"Dedicated to perfection" — Two-time WWE Champion gives shoutout to Shane McMahon
Shane McMahon reportedly has cut ties with WWE as of 2025. His last appearance was at WrestleMania 39, where he could not complete his impromptu match with The Miz after suffering an injury.
Six years prior, Shane O'Mac wrestled AJ Styles on The Grandest Stage of Them All. Although Styles had a 'give him a broom and he will make a five-star match' reputation, their bout was met with doubt and criticism. At WrestleMania 33, the two kicked off the show. By the end of their match, they received a standing ovation.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, AJ Styles noted that his match with Shane McMahon was the perfect example of being doubted. The Phenomenal One went on to praise his dance partner on The Show of Shows, stating that the latter is "dedicated to perfection":
"I had the opportunity to work with Shane McMahon, and [he is an] awesome guy. Freaking love him. No one is more dedicated to perfection than Shane McMahon. Ask The Undertaker; he will tell you. I respect the heck out of that," AJ Styles said.
Styles also noted that McMahon, despite being 47 at the time they wrestled, was pulling off big moves like the shooting star press or the coast-to-coast:
"The stuff that he does—he's doing a shooting star press? Are you kidding me? He beats himself up. So much respect for Shane. Freaking love him. That was a great match." [From 1:12:01 to 1:12:32]
Shane O'Mac continued to wrestle after his match with AJ Styles. He worked with younger talents such as Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, and Braun Strowman.
Shane McMahon explains why he left WWE the first time
In 2009, Shane McMahon left World Wrestling Entertainment, only to return several years later and work for the company. In the Netflix documentary Mr. McMahon last year, Shane revealed that the reason was because he did not see eye-to-eye with his father, former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.
He felt that it was a good time to explore other options. However, he admitted the wrestling business is all he truly wants to be part of. Vince alleged that his son wanted "the chair," but he refused because WWE was his company. Shane responded with:
"Just weren't seeing eye-to-eye on certain things. But he's the boss. When he says to paint something blue, we're painting it blue. I was just like, 'I can either stay in here and watch us implode or it's time to step back.' He's my dad, you know? I'm not gonna jeopardize that. So I decided to step away. I thanked him, gave him a hug, and that was it." [H/T: Fightful]
There have been rumors that Shane McMahon could get involved with All Elite Wrestling. Whether his WWE run has ended for good, it bears watching.
Please credit the source and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you're using the first quote from this article.
