WWE WrestleMania 33: Pros and Cons of AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon

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Con: Difficult for Shane McMahon to Be Believable Opponent

AJ Styles can always get a great match out of Shane McMahon. He can even get one out of James Ellsworth if they were to try. Does it make the Prodigal Son believable, though?

Athleticism and courage — yes, courage — have been the two biggest parts of Shane’s game. He can leap across the ring, climb to the top of the world and drop a thunderous elbow.

However, that’s kind of it.

If you watch McMahon try to get in offense, it’s hard to watch. Specifically, his punches are far from believable and look like someone trying to train for their first day of boxing school. They have drawn ire from wrestling fans since his full-time in-ring days during the early 2000’s.

If we’re comparing wrestling ability, then Styles beats him in everything except the “OMG” entertainment moments. Shane would probably have to win dirty to outdo his opponent’s technical and innovative abilities, if WWE is looking for believability. That could always be in the cards, but with the way SmackDown’s authority roles have looked since the brand split, why hint toward a heel turn?

Maybe McMahon will defy the punching expectations and turn out something better. With tape that spans almost 20 years, though, there’s no sign of that changing.