Sneaker Culture Has Its Place In Pro Wrestling Thanks To Shane McMahon
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If you take a look at the landscape of pro wrestling now, you may have noticed that more talent have been moving away from traditional wrestling boots in favor of the newest and most trendy sneakers. Wrestlers like Liv Morgan and The Young Bucks can be seen wearing Air Jordans weekly during their matches. This may seem like a new thing to many fans, but it has actually been a thing for a while now with the catalyst being none other than WWE's former Best in the World, Shane McMahon. Shane's been described by colleagues as extremely hip and current, with a finger on the pulse of what was hot, obviously having a knack for sneakers.
Shane McMahon Had An Affinity for The Air Jordan 3
During his initial run with the company in the late 90s and 2000s, Shane would wrestle almost exclusively in the Air Jordan 3, undoubtedly one of the top three most iconic Jordan silhouettes of all time and the first model to don the now famous Jumpman logo. It’s also famous for being the shoe worn by Jordan when he flew from the free throw line in the 1988 Slam Dunk Contest. Shane would take flight in just about every beloved original colorway of the Jordan 3, ranging from both Black and White Cement 3s, to True Blues, to Fire Reds.
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Although Shane is the most notable early example of someone who incorporated notable sneaker favorites into their in-ring look, he was not the only one from his era doing it. If you look back at some of the old ECW shows you would often spot Sandman rocking some classic 90s silhouettes of their time like Shawn Kemp’s Reebok Kamikaze 2 or the “Steel” Jordan 10, with the latter obviously being a favorite since he could be seen wearing it on many occasions in 1995, the year of the sneakers original release. There was also a stretch of Raw episodes in 1997 where Jim Ross would casually wear OG Flu Game 12s for in ring segments and interviews. Then obviously there’s Cena, who stayed in a fresh pair of Reebok Pumps during his run as the Doctor of Thuganomics on SmackDown in the early 2000s.
Shane McMahon's 2016 Comeback To WWE Opened Doors for Cross Promotion![Collage Maker-07-Mar-2023-03-03-PM-4645]()
Upon his WWE comeback in 2016, Shane would famously wear Jordan 1s every week on TV, even returning to the WWE in a pair of Chicago 1s, a grail for most collectors and a sneaker fit for the occasion of an electric night in Detroit. Although Shane had always been wearing classic Jordan colorways on TV, the internet was more of a factor this time around and word would spread of his affinity for sneakers, specifically the Jordan 1, across multiple sneaker sites and blogs, with Jordan Brand even supplying Shane O’ Mac with pairs of shoes to wear on TV.
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Sneaker culture began taking notice and WWE was becoming more aware of the crossover potential. Suddenly you began seeming talent like Kofi Kingston, a professed sneaker lover and collector, wearing all kinds of crazy colorways to match the New Day’s colorful getups. You would also see wrestlers working with sneaker customizers like the famous Mache on collaborative colorways for big events. Wrestlers were often beginning to pop up on big sneaker platforms like Complex’s “Sneaker Shopping” series with Joe La Puma where they would get to look at and talk about sneakers they love, drawing big numbers every time.
This is something that may seem small in the grand scheme of things, but sneaker culture is huge, and its audience is one that is young, hip, and likes to spend money. Wrestling and sneakers are both extremely vibrant in nature, and it’s a wonder it took so long for the worlds to embrace one another the way they have in recent years.
How Talent Like The Young Bucks Are Continuing to Embrace Sneaker Culture
Guys like the Young Bucks in AEW make it especially fun for fans of sneakers to be in on the act as they can be seen wrestling in high price sneakers almost every week, even incorporating the $10,000 “Dior” Jordan 1 into an angle a few summers ago, although the authenticity of their pairs have been in question since. A few months later, they would utilize a Travis Scott Jordan 1, which they glued thumbtacks to the bottom of, in a famous spot during their Cage Match with the Lucha Bros at All Out 2021.RELATED: 10 Most Expensive Sneakers The Young Bucks Have Ever Wrestled In
For those who are fans of both cultures, it’s neat seeing some of your favorite sneakers pop up on the feet of some of your favorite wrestlers. For some, it could enhance their relationship with certain performers, knowing that they may have similar hobbies. It’s also a fun Easter Egg for fans who have knowledge of sneakers and their worth to see what the wrestlers are wearing in the ring and in promos or interviews. We have Shane O' Mac to thank for all of this, the pioneer and godfather of sneaker culture in wrestling.
