Levin: We Can’t Expect Shane McMahon To Compete At WrestleMania 32

In the days leading up to Monday night’s shocker, I wondered who would face The Undertaker at WrestleMania 32. Now, after an explosive Raw that left the wrestling world tossed on its ear, we have the most unlikely opponent for the Dead Man in Shane McMahon.

As one wrestling writer put it to me on Twitter—sometimes, life really does imitate art.

There is more to it than Shane McMahon getting in a ring with The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match at The Show of Shows. There are more components to it. If fans really believe McMahon is going to get in the ring with the 50-year-old wrestler, then may I offer you some land in the Everglades?

This is all a ploy and plot, finely tuned by the McMahons for nothing more than to drum up ratings. And thank the wrestling gods for that. Regardless of the fact Vince McMahon has stated on more than one occasion that the ratings that have continued to plummet like a Jeb Bush presidential campaign, the idea to bring back his son to the company and putting him in the ring has everything to do with ratings and nothing to do with anything else.

You can believe that.

And now, with Vince McMahon set to have The Undertaker play the role of heel in a pay-per-view where he is revered and loved and in his hometown, no less, there has to be another foil in this master plan.

Enter someone not on the current roster who will fill Shane O’Mac’s boots.

Sting has also been a “silent” possibility, but with both men over 50 years old, can that kind of confrontation sell as a “retirement” match? Sting’s neck injury might have something to say about it. There has been no word as to whether it’s even a consideration. Still, the thought has fans salivating over a match that should have taken place a decade ago.

There have also been rumors it could be Goldberg, who was said to want one more match. It should be noted as well that Steve Austin still proclaims he has no desire to get back in the ring, so we should take his word on it. But in the interest of fairness, words don’t mean much in a business of perpetual lies and deceit.

They won’t be replacing Shane anytime soon, so let’s just erase them from memory for right now.

Could this also be a setup for something even bigger? I cannot get the idea out of my head that Shawn Michaels is from San Antonio and is one of the greatest, if not the greatest WrestleMania performer of all time. Would he come out of retirement for one more match in his home state and send ‘Taker off into the underworld?” It makes for great theater, and yes, the fans would welcome another round of the two giants in a battle of wills. Michaels retired Ric Flair at WrestleMania XXIV, why shouldn’t he do the same for one of his greatest rivals?

We also do not know what The Rock’s plans are yet with the big event. After he announced he would be in Dallas on his Twitter account, there has been plenty of silence as to what will happen to his character and how he will be used in the show. I figure he will have his hands full with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match between Roman Reigns and Triple H.

It remains to be seen if Vince McMahon is still mad at The Great One for going off script in Miami at his most recent live appearance. The Rock defending the honor of WWE is a little far-fetched, but we didn’t see Shane’s return coming, either.

At the end of the day, the most likely candidate to step into the ring and defend the company as he has done over and over again is John Cena. While Cena was as noncommittal at the Daytona 500 about a return at WrestleMania, it seems fair to think it could happen. WWE would have the match it wanted with two legends squaring off. Cena brought the WWE United States Championship back to life when he defeated Rusev, and it stands to figure he would be the right wrestler to step in at the right place at the right time.

If the principal pieces are firmly in place, how does this end? How can we expect The Undertaker to lose on “his” night? And more importantly, how will this all make sense by the time April 3rd rolls around?