Report: Vince McMahon Pitched For Ronda Rousey To Eliminate All 29 Entrants In 2022 WWE Women's Royal Rumble

The 2022 edition of the Royal Rumble was somewhat of a disaster for WWE, with reports noting after the event that morale amongst WWE talent was at a "decades-long low", with wrestlers feeling discouraged, disappointed as well as frustrated with the direction of WWE.

The event was one of the final Rumbles with Vince McMahon as the head of WWE creative and the former WWE chairman was at least over a decade past his creative prime in 2022.

The Women's Royal Rumble saw Ronda Rousey make her return to the company at number 28 and she went on to eliminate four competitors on her way to victory. Vince McMahon originally had a different pitch for Rousey early in the creative process for the Rumble which would have seen the former SmackDown Women's Champion eliminate the entire Royal Rumble field, according to Fightful Select. McMahon wished to present Rousey in such a dominant fashion as she was signed to a full-time schedule for 2022. Others, meanwhile, pitched for Sasha Banks (now Mercedes Moné) to win the Rumble.

WWE's female talent were frustrated with the Women's Rumble, particularly due to the absence of TJ Wilson as he took time off from WWE around this time, with one of the reasons for his absence being that he had trouble coexisting with Vince McMahon's vision for the Rumble. There was also frustration as talent making cameos in the Rumble were told to simply "get in and get out." The likes of Melina, Molly Holly, Ivory, Summer Rae, Cameron, and Sarah Logan all spent one minute or less in the women's match.

It was noted at the time that the booking for the Men's Rumble - a match won by Brock Lesnar - was a mess as Shane McMahon tried to book the finish of the match around himself. This led to confusion backstage as Shane McMahon and Vince McMahon provided mixed messages about what was going to happen in the Rumble. Shane was gone from WWE only a few days after the Rumble and he didn't return until 2023's WrestleMania 39.

There is currently frustration amongst WWE's female talents over the booking of the women's division, although it has been noted the frustration is nowhere close to the levels felt around Royal Rumble 2022.

Cultaholic is now on WhatsApp! Follow us here. Sign up to the Cultaholic Wrestling Newsletter now.