5 Things We Want To See After WWE Royal Rumble 2022 (And 5 We Don’t)

There were many reasons to bemoan Shane McMahon’s entry into 2022’s Royal Rumble - his survival to the final four, his presence as the sole surprise of the entire match, his insistence on going toe to toe with some of the full-time stars. What really sent a chill down the spine, though, was his face-off with Kevin Owens.

After the two launched into the uncontrolled punches spot, Shane quickly got the better of KO and reversed the Canadian’s elimination attempt to send Owens sprawling to the mat. Leaving aside how dumb (and unpopular) a decision it was to give Owens such a lame exit, one can’t help but fear that we’re re-launching Owens vs McMahon.

A truly dull storyline that took up much of 2017, the feud birthed precisely one memorable in-ring moment in Shane leaping off the cell and crashing through an announce table (a spot he’d already done the previous year). McMahon has entered the diminishing returns stage of his career, with 2021’s Braun Stroman business a new nadir.

When Owens’ contract reached its final months, he could have gone anywhere, but instead, he re-signed with WWE. He is unquestionably a top, top talent and should be presented as such. Failing that, he should do almost anything other than renewing hostilities with his boss’ middle-aged son.