On the first episode of SmackDown on FOX last October, Shane McMahon was defeated in a Ladder match by Kevin Owens, meaning he was 'fired' from WWE.

Of course in reality that wasn't the case, after all he is the son of Vince McMahon so he can never actually be fired.

But it was a way to get him away from our screens and write him out of storylines at a time where he had come under great scrutiny.

There was much hype surrounding his huge return in 2016, and after his Hell in a Cell match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 32, Shane-O-Mac 'controlled' Raw for a month, then became SmackDown's Commissioner when the Brand Split returned.

But excitement at his comeback would soon dissipate, as he would end up returning to the ring and taking up air-time from superstars who were left on the sidelines for too long.

Things got even worse last year after he became an egomaniacal heel, demanding to be known as the 'Best in the World', and in the end fans were happy when he was written off WWE TV.

Rumours were rife over Royal Rumble weekend that Shane may indeed be returning to our screens, but it proved not to be the case in the end.

Instead, Shane's role at the end was basically a producer, as he helped put together the men's Royal Rumble match, alongside Lance Storm, Jamie Noble and TNA legend Abyss, who now works backstage with WWE.

Considering it was one of the best Royal Rumble matches ever, maybe Shane should stay behind the scenes and help SmackDown get out of its rut!

According to Dave Meltzer's words on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio though, that won't be happening.

Per WrestlingInc, Meltzer stated that Shane was just 'lending a hand', and going forward Shane will be staying at home, and that he's 'usually not around these days'.

With a young family to deal with, it's no great surprise that he's taking some time away from the business, having been active for the last three years.

There will be a time when the fans do indeed want Shane back, and when he does return he will get a huge reaction, but if the Royal Rumble match was anything to go by, maybe his talents belong behind the stage instead of on-screen.