Assessing The Futures Of 10 WWE Stars Who Didn't Make The Royal Rumble 2022 Cut
What their Rumble absences could mean for the future of these WWE superstars.
The 2022 edition of WWE's Royal Rumble PPV is now in the record books.
The internet raged at Brock Lesnar winning the men's Rumble. The internet raged at Ronda Rousey winning the women's Rumble. The internet raged at the groan-inducing finishes to Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins, and Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley. And your scribe here raged at no 1-2-3 Kid appearance.
As is ever the case, there were bright spots and not-so-bright spots dotted across the Rumble PPV. When it came to the two titular over-the-top-rope contests, they likewise had plentiful problems in amongst the glimmers of hope.
While WWE had somewhat questionably announced so many Rumble match entrants ahead of time, there were still enough free spots to have fans speculating over potential competitors. Still, that ability to speculate can often lead to eventual disappointment - particularly for those hoping to see an Asuka, a Finn Bálor, maybe a Bron Breaker.
But hey, we got Shane O'Mac in the final four, right? Uhu...
With that in mind, then, it's absolutely worth taking a look at the total Royal Rumble absence of these ten particularly notable names. And more importantly, what their WWE futures could now look like.
10. Asuka
Many had expected Asuka may make her long-awaited return to action at this year's Royal Rumble. Having been inactive since last July's Money in the Bank PPV, hope was high that the Empress of Tomorrow would resurface in the women's Rumble ahead of setting her up for something at WrestleMania 38.
The reason for Asuka's lack of in-ring action across the past six months has been put down to a shoulder issue, with her believed to be ready to return to the squared circle imminently. While there were internal talks of having that 'imminently' be at the Rumble, that ultimately didn't come to pass.
Whether the return of Ronda Rousey had any impact on the decision to hold off on Asuka is something we don't know, but one school of thought is you wouldn't want Asuka's return to be overshadowed by the victorious Rowdy One.
In terms of what the future holds for Asuka, she'll be just fine. As the only person to have held the NXT Women's Title, Raw Women's Title, SmackDown Women's Title, Women's Tag Titles, won the Royal Rumble and won the Money in the Bank briefcase, the veteran badass is clearly viewed as an important player by WWE. As such, it wouldn't be a major surprise to see Asuka go after one of the main women's singles titles in the lead to 'Mania.