WWE Royal Rumble 2022 - Ranking the buildup to every match

The Royal Rumble premium live event is traditionally one of the most anticipated major shows of the year in wrestling. The unpredictability and surprises make it intriguing for the fans. For 2022, WWE has assembled one of the most complete cards in recent memory.

Royal Rumble 2022 has two battle royals, one for the men and one for the women. Both matches have a lot of mystery in regards to all the entrants and who the winner will be. It makes for an exciting night, but that doesn't even include the rest of the event's lineup. The company has put together two world title matches that have plenty of hype surrounding them.

Adding in another title match and a mixed tag, this is a major event that has something for everyone. The buildup to each contest has had its hits and misses over the past few weeks. In this article, let's rank the buildup to every match at WWE Royal Rumble 2022.

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Becky Lynch vs. Doudrop for the RAW Women's Championship - WWE Royal Rumble 2022

RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch is one of the biggest WWE Superstars in the company. With her position as a top star, her contest was always going to be a high profile bout. RAW's roster has plenty of women that could offer a competitive matchup, so the company decided to have a triple threat match to determine the number one contender for the Royal Rumble 2022.

Former SmackDown Women's Champion Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan and Doudrop battled it out on the January 10th episode of RAW. Thanks to Becky getting involved to prevent Belair winning, Doudrop was able to take advantage and win to advance to this event.

Over the past few weeks, the promotion hasn't effectively built Doudrop as a threat to take the RAW Women's Championship. WWE has teamed the two opponents as partners that can't coexist and had both women cut promos to build up this rivalry. Becky has said that Doudrop has looked up to her, while the challenger wants to become a star by beating one of the top performers at the Royal Rumble.

Edge & Beth Phoenix vs. The Miz & Maryse - WWE Royal Rumble 2022

Edge and Beth Phoenix are set to make history at WWE Royal Rumble 2022 when they became the first Hall of Fame husband and wife to team up in the company's history. They will face The Miz and Maryse in a rivalry that has been brewing since late last year.

At WWE Day 1, Edge received an assist from The Glamazon to defeat The Miz after constant interference from Maryse. This set the stage for a mixed tag team contest at the Rumble. Over the past few weeks, Maryse has knocked Phoenix with a brick and the GRIT Couple crashed Maryse's birthday party. It just hasn't provided the right amount of hype for this high profile encounter.

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Men's Royal Rumble Match - WWE Royal Rumble 2022

The Men's Royal Rumble Match is typically the most anticipated and best built bout on the card. However, this isn't a typical year. WWE has stacked the lineup with two huge World Title matches and provided a slate of returning stars for the Women's Rumble. This makes the lack of buildup for this matchup more glaring.

The majority of the focus on the build has been on Jackass's Johnny Knoxville being in the Rumble and his ongoing feud with Sami Zayn on SmackDown. On RAW, the lead-up has been put on several tag teams who will be participating in the contest. Unfortunately, here just hasn't been enough spotlight on stars like Big E, Kevin Owens or AJ Styles who should be considered favorites

Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship - WWE Royal Rumble 2022

Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley for the WWE Title is a dream matchup that's been nearly 20 years in the making. Both men have been superb athletes who came into WWE with stellar amateur wrestling backgrounds. Many fans have compared the two over the years and even Lashley himself has said this is the match that he came back to the company for.

Unfortunately, it hasn't felt like the company has truly hyped this up as the historic showdown that it is. Lesnar vs. Lashley is a tantalizing bout that is exciting for the entire fanbase. It will be a must-watch encounter, but it just hasn't been built to the level that it deserves.

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Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Universal Championship - WWE Royal Rumble 2022

Here is a Royal Rumble 2022 bout with years and years of history behind it. Roman Reigns is better than ever with his 500-plus day reign as Universal Champion making him the unquestionable top WWE Superstar. With a run as long and entertaining as Reigns' has been, it will take a formidable challenger to take him down and the company may have that at this event.

Seth Rollins has been one of the most decorated WWE Superstars of the past decade. The former two-time Universal Champion has been using his well-documented past with Reigns to get inside his head. They were two-thirds of the Shield together with Rollins being the architect of the group.

Rollins was also responsible for the demise of the Shield, which Roman Reigns has said he never forgave him for. This doesn't include their one-on-one records against one another. Every time Rollins has faced Reigns with the top prize on the line, The Architect has won.

This has given fans a different side to the Tribal Chief. Reigns is insecure and it feels like the walls are closing in. The Head of the Table not only has to deal with his history with Seth, but also The Usos being banned from ringside. With no Paul Heyman in his corner, the Head of the Table has no one by his side and Rollins could have what it takes to win. This is a compelling matchup for the Rumble.

Women's Royal Rumble Match - WWE Royal Rumble 2022

The 2022 Women's Royal Rumble Match may be the most interesting edition of the contest. Last year's iteration was one of the best, with Bianca Belair winning from the #3 spot and lasting over 57 minutes, which was a record for the bout. This year, Belair can make further history by becoming the first back-to-back winner of the Women's Rumble.

The EST's story is not the only intriguing part of this matchup. WWE made the strange decision to announce a slate of returning superstars for this year. WWE Hall of Famers like Lita and The Bella Twins will make history by entering the contest. Kelly Kelly, Michelle McCool and Summer Rae will also all return in this year's Rumble.

The announced name that has caused the most buzz is IMPACT Knockouts World Champion Mickie James. James was released from the promotion in April 2021 amid controversy. The former WWE Superstar being the champ for another promotion marks the company's first time opening "the forbidden door".

The most talked about possible return for the Women's Rumble right now is Ronda Rousey. The UFC Hall of Famer hasn't wrestled for WWE since WrestleMania 35 and her return would be a real shot in the arm for the promotion. There have also been names like Asuka, Kairi Sane and Bayley mentioned to come back on the show.

Superstars like Sasha Banks, Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan all have a dark horse chance of winning as well. This means it is just not the surprises that can be the victor of this matchup. With so many possible winners, it has taken the unpredictability off the charts.

The women have delivered memorable Rumbles over the course of the past four years. However, 2022 may be the most compelling edition. With so many huge surprises reported on or rumored, the Women's Royal Rumble Match had the best buildup to any match at WWE Royal Rumble 2022.