As PWMania.com previously reported, one source told Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com that plans for the 2022 men’s WWE Royal Rumble match were changed “literally 20 times” prior to the event.
In an update, Johnson reports that he spoke with sources in WWE and there were two notable factors that led to this year’s matches being different from previous years. Triple H (Paul Levesque) was reportedly absent from the show for the first time in several years due to his health issues.
Johnson wrote the following about why Triple H’s absence was significant:
“In the past, Levesque would be involved with in an advisory role of sorts, often making Rumble changes to accentuate certain talents and make sure there were little ‘moments’ or highlights after the grand scheme for the Rumble had been locked in.”
In addition to that, it was said that Producer Tyson Kidd (TJ Wilson) was also not at the event. Johnson mentioned that Kidd “usually takes a massive leading role in producing the women’s division in general” but added that he is still with the company. Due to Kidd’s absence, Dave “Fit” Finlay was brought in to help produce the women’s Rumble match.
As PWMania.com previously mentioned, Shane McMahon was reportedly the lead writer and producer of the Men’s Royal Rumble match, something that got him a considerable amount of heat backstage.
