Friday, October 16 – 12:50 P.M. (CT)

-The announcement of Shane McMahon's decision to leave World Wrestling Entertainment was a big surprise to fans as well as most people within the company. As noted previously, all indications are that this is a legitimate move and not part of a storyline, as the company made the announcement on their corporate website.

It's worth noting that WWE had USA Network issue a press release when Donald Trump purchased Raw from Vince McMahon, but that news was never published on the corporate website for obvious reasons.

I've yet to hear from anyone who knows the story on why Shane has decided to leave the company. Vince has been tough on Shane over the years and it's possible that played a part in his decision to walk away. It's also possible that he simply wants to pursue other interests. Shane is obviously set for life financially and he's never done anything outside the company. A new challenge might excite him.

Shane is a huge fan of UFC and mixed martial arts. He's known for hanging out with various fighters when they are in the New York area. He urged his father to get involved with mixed martial arts to no avail a few years ago, so I guess we can't rule out some type of career in an existing MMA group or even Shane launching his own company.

All that noted, my guess remains that Shane is going to be involved in Linda McMahon's U.S. Senate campaign in some capacity. "Unless he's going to fund a vanity venture, all signs point to him helping his mother (with the campaign)," said one former WWE employee. "She needs some backup."

I don't know if there's any legal reason that Shane would be forced to resign from WWE to do this, but my assumption is that it's because they're a publicly traded company and they don't want to risk upsetting shareholders by showing any signs of being partisan or if Shane is spending more time campaigning than on the job for WWE.

Even if the McMahons don't believe in their hearts that Linda is going to win the nomination, it's not like they lose out on anything by having her and Shane step aside temporarily to hit the campaign trail. Obviously, their jobs will be waiting for them when the campaign concludes.

Rich Twilling and I will have much more to say on this story in today's Dot Net Weekly Audio show along with exclusive items on the futures of Undertaker and Shawn Michaels in WWE, and TNA Bound For Glory talk. You can gain instant access to all Dot Net Audio, the first look at news, and the ad-free version of the site for five bucks per month (skip that Subway sandwich for one day) by visiting the Dot Net Members' Signup Page.

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