The WWE’s 2022 Royal Rumble is just around the corner, which means many men and women will fight for their chance at winning one of the brand’s biggest matches and punch their ticket for a match at WrestleMania 38. Most of the entrants we know, though there are still some slots left to fill ahead of both Rumble matches. We’ve had rumors of NXT stars and retired wrestling legends filling those spots, and now we have another rumor alleging another big name tied closely to the WWE could enter the match. Shane McMahon might make his return to the upcoming Royal Rumble and be one of the night’s surprise entrants.
Shane McMahon’s return in the Royal Rumble would certainly be unexpected. McMahon is typically an authoritative figure on television but has wrestled in plenty of big pay-per-view matches throughout his career. His alleged return, first reported by Ringside News, would surely get a big reaction from the fans in the audience and likely lead to at least one highlight in the Men’s Royal Rumble.
One interesting thing for fans to think about is why Shane McMahon is returning, if he truly is coming back for Royal Rumble. Typically, Vince McMahon’s son returns to WWE in order to arrange some feud with a superstar and potentially set the stage for some big match at WrestleMania. I think it’s highly unlikely we’ll see McMahon win the Royal Rumble and appear in the main event of WrestleMania, but there’s definitely a possibility he’d start a beef with some major superstar to justify a match at WrestleMania.
Shane McMahon’s last match in the WWE came in WrestleMania 37, where fans saw him take on Braun Strowman in a steel cage match. McMahon lost the match, so perhaps he’s due to win a feud with a wrestler soon. It’s worth noting that, at this time, there are no rumors of McMahon performing at WrestleMania 38, so his upcoming Royal Rumble appearance (assuming it happens) could be a one-and-done affair.
Many big names are rumored for the 2022 Royal Rumble, including folks like Ronda Rousey (who got called out by Becky Lynch recently) and superstars from other wrestling promotions. The WWE is, as usual, unwilling to explicitly confirm or deny the rumored mystery entrants, as doing so spoils a bit of the fun involved in the Royal Rumble. Hopefully, fans will still get a few surprises when the big night finally arrives, and we’ll see the entrance of one superstar in either the men’s or women’s rumble that drops jaws and sends the crowd into a frenzy.
WWE’s 2022 Royal Rumble streams on Peacock on Saturday, January 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET, provided you have a Peacock premium subscription. Get pumped for what should be an exciting night full of major matches and some surprises that could change the wrestling organization as we know it.
