact WWE as a whole? The level of the impact depends on who is left standing.
No-Contest, Inconclusive Ending
This is by far the least likely scenario. With all the buildup that has gone into this battle and with it being on the biggest show of the year, ending it without a true climax would fall flat. That would be a cop-out.
If WWE does go that route, though, it would point to this storyline continuing past WrestleMania.
With no clear winner, McMahon wouldn't have seized power from his father, but he would have reason to ask for a second opportunity of some sort. This result would point to Shane-O-Mac sticking around for a good while, with the story of his battle for control advancing into the summer.
This would allow Undertaker to compete at future WrestleManias. He wouldn't have another loss on his historic WrestleMania record.
A no-contest essentially accomplishes nothing. That's the biggest reason to expect it won't happen.
Undertaker Victory
Should The Phenom prevail at WrestleMania 32, he would amplify his mystique at the event. Losing to Brock Lesnar to end his undefeated streak proved that he was mortal, but scoring 23 wins at The Show of Shows would add to his legend.
That would likely be low on the list of what fans are talking about when WrestleMania wraps up, though.
Undertaker's victory over McMahon would end the prodigal son's hopes of taking over Raw. That presumably keeps The Authority in power for the foreseeable future, keeping things as they are. That angle has run its course but would still be in motion thanks to this result.
Most likely, that means that Shane-O-Mac will slip out of the spotlight again.
It would point to his being around as just a means to boost the WrestleMania card. The temporary addition to the roster would fade away, just as Cesaro, John Cena and Randy Orton begin to come back healthy.
The stretch of time where Vince McMahon's son was back dancing around the entrance ramp would have felt like a dream.
And as a part of everything returning to normal, Undertaker would still be able to compete at WrestleMania 33 and beyond. That is, assuming that his body doesn't force him to step away from the ring.
When he does, one can count on that moment being marked by hoopla aplenty. As Jim Ross wrote on his blog, "You can bet the farm that WWE is not going to squander the Undertaker's 'retirement' without marketing it to the hilt." Is that what WWE is trying to do right now, though?
Could being a marquee player at a WrestleMania in his home state be a send-off?
Shane McMahon Victory
WWE choosing this ending to McMahon vs. Undertaker would be the genesis of much change.
Per one of the bout's stipulations, this would mean we had seen Undertaker's last WrestleMania. There will be no John Cena vs. Undertaker or Sting vs. Undertaker. One of WrestleMania's main attractions would be gone for good.
That's one less huge bout to bolster the card each year.
Undertaker not being able to compete at WrestleMania would point to his retiring soon, likely within the year. For a part-time non-wrestler to set that in motion would be hard to believe. Like Vaughn Johnson of Philly.com, many would be dumbfounded by that happening:
Beyond that, McMahon knocking off The Deadman would create a compelling new narrative avenue for WWE. With him in control of Raw, that surely leaves Vince and The Authority in charge of SmackDown.
And with that, the brand split would presumably be born once more. Suddenly, SmackDown would have more meaning. Half the roster would be exclusive to that show.
Opportunities will pop up on both Monday and Thursday nights. Expect more NXT call-ups to help with depth issues. That will put the developmental brand in danger of not being as robust as it is now. Should it lose Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, The Realest Guys in the Room and Baron Corbin all at once, NXT will have a tougher time delivering as consistently as it has over the past two years.
Guys such as Tyler Breeze and Damien Sandow have to be thrilled about Raw and SmackDown potentially each becoming self-contained worlds. That means they may actually get a crack at connecting with the crowd.
The obvious negative of this possible brand split is it threatens to expose the company's lack of depth. Many, including Jay Hunter of Old-School Wrestling Review, believe the roster isn't suited for a brand split right now:
Should Shane-O-Mac pull off the upset inside AT&T Stadium, WWE will get a chance to prove its doubters wrong. The executive with no regard for his body beating Undertaker would have the company revert back to the structure it maintained for much of the 2000s.
The Raw after WrestleMania often feels like a restart for WWE, the first leg of a new season. That would be far truer should Shane be in control.
The company would reshape itself and toy with its format, all while signaling the end of Undertaker's Hall of Fame career.
