Shawn Michaels names two WWE Superstars as possible Royal Rumble 2022 favorites

Shawn Michaels has given his take on who should win The Royal Rumble. With the 30-man-match just days away, fans and analysts alike continue to make their predictions about the match's victor.

As a back-to-back winner of the Rumble in 1995 and 1996, HBK knows what it takes to win one of WWE's most iconic matches.

After Monday Night RAW went off the air last night, Michaels made an appearance on the post show, RAW Talk to discuss a variety of topics. One of the major points discussed was the Royal Rumble, and the Hall of Famer picked two former NXT Superstars to have a good showing this Saturday in St Louis.

“I’m kinda biased towards guys I’ve run into here in NXT,” Michaels said. “The likes of Damian Priest and Riddle, I’m definitely pulling for some of those guys! I’d love to see a new breakout star, doesn’t matter who it is. The Royal Rumble match always presents an opportunity for someone to step out. Anything can happen, and careers can be made.”

The Showstopper's allegiance to NXT is well-documented, so it comes as no surprise to see him rooting for both Riddle and Damien Priest.

WWE is said to be 'very high' on Shawn Michaels' work in NXT 2.0

In the absence of his long-term tag team partner Triple H, Shawn Michaels has been running the day-to-day operations backstage for NXT 2.0.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, the higher-ups of WWE are said to be very pleased with how HBK has been running the newly revamped developmental brand.

“It’s interesting, because it’s basically Shawn Michaels’ thing right now, is this new NXT,'' Meltzer said. ''When he was brought in, it was never to be this. He was brought in to be a coach, but now he’s pretty much ‘the guy’, and they’re very high on him right now as far as his work."

Under the guidance of Shawn Michaels in 2022, WWE's third brand has already crowned two new champions in an apparent effort to build around fresh stars moving forward. The implication has been that NXT 2.0 is looking to reinvent itself with a new collection of superstars and champions.

Are you a fan of Shawn Michael's work on NXT 2.0? Sound off below!