5 key takeaways from WWE Royal Rumble 2022

#2. WWE established the Royal Rumble as the night of surprises

From top-to-bottom, this year's Royal Rumble was filled with surprises. While the shockers are usually limited to the titular matches, this department delivers the under-card.

While they brilliantly used their history in The Shield in the storyline, it was a pleasant surprise to see Seth Rollins walk through the crowd dressed in the custom Shield attire. After being humiliated by Roman Reigns, few expected Paul Heyman to side with The Tribal Chief, but the Royal Rumble proved that Heyman indeed had a temporary alliance with Brock Lesnar.

Melina and Ivory were two welcome additions to the Women's Royal Rumble Match. However, Rousey's re-emergence was the biggest surprise as it shook the WWE Universe and the locker room to its core.

The Men's Royal Rumble Match lagged in the surprises department, but a few shockers earned decent pops. Drew McIntyre returned from injury and eliminated the two men, Madcap Moss & Happy Corbin, that put him out of commission. While this wasn't a huge surprise, The Scottish Psychopath was a pleasing addition. Bad Bunny entered the Rumble in the lucky spot, #27, and wowed the audience with his athleticism. Shane McMahon also returned to the roar of the WWE Universe and battled it out with Kevin Owens, Brock Lesnar, etc.

Lesnar's entry was almost inevitable after Reigns' interference, so it didn't count as a surprise.