How will WWE universe react to schmoozer Shane McMahon if he snaps after a slap?

The uncanny tonal similarities between New Day's visit to the Wyatt compound and TNA Impact Wrestling's sublimely ridiculous "Final Deletion" of Brother Nero were evident on WWE Raw where all the classical allusions were played up as brother and sister stars Shane and Stephanie McMahon went head to head.

"Let the games begin!" shouted emperor Vince McMahon, having set his offspring against one another, encouraging them to stab each other in the back and slit throats for a chance to inherit the "keys to the kingdom". So far, so McMahon.

And yes, once he's back from his suspension, Roman may indeed reign but this dynasty-charged sibling power struggle could end up more tragedy than comedy... and it is all Greek to me.

But first, an admonishment. And a reminder of his thrusting, procreative power − with Shane also later referencing Vince's well-promoted "grapefruits" in an attempt to illicit a response from the ringmaster-in-chief himself during the appraisal of his kin and the restructuring briefing.

This would have been the perfect time for an organogram graphic. And no, that's not a diagram of an organ of any kind.

"It's as if neither one of you came from my loins," spluttered Vince, haranguing his youngest child, Stephanie, 39, for being a "sweet little girl" who gets along with her storyline rival brother but allows her aggressiveness to be tempered with too much of the passive stuff.

Only Mr McMahon could have that viewpoint about her TV persona. He's about the only storyline presence not to have been thoroughly emasculated by her.

"Am I sweet?" Stephanie appealed to audience. They appeared unsure whether to cheer or articulate how they really felt about her villainous and indomitable character that fluctuates inconsistently between diminishing nearly everyone else she encounters on WWE programming and a more neutral mediated representation of a real-life corporate role (not a typical staple when it comes to wrestling stereotypes) in either absolute of "Yes" or "No". Instead they ended up bleating. Or should that be bahing, rather than baaing?

But although Stephanie remains an irascible and often unpleasant character, it is hard to disagree with a whole heap of what she voiced about schmoozer Shane.

Despite his popularity, and supreme ability to invoke earnestness, it all got a bit meta when Stephanie probed Shane's 'need' for recognition and a "pat on the back" from his father. The deep-rooted emotional motivations of a performer, played out and laid bare on a canvas stage, right there.

Her "humbled and rocked to the core" brother, beloved by the live crowd in Detroit, even though he was laying on the pandering thicker than Cesaro lays in European uppercuts, was rightly identified as "manipulating" the fans "like children".

Crucially, however, Stephanie doesn't seem to twig that being told compelling stories that allow audiences to have their imagination captured, like a child's sense of wonder, is what it's all about. After all, isn't that the reason most fans get pulled into the headlock of WWE and wrestling?

For reeling off her achievements, blurred between storyline and IRL business, Stephanie was booed. In contrast, Shane was cheered wildly. Unsurprisingly, she demanded the final word... even when there were lots more words to be said.

Accusing her older bro of "kissing their butts" and "bowing, scraping" to the fans, Shane's resentful swipe of Stephanie's microphone came with perhaps a little too much of a snatch, even if she was making fresh edits with her scripted lines as she was saying them to keep the audience simmering.

Likewise, his scoffing reaction to her unplanned trip as she left the ring in a low-key fury − even with his face burning from her provocation − contained more snap than might be expected from a character running on a mandate of popularity and change.

There's only one way, though − and that is the McMahon way. As Vince said: "Quite frankly, I couldn't care what these people think."

Both Shane and Stephanie are going to have to get their hands dirty to make both shows work following next week's brand split. Will Daniel Bryan and Triple H be there as general managers to help them both out?