Report: Shane O’Mac’s Original WrestleMania Opponent Said No

Shane McMahon is going to face AJ Styles at WrestleMania. That match hasn’t been booked yet, but the build has been clear, and it’s likely to become official tonight. But the original planes for Shane at Mania were much different.

It seems that Shane O’Mac was originally going to face the Beast Incarnate, Brock Lesnar at the show of shows. The build started at SummerSlam last year, when Lesnar put a brutal beatdown on Randy Orton to give a bloody end to the show. Shane came out to restore order, and the Beast gave him an F5 for the trouble.

So why the change in plans? According to a recent report from Wrestling Observer Radio, Lesnar simply didn’t want to do it. Whether or not the Beast would’ve been forced into the match is an interesting question–but Goldberg’s decision to stay with WWE after Survivor Series meant that Brock had an easy out from the McMahon bout.

Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar: SummerSlam 2016, only on WWE Network

Given Shane’s propensity for injuring himself in the ring, it’s probably a good thing he’s not going one-on-one with a wrestler as dangerous as Lesnar. Given his near-death at the hands of Roman Reigns–a spot so bad that Randy Orton was forced to break character to comfort Shane’s kids at ringside–we shudder to think what would’ve happened in a Lesnar match.

AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon isn’t a dream match, but at least it’s one where we can be reasonably sure nobody will die along the way.

What are your thoughts on the change of plans? Let us know in the comments, or on Facebook!