WWE News Roundup: Top star breaks character, Ex-Champion reacts to surprising return, Nia Jax's opinion on Brock Lesnar (January 31, 2022)

We're back with another exciting WWE News Roundup.

A top star recently praised her rival in a character-breaking moment after Royal Rumble 2022. The event also featured a few returns, and one of the superstars who made a comeback in the Men's Rumble has spoken about his experience.

Meanwhile, Nia Jax gave her honest opinion on Brock Lesnar, and SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair set a record not too long ago. Additionally, Randy Orton stated that a current WWE star has "got something special."

Without further ado, let's take a closer look at these topics.

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#5. Becky Lynch praises Doudrop after WWE Royal Rumble

Becky Lynch and Doudrop (f.k.a. Piper Niven) went one-on-one in a 13-minute battle at Royal Rumble 2022. As many had predicted, Big Time Becks won the bout.

Even though she came up short at the event, Doudrop worked hard for over a decade to earn this opportunity. The RAW Women's Champion acknowledged the Scottish star's efforts while speaking to Sports Illustrated.

Lynch broke her on-screen persona for a while to praise the 30-year-old, stating that she would like to continue their storyline after WrestleMania 38:

"She's been working for 15 years and this was her first big opportunity," said Lynch. "I know her love for this, I know how she left home to do this. I thought she did great. She's extremely powerful and made me pull out all the stops to beat her. I don't think this is over – I'd like to see this continue after WrestleMania."

It seems that the two women undoubtedly respect each other in real life. Doudrop has publicly spoken about their similar backgrounds in professional wrestling before, with Lynch being a Dublin native.

While Big Time Becks will now look forward to a possible title clash at WrestleMania, it remains to be seen what plans WWE has in store for the former Piper Niven.

#4. Drew McIntyre reacts to his WWE return

Drew McIntyre recently returned to WWE as the 21st entrant in the Men's Royal Rumble. He had been out of action since the Day 1 event due to a neck injury, and many initially believed that The Scottish Warrior would miss the Rumble as a result.

In a backstage interview after the multi-man bout, McIntyre spoke about his off-screen journey that eventually led to a comeback:

"I was supposed to be out a lot longer," said McIntyre. "And how long it's been, one month? The doctor looked me right in the eye and said, 'this could be surgery,' the first night I met with him. Fortunately, that's not how it went down. I rehabbed my a** off and got back in one month at the Royal Rumble." (0:55-1:08)

McIntyre lasted almost 20 minutes in the squared circle before eventual winner Brock Lesnar eliminated him at the very end.

The Scottish Warrior added that while he aims to win WWE's top title again, his current focus is on the feud with Happy Corbin and Madcap Moss.

"I want the main event, I want the title, and I want those people to be there to feel that moment with me and Brock Lesnar took that away from me tonight," McIntyre continued. "There's a lot of time until WrestleMania; I will wrap my head around that. In the meantime, Corbin and Madcap, that was just the beginning. We are far from over." (1:33-1:51)

Drew McIntyre remains one of the most dependable talents in Vince McMahon's company, and it is now just a question of when higher-ups will pull the trigger on his main event push again.

#3. Former WWE Superstar Nia Jax is a huge fan of Brock Lesnar

Nia Jax recently gave her honest opinion on Brock Lesnar after the latter's WWE Royal Rumble win.

While the above tweet may indicate that Jax was not too keen on the company's picks to win the Rumbles (Lesnar and Ronda Rousey), she heaped praise on The Beast Incarnate while responding to a fan.

The former WWE Superstar called Lesnar an "insanely talented" hard worker. Additionally, she admitted that he comes across as a nice person in real life. And for someone who appears to be one of the most dominant in-ring performers, Jax believes the multi-time world champion also gives back to the industry.

Check out her tweet below:

Interestingly, Nia Jax has praised Brock Lesnar in the past as well. Earlier in January, she called him "one of the coolest dudes, hands down."

The Beast Incarnate's latest WWE run has showcased a more light-hearted side to his on-screen character. From being a menacing presence to becoming a terrifying yet hilarious persona, fans have grown to appreciate the megastar in a whole new way.

As a result, Lesnar's current run will likely add a lot of necessary momentum to this year's road to WrestleMania.

#2. Charlotte Flair set a record for this year's WWE Women's Royal Rumble

Charlotte Flair entered the 2022 Women's Rumble at No. 17 and lasted over 30 minutes in the multi-person WWE match. She was also one of the final two competitors alongside eventual winner Ronda Rousey.

Despite coming up short, the SmackDown Women's Champion earned the most eliminations for this year's 30-woman contest. She accomplished this feat by eliminating Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair, the last two participants from the 2021 edition of this match.

Additionally, Flair eliminated WWE Hall of Famer Lita, SmackDown rookie Aliyah, and Shayna Baszler. The company acknowledged her five eliminations in a tweet on Monday.

The Queen also reacted to the accomplishment, as one can see below:

Interestingly, Shayna Baszler and Bianca Belair hold a joint record for most eliminations in the female version of the match. They both scored eight eliminations each in 2020.

In 2021, Rhea Ripley followed the two closely by removing seven participants from the Women's Rumble. Meanwhile, Flair is on top with the highest eliminations as far as the combined record for every edition of the bout is concerned.

#1. Randy Orton says he is lucky to have Riddle as his current tag team partner in WWE

Over the last several months, Randy Orton and Riddle's alliance on WWE television has undoubtedly become a fan-favorite act.

The Viper recently spoke to Ariel Helwani of BT Sport; as seen in the clip above, he praised his tag team partner. Orton stated that Riddle is "a lot smarter than he lets on," both on and off the screen:

"When I'm out there in the ring and the red light is on, I'm feeling his energy and the people are feeling it and it's a weird thing he's got," said Orton. "He's got something special. He's a lot smarter than he lets on, on TV, in real life. He's a sharp dude." (3:00-3:20).

It's no secret that the 14-time world champion has been more successful as a villain throughout his career. However, the veteran believes his current babyface run is a lot of fun, thanks to his association with Riddle.

"He's lucky to have me there, right? I'm giving him the rub," Orton continued. "I think I'm more lucky to have Riddle with me because of why you're asking me that question: 'You're having a lot of fun out there, I see you smiling, I see you having a good time in this babyface run.' I think that is directly related to him." (3:21-3:44)

RK-Bro has already had a tag team championship run on RAW. And while the two stars will most likely split down the road, the intriguing question is when exactly that happens in WWE.