Vince McMahon wrestling at WrestleMania 38 simply makes sense
The wrestling world has been up in arms this weekend as rumors began circulating that Vince McMahon could be returning to the ring in five weeks at WrestleMania 38. A recent tweet from Dave Meltzer only pushed this idea forward.
As of last night, Vince McMahon vs. Pat McAfee was listed as a match on the internal schedule for WrestleMania.
Vince McMahon is scheduled for a rare interview on The Pat McAfee Show on March 3rd, and reports have indicated that the WWE Chairman and McAfee will use the interview to kickstart a feud.
The culmination of this angle seems to be a match between the two at The Show of Shows. However, there's a major problem with this.
Nobody wants to see Vince McMahon in the ring anymore, especially not at WrestleMania.
Following Meltzer's tweet, fans were quick to point out that Vince McMahon is 76 years old, and wasn't the greatest in-ring talent even in his fifties. The last time the boss stepped into the ring was in 2010 against Bret Hart at WrestleMania XXVI, in a losing effort.
That match, much like the proposed one with McAfee, was meant as a spectacle. It was a slice of revenge for a hobbled, beaten-down Hart 13 years after the Montreal Screwjob. It was also one of the worst matches in modern WrestleMania history.
BREAKING: @VinceMcMahon will join Pat McAfee next Thursday on the @PatMcAfeeShow! https://t.co/g2X5CFsCM0
Should Vince McMahon return to the ring against McAfee, it will be his first bout in over 12 years. The WWE Chairman also has a terrible 'Mania record, going 0-4 at The Show of Shows. This makes fans wonder what the value of him even being in a match is if he is just going to lose, and to McAfee of all people.
What fans need to understand is that WWE is likely setting up this feud for the benefit of Austin Theory.
Inserting Austin Theory into this storyline is what makes this match worth having at WrestleMania.
Austin Theory is a rising star in WWE and this is the sort of angle that will allow him to continue his climb. Sure, Vince could put him in a singles match, but it likely isn't going to create the same type of moment for him, especially given how heavily the WWE Chairman has been involved in his current story.
Assuming the feud begins this week on the radio show, WWE will have just under five weeks to build this match. When it comes to Theory, he could be inserted from the start or he could come in at the last-minute. Theory could be helping Vince train for the next few weeks on RAW, reversing the mentor-protege role.
What will @austintheory1 do next to try and impress Mr. McMahon?
#WWERaw https://t.co/shQSeRyW9N
If WWE wants to hold back, they could wait a few weeks and during a McMahon/McAfee confrontation, Theory could attack McAfee. If Vince wants to push it out even further, he could draw fans into thinking it's a singles match, then announce a handicap stipulation with Theory at the last minute.
The established storyline connection between McMahon and Theory allows for this feud to take many paths in the coming weeks, which should make for great TV.
At the end of the day, nobody wants to see Vince McMahon go one-on-one with anyone inside a wrestling ring. However, that likely isn't the way this story will turn out, which means an announcement that he'll compete at WrestleMania truly does make sense.