Pete Gas of Mean Street Posse Talks Shane McMahon's Chances at WrestleMania 32

When Shane McMahon returned to Monday Night Raw on February 22, watching among an awestruck television audience was Pete Gasparino—better known to fans as Pete Gas of the Mean Street Posse.

"I was definitely surprised," said Gasparino, speaking to Bleacher Report yesterday. "I had spoken to Shane earlier in the day, and he was in New York City. I would have not guessed he would ever have shown up in Detroit."

Gasparino, along with fellow Mean Street Posse member Rodney, grew up with McMahon. In 1999, the prodigal son called Gasparino to appear on WWF television.

"He asked us if we would do him a favour; dress up preppy and wear sweater vests, and go talk in front of a camera about how we grew up on the 'mean streets' of Greenwich, Connecticut. That's what we did—and we had a good time doing it—and the crowd really responded to it."

Credit: WWE.com

During his time on the roster, Gasparino enjoyed two reigns with the Hardcore Championship, with one win coming as part of a chaotic Battle Royal at WrestleMania 2000. His last appearance on WWE television was during the Raw 15th Anniversary broadcast, but he continues to watch the show "religiously."

It goes without saying that Gasparino will be tuning in to see McMahon face Undertaker at WrestleMania—not just as an avid viewer but to support his friend.

"I'm one of the biggest Shane McMahon fans there are. He's a great friend of mine; he's got a heart of gold, and there's nothing he wouldn't do for his friends. And the same goes for me—there's nothing I wouldn't do for him. I'd run into a burning building for him. That's the way we were brought up."

Credit: WWE.com

Thanks to his matches against the likes of Randy Orton, Steve Blackman and his own father, McMahon has established a reputation for taking whatever risks are necessary to get the job done. According to Gasparino, that's not a trait that's limited to his in-ring exploits.

"Shane's been that way since high school, since I met him," said Gasparino. "There's never been anything too high or anything too dangerous. He's fearless, he really is. He's not afraid to push the envelope, and he always comes out smelling of roses, God bless him."

In 2001, a heated match between McMahon and Kurt Angle at the King of the Ring pay-per-view was made even more punishing when the pane of glass McMahon was meant to be suplexed through refused to break.

Rather than abandon the spot, McMahon demanded that Angle put him through the glass, regardless of the risks involved. This is just one of many examples that illustrate what McMahon is willing to put himself through for the adulation of the crowd.

"He's got a set of grapefruits, as they say."

As McMahon prepares to face Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell, his devil-may-care attitude may well come in very handy. Even so, Gasparino admits that there's a huge barrier between Shane and control over Monday Night Raw when asked about who he sees coming out on top on April 3.

Credit: WWE.com

"That's a tough task; I really don't know the answer to that," said Gasparino "In my heart, I root for him. Obviously I want him to win." Despite his obvious reservations, he did note that McMahon actually has a stronger winning percentage at the event than The Phenom, being undefeated at this point.

	Shane McMahon	Undertaker
In-ring Appearances	2 (1999, 2001)	23 (1991-2015, exc. 1994, 2000)
Wins	2	22
Losses	0	1
Win Percentage	100%	95%

While he's unsure of the outcome, Gasparino is less restrained about making another forecast for the much-anticipated clash between McMahon and Undertaker.

"I will make one prediction, for sure," he said, with a clear sense of confidence in his words. "This match will steal the show at WrestleMania."

A marquee match at WrestleMania that features a 46-year-old non-wrestler fighting a 50-year-old part-timer is always going to garner criticism from certain sectors of the WWE audience. However, this bout is not going to be about work rate and technique—it's sheer spectacle.

McMahon has a reputation for doing anything and everything to make up for his occasionally unpolished in-ring abilities. There will certainly be no shortage of fans tuning in to see what he can do within the confines of Hell in a Cell.

"I saw a bunch of comments online that people were saying that Shane's too old, Taker's too old. I defy them to pick one match that Shane has been involved with that sucked. A match that you didn't remember, that you didn't say, 'wow, that was great.'"

Since making his return to WWE, McMahon has opened a Twitter account to document his intensive training regimen. Among others, he's been put through his paces by internationally recognized Muay Thai fighter Brett Hlavacek, hardcore wrestling legend Tommy Dreamer and Phil Nurse, who's known for working with fighters such as Georges St. Pierre and Jon Jones.

What shines through in both McMahon's appearances on WWE television and his training videos is that he's delighted to be returning to the ring. This is a man who is passionate about what he's doing—and someone who's eager to send the crowd home satisfied on April 3.

"Shane is larger than life," said Gas. "That's the way he works. Always has been, always will be. Shane McMahon will definitely give the fans their money's worth that night, and people will remember that match. I guarantee it."