Tony Khan might have already sown the seed for Shane McMahon's AEW debut
For some time now, rumors have been circulating about Shane McMahon potentially joining AEW. While the odds of the 54-year-old appearing on All Elite programming are not especially great, Tony Khan may have already planted the seeds for Shane-O Mac's arrival in his company.
In the top storyline currently being produced by the company, AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and his faction, the Blackpool Combat Club, are its biggest threat at the moment. The group has been indiscriminately attacking AEW talents on weekly television in its mission to transform the company in line with Moxley's vision.
The heel stable's ongoing war with All Elite Wrestling is set to continue this week on Dynamite, as the promotion's official X/Twitter handle shared a graphic announcing Jon Moxley's appearance on the show. The image in question seemingly acted as a warning to the AEW roster members, whom The Purveyor of Violence put on notice last week.
While there are no guarantees as to what Moxley and the Blackpool Combat Club have in store for Dynamite this week, the faction could, in the storyline, make a huge impact on the promotion's operations by going after its President, Tony Khan.
The Blackpool Combat Club taking out Tony Khan could lead to Shane McMahon's AEW debut
Whether it is by attacking AEW President Tony Khan like The Elite did earlier this year, or by coercing him into leaving the arena as well as into giving up the company's daily administration, Jon Moxley and his Blackpool Combat Club stablemates could take the 42-year-old out of the equation this week on Dynamite and move one step closer to their attempted takeover of AEW.
This, in turn, could open up the door for Shane McMahon to arrive in All Elite Wrestling and challenge the Blackpool Combat Club. The 54-year-old could assume the role of an authority figure in Khan's absence, and oppose Moxley for his current actions.
Tony Khan reportedly met with Shane McMahon earlier this year
On July 29, 2024, Tony Khan reportedly met with Shane McMahon in Arlington, Texas. A photograph of the two, taken in the office where they had their meeting, went viral on social media, giving rise to much excitement among wrestling fans. In a statement conveyed through WWE legend Bully Ray, Shane-O Mac revealed that he and Khan discussed their "shared love" for pro-wrestling and the "rewards and challenges of working with family."
Considering the mutual respect demonstrated by both Tony Khan and Shane in their comments about each other, the possibility that the latter could be introduced to All Elite programming as an administrative replacement for Khan cannot be entirely dismissed, as it would arguably bring a lot more attention to the company's product.
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley has a history with Shane McMahon
Jon Moxley and Shane McMahon share some history as both men were once part of WWE. Shane-O Mac appeared on the former Dean Ambrose's talk show The Ambrose Asylum on an episode of RAW in April 2016. Later that year, the 38-year-old star would be drafted to SmackDown, with McMahon serving as the Commissioner of the brand.
Ambrose and Shane were also teammates at Survivor Series 2016, successfully representing Team SmackDown against Team RAW in a traditional five-on-five elimination match.
Considering the depth of backstory that AEW can draw from with respect to Jon Moxley and Shane McMahon, it cannot be denied that a program pitting the Blackpool Combat Club and Shane-O Mac, with the fate of All Elite Wrestling hanging in the balance, could make for blockbuster television.