The WWE Royal Rumble 2022 saw a number of surprise entrants, but the company were also turned down by a few former stars when offered a return.
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The 2022 Royal Rumble pay-per-view presented by the WWE was met with mixed reviews, to say the least.
The men’s and women’s matches saw a number of surprise entrants, many of whom were former stars coming back for a one-off.
However, there is were a number of former WWE employee who turned down the chance to return. The Iinspiration, now of Impact Wrestling and known as The Iiconics in WWE, did just that.
Now, a report in Fightful Select says that CJ Perry, known to WWE fans as Lana, also did not accept a return offer.
Why exactly this was the case remains unclear. Lana was a popular member of the roster, but moreso as a manager/valet.
She had began taking up wrestling training later in her run, but she was released in 2021 along with a host of others.
It is worth noting that others besides Lana and The Iinspiration were also courted by WWE. But again, a deal could not be reached.
One of the names rumoured for the Rumble was Kairi Sane. The ‘Pirate Princess’, who was last part of the Kabuki Warriors tag team with Asuka, is no longer in WWE.
Her contract only recently expired, but there was interest in a one-off return for the Rumble. But no agreement was reached.
There were also rumours that Asuka herself would make a triumphant return during the Rumble. However, the former RAW women’s champion was also missing from the event.
2022 will go down as the year the part-timers triumphed in the Royal Rumble. The women’s event was won by a returning Ronda Rousey, whose expected return was heavily rumoured ahead of time.
Rousey, the former RAW women’s champion who gained fame due to her UFC exploits, has not been part of the company since 2019.
She had dropped the title to Becky Lynch in the main event of WrestleMania 37. She then took a sabbatical from wrestling and welcomed a child into the world.
In the men’s Rumble, it was Brock Lesnar who emerged victorious. The number 30 entrant in the match, Lesnar won with consummate ease and is rumoured to be pencilled in for a match with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 38.
All signs at the Rumble pointed towards that too. Reigns had Paul Heyman turn on ‘The Beast Incarnate’ during his WWE championship match against Bobby Lashley.
As a result, Lashley won his second WWE title and Lesnar will now most likely turn his attention to Reigns.
