Why WWE's 2022 Royal Rumble Was Such A Disappointing Show
Royal Rumble 2022 could've kicked off WWE's road to WrestleMania with a bang, but instead it left many fans disappointed. It's no secret that, at least creatively, WWE has seen better days. Thankfully for them, WWE's finances are actually in great shape at present, with billion-dollar deals with the FOX network, the Peacock streaming service, the Indian arm of Disney+, and the Saudi Arabian government, leading to record profits. Not that most would figure that, given the massive amount of wrestlers WWE has fired in the last year or two.
Story and character-wise though, WWE has been in a rut for quite some time. It hasn't been enough to drive away their core TV viewership yet, but it's no accident that WWE's TV ratings and non-major live event attendance numbers are circling the drain. Many would argue that this rut is due to Vince McMahon refusing to step aside from running things after nearly 40 years in charge, and allow new creative voices to be heard. Either way, WWE often finds itself leaning on its past glories to try to get through the present.
Related: WWE: When Did Kayfabe Die?
WWE's reliance on nostalgia and bringing back part-time stars has been a complaint of the wrestling fandom for over a decade at this point, and was famously part of CM Punk's 2011 «pipebomb» promo. Yet, nothing has changed in that regard. Beyond the use of part-timers as main events though, WWE just can't seem to craft exciting, satisfying programming anymore. The 2022 Royal Rumble was another example of that, as bad booking decisions earned viewer ire, and the respective winners of the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches left lots of WWE devotees feeling ambivalent about the WrestleMania to come.
Going into the Royal Rumble, WWE was
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