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It's time for another edition of SK Wrestling's daily WWE Rumor Roundup. It's been a couple of weeks since the Royal Rumble PPV, but several backstage notes about the PPV are still coming to light.
The latest reports have revealed details about a botched spot and several other nixed plans for the Royal Rumble match.
Elsewhere, it has been disclosed that a popular Superstar was never pushed as the 'top guy' as Vince McMahon had issues with his size.
Two exciting talents are also pretty much confirmed to join WWE, and one of them is the son of a tag team legend. The roundup also has a developing backstage story about the locker room being unhappy over a recent incident.
Details of Vince McMahon's regretting not signing a Superstar earlier has also been covered in today's lineup.
As you might have imagined, we have a lot to get into today, so let's jump right in.
#5. Bayley's accidental Royal Rumble elimination, backstage notes on WWE's nixed pitches
The 2021 Women's Royal Rumble match has received rave reviews, and rightfully so. All the women involved worked hard to put on the best women's Royal Rumble match in the contest's relatively brief history.
Despite the successful outing, there was one botched spot that has now been highlighted.
PWInsider reported that Bayley accidentally got eliminated earlier than what was originally planned. It was an unintentional slip-up as Bayley was scheduled to be in the match for longer.
Nothing else was revealed about the botched spot. Bayley kicked off the match and lasted for almost 30 minutes before getting eliminated by Bianca Belair.
Fightful Select also had many updates about the Royal Rumble matches. There was a nixed pitch to have Ricochet enter late in the men's match. However, WWE's resident superhero joined the contest at the 12th spot.
WWE had also floated the idea of having RETRIBUTION surround the ring. The idea was for one member to stay on the three different sides of the ring and create a chaotic scenario. The plan was changed, and Omos was booked in a similar spot.
#4. Details of backstage unrest in WWE
The situation backstage in the WWE doesn't seem to be all that good at the moment.
Fightful Select reports that 'major meetings' were recently held in WWE, which left several employees upset. It's being reported that WWE will not provide monetary raises, bonuses, and promotions to its employees.
Many employees from the production team and other departments were left dejected by WWE's stance. It should also be noted that the morale unsurprisingly dropped for the people who were called up for the meetings.
The report concluded that the directive was just for the employees, and it was not a talent or wrestler meeting.
PWInsider added that while employees would still get bonuses based on their performance, official promotions and bonuses are being kept on hold. The managers and supervisors held meetings with their respective divisions and informed the staff about the company edict.
Things were also pretty turbulent backstage on SmackDown as WrestleVotes noted that the 'anger and unhappiness' was at an all-time high.
"Just got a text from a source in St. Pete... the unhappiness and straight-up anger backstage is at an all-time high level. Everyone from the boys to the road crew are pissed off. Not a good look."
WWE shows are often quite chaotic as Vince McMahon makes changes to the script on short notice. However, an unhappy workforce is the last thing WWE would need as we head towards WrestleMania 37.
This is, as noted earlier, a developing story, and we should receive more updates soon.
#3. Vince McMahon's regret about not signing AJ Styles earlier, reaction to his WWE debut
AJ Styles has dispelled the long-running myth about former TNA stars being poorly treated in WWE. The Phenomenal One has had a fantastic WWE run thus far, and he is expected to make it even better as we gradually approach the end of his in-ring career.
AJ Styles debuted at the 2016 Royal Rumble, and Vince McMahon instantly knew he had a top-tier Superstar on his hands.
On the latest episode of 'The Kurt Angle Show' on AdFreeShows, Kurt Angle spoke about AJ Styles' success in WWE and Vince McMahon's reaction to the former NJPW star's debut.
Angle noted that AJ Styles received a tremendous pop at the Royal Rumble for his debut, and it was a validation of his star power.
"I think Vince saw the reactions and went, 'Wow, this guy is a star already.' He hasn't even been here, you know, this is his first day, and he's a star. I think that he had to build a name for himself, and he did it right. It's a shame that AJ ends up in the WWE when he is in his 40s."
Kurt Angle also confirmed a long-standing rumor about Vince McMahon and AJ Styles. The WWE boss told AJ Styles after the Superstar's first WWE title win that he wished he had signed him ten years ago.
"You know Vince, I was told, Vince, when he met up with AJ after AJ won the world title, Vince went to him and said, 'I wish I would have hired you ten years ago', and that is that. That tells you exactly how Vince feels about AJ. AJ is a star. He is, you know, when he came in the WWE, at that particular time, he was the #1 top best wrestler in the world. The best performer. Just from a wrestling standpoint, he was the top guy." H/t SK Wrestling
Vince McMahon quickly realized AJ Styles' potential as a top Superstar, but would he still have been a success if WWE had signed him earlier? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
#2. Triple H on WWE signing 'The Next Big Thing' and Rick Steiner's son
Parker Boudreaux's name has been circulating a lot over the past few weeks, and the self-proclaimed 'Next Big Thing' is all set to begin his WWE journey soon.
Triple H was part of a global media call recently, and SK Wrestling had the opportunity to ask the WWE NXT head honcho about Parker Boudreaux.
The Game revealed that he was very excited about Boudreaux 'coming in'. Triple H's comment confirmed the Brock Lesnar lookalike's WWE signing.
Triple H also namedropped Bronson Rechsteiner, who is Rick Steiner's son and Scott Steiner's nephew. Triple H said that he is also looking forward to seeing many other young talents shine on the big stage. Triple H explained that many talents were being held back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the situation will change for the better as we move forward.
"I am incredibly excited about Parker Boudreaux coming in, Bronson Rechsteiner; we have a lot of people coming in the door. Just as much as I am about people that have been here for a while, like Rik Bugez and a lot of people that are in the door that are at the cusp, but COVID has slowed that down. But they are right there. When I say the future is bright, that is what I am talking about." H/T Amar Anand of SK Wrestling
Bronson Rechsteiner and Parker Boudreaux are both former footballers who will come into WWE with a lot of hype around their names. Paul Heyman and Jim Ross have already endorsed Boudreaux, and the 22-year-old has also done an excellent job of letting people know his name.
The 23-year-old Bronson Rechsteiner wants to follow in his father and uncle's footsteps and is also said to be a highly-rated prospect.
#1. The reason why Vince McMahon never made Rey Mysterio WWE's 'top guy'
Rey Mysterio might have won multiple world titles in the WWE, but he was never the company's undisputed top guy for an extended period.
While reviewing the No Way Out 2006 PPV on the latest Grilling JR episode, Jim Ross discussed Vince McMahon's opinion of Rey Mysterio. Jim Ross revealed that Vince McMahon's issues with Rey Mysterio as a top star came down to one thing, and that's the Superstar's size.
Despite not being the prototypical WWE Superstar that Vince McMahon likes, Rey Mysterio was over with the fans, and he also sold a lot of merchandise. Rey Mysterio's equation with the fans would have left Vince McMahon with the unsettling decisions about the Luchador's push.
Jim Ross explained:
"I think Vince's issue with Rey was one word: size. Nowhere had the top guy in WWE been of Rey's size, at least in my tenure there, which began in '93, as I mentioned. Rey would be the smallest World Champion in the history of the company. I think that was Vince's unsettling decision. But was Rey over? Hell yeah, he was really over. His merch sales showed that. What you hear from the audience when he came out, you can tell that people loved him. They cheer for the underdog." H/T Danny Hart of SK Wrestling
It's a known fact that Vince McMahon has always been reluctant to push Superstars who don't possess overwhelming physical capabilities. Rey Mysterio, however, has done enough in WWE to solidify his status as an all-time great.
