5 superstars who could have won the 2022 men's Royal Rumble instead of Brock Lesnar

The 2022 Royal Rumble has just come to a close and one of the most talked about parts of the event was Brock Lesnar's victory in the men's Royal Rumble match. A polarizing win, to say the least, both its supporters and detractors are not without merit.

Lesnar has become just the ninth man in history to win more than one Royal Rumble match. He is also the fourth man to have won the match from the #30 spot and has tied with #27 as the winningest number in Rumble history.

Most importantly, Lesnar's victory essentially guarantees that he will carry on with his stellar feud with Roman Reigns all the way into WrestleMania.

But many see Lesnar's Rumble win as being too predictable and undeserving. After all, there are a myriad of ways for him to carry on a title feud with Roman Reings without having to win the Rumble and there are many wrestlers who could benefit from the prestige of winning such a match.

This in turn begs the question of who could have won the 2022 men's Royal Rumble instead of Brock Lesnar?

In this list, we will look at five WWE Superstars who each had very solid ground to have won the Rumble in place of The Beast Incarnate.

#5. Big E could have won the Royal Rumble to regain his lost momentum

Big E has had quite the slow start to 2022 following an amazing run the year prior.

A victim of circumstance more than anything else, Big E had to drop the title to The Beast at Day 1 at the very last minute due to Lesnar's scheduled opponent Roman Reings, pulling out because of testing positive for Covid-19 that same day.

Since his loss, Big E has done very little of note to regain his lost momentum.

In the span of a few weeks, he fell out of the WWE title scene, slid back down to the mid-card and, most recently, seemed to have returned full-time to SmackDown and reunited with The New Day.

What seemed to be a brief cooling off period for the former champion could have easily been undone with a Rumble victory.

A Royal Rumble win for Big E could have instantly and firmly implanted him back into the main event scene for good. Just from that win alone, a whole host of opportunities would have opened up for him.

With his apparent reunion with The New Day on SmackDown. WWE could have easily put the wheels into motion for a hotly anticipated New Day Triple Threat for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania.

Big E winning the Royal Rumble match could have opened the door to many interesting avenues and, most of all, allowed him to regain his recently lost momentum.

Depending on how WWE continues to use Big E on the Road To WrestleMania, they may end up having to rebuild a main event star that they could easily have kept on the top of the card with this Rumble win.

#4. Kevin Owens could have won the Royal Rumble to receive an overdue WrestleMania main event

A victory for Kevin Owens would have turned many heads in the right direction. Despite being one of WWE's most decorated superstars, Owens has yet to achieve a milestone on the level of winning a Royal Rumble match and main eventing WrestleMania.

Since re-signing with WWE in December, Owens not only seems more invigorated but has seen himself propelled back up into the main event and WWE title scene.

Over the past few weeks, Owens has teased the possibility of wanting to main event WrestleMania for the Universal Championship alongside new ally Seth Rollins. Unfortunately, after tonight, such hopes seem rather conclusively dashed.

Owens winning the Rumble would have arguably been a genuine surprise to the viewers who would at the same time receive him positively as a formidable candidate for the WWE or Universal Championship.

A WrestleMania main event is long overdue for the Prizefighter, and he is more deserving of another run at the very top of WWE.

When put in the top spot, Owens does not disappoint, and a Royal Rumble win for him would have been a well-deserved achievement.

Although a chance at the top may have passed Owens by this time, it is quite likely that another fruitful opportunity will soon present itself.

#3. AJ Styles could have won the Royal Rumble for one last run at the top

AJ Styles is without a doubt one of the greatest professional wrestlers of this generation, if not of all time.

The Phenomenal One made his debut in a Royal Rumble match. He joined the WWE fairly late in his career. Despite that, he has gone on to become one of the company's most accomplished wrestlers.

However, at the age of 44 and with a career lasting over two decades, The Phenomenal One's days at the top are numbered.

Having recently turned back into a face and having shown his ability and willingness to work on getting newer talent over, Styles is more than deserving of one last big run at the top before winding it down slightly.

Having entered at #1 in this year's match, Styles could have easily put on a valiant "ironman" performance and would have undoubtedly been received very well should he have won the match.

The beauty of an AJ Styles victory would be the fact that he would not even have to win his title match at WrestleMania. Just with him there in a main event match of that caliber, the fans are basically guaranteed an instant classic that would make both Styles and whoever his opponent is, look amazing.

However, considering the fact that he is now in the latter stages of his career, a Rumble win for Styles would be best used to propel him to the very top of WWE one final time.

Although Styles won't hang up his boots for good yet, it is more than likely that he will be used more to get younger superstars over.

A Royal Rumble win and a subsequent main event run for Styles would not only be a fitting reward for an accomplished veteran but also an instant credibility booster for anyone he fights after.

#2 Riddle could have won the Royal Rumble to establish himself as WWE's newest big star

Riddle is one of the most popular superstars in WWE today. Arguably, he was also one of the most well-received entrants in this year's Royal Rumble match.

Riddle is also one of WWE's most authentic performers. Fans know that his laid-back and goofy on-screen demeanor is not an act and are also well aware of his credible MMA background.

A win at the 2022 Royal Rumble would have skyrocketed the King of Bros to superstardom and, considering how he's fared in even the most unlikely of alliances, would comfortably fit into a main event position.

With his partner and hometown favorite Randy Orton by his side, a victory in the 2022 men's Rumble would be one of the biggest rubs a newer superstar could hope to receive.

Although winning the 2022 Royal Rumble would have been Riddle's ticket to the top, there is no doubt that his time will come sooner rather than later.

However, for the sheer shock value alone, Riddle's victory in the men's Rumble would come as a welcome alternative to Brock Lesnar's rather predictable win.

#1. Roman Reigns could have won The Royal Rumble because he was the perfect person to do so

Closing off this list with the Universal Champion, Roman Reigns, it is ironic that the best person to have won this year's Royal Rumble was not even in the Rumble.

Lesnar's victory has torn the opinion of fans somewhat, and there was a noticeable portion of them who clearly voiced their displeasure at his win. Lesnar is supposed to be the babyface in this feud, and his victory may end up hurting his popularity.

Reigns, on the other hand, is already WWE's biggest heel. Such an easy, and perhaps to some, cheap victory would have been more consistent with his character.

Reigns winning in Lesnar's place would have been the archetype of the underserving entitled superstar, winning a match he had no business being a part of in the first place.

The fact that he is the current Universal Champion would only hammer that point home. It would make Reigns all the more hated and, in turn, increase Lesnar's popularity among the fans. If done right, even a more predictable victory would still do wonders.

Lesnar vs. Reigns at WrestleMania 38 is WWE's biggest current storyline. It is understandable that they would want to use one of their biggest matches of the year to push this angle further forward.

Thus, with the current climate of WWE today, Roman Reigns would have been the best person to win the 2022 Royal Rumble instead of Brock Lesnar.