WWE Rumors: Shane McMahon’s Return Bringing Back PG-13 Attitude Era-Version Of WWE

Over the course of the last six months, WWE has changed in some different ways and it’s been quite interesting. The Dudley Boyz returned. Rhyno and Tommy Dreamer had some short-lived appearances on the main roster. Sting is there. Stables are more abundant now than they have been in decades. Now, Shane McMahon has returned and he likely won’t be the last flashback as it appears WWE is heading toward an “edgier” product and the days of PG-13 Attitude Era.

Shane McMahon’s return on Monday Night Raw was shocking, strange, unheard of, and totally unexpected, but it happened. Now, it really does seem as if WWE is heading in a different direction with stock prices falling, ratings lower than normal, and fans looking in other areas for their wrestling fixes.

According to the Wrestling Observer, fans are going to see an “edgier” WWE product between now and WrestleMania 32. It’s actually obvious that it started on Monday night and longtime fans noticed that by the time the main event rolled around.

Roman Reigns was taking on Sheamus, but Triple H (complete with leather jacket) came out to end the show. Triple H not only beat him up, but he also destroyed him violently and it included a lot of blood since Reigns’ nose was legitimately broken.

WWE cameras will usually pan away from a wrestler’s face or body if they’re bleeding, and the superstar will lay face down. That didn’t happen this time. Triple H proceeded to hit Reigns in the face more which caused the blood to literally gush and pour out, and what did the cameras do?

One camera closed in tightly on Roman Reigns’ face which was totally covered in blood.

Some other interesting things that happened on Monday Night Raw that reminded hardcore fans of the Attitude Era were:

• The Dudley Boyz in true heel fashion
• Triple H doing a DX chop after delivering the Pedigree to Reigns
• Stables galore were present – The Wyatt Family, Social Outcasts, The Authority, The New Day, League of Nations
• Pre-show beatdown of Dean Ambrose by Brock Lesnar
• Ambrose driving an ambulance into the arena later in the night in the same style of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin

On top of that, three matches are now confirmed for WrestleMania 32. Two of them are right along the lines of that “edgier” tone that is reportedly returning to WWE. One is Shane McMahon vs The Undertaker in Hell in a Cell. The other is a No Holds Barred Street Fight between Brock Lesnar and Dean Ambrose.

Kind of interesting for a company that attempts to appeal to families and not just wrestling fans.

Let us not forget that during the opening segment, Vince McMahon was censored while talking to Shane McMahon. Wrestling Inc. is reporting that fans have revealed Vince said Shane was going to get a “f***ing beating” or a “motherf***cking beating.”

WWE has reportedly been on top of YouTube the past couple of days removing any videos of Vince McMahon’s uncensored words.

There’s also talk of the WWE brand split returning, and while that wasn’t a part of the Attitude Era, it would shake things up a bit. That’s just a rumor at this point, but an intriguing one.

The fact that Shane McMahon is back in WWE is huge news and it was a gigantic shock for just about everyone on Monday night. It could lead to a much “edgier” and PG-13 version of WWE. Even the WWE website is joining in on things and showing a lot of the history of Shane McMahon, and he was one of the biggest daredevils and in some of the most violent matches.

WWE has had some problems over the course of the past year or so, and it’s obvious that a shake-up is needed. That shake-up started with Shane McMahon‘s return and a different style could already be seen as Monday Night Raw went on. Blood, hardcore street fights, Triple H wrestling, the Dudley Boyz, and more seem like an edgier and Attitude Era-type WWE is coming back.

[Image via WWE]