WWE Royal Rumble Reportedly Less Chaotic Without Vince McMahon Backstage

Over the years, multiple reports have shed light on the backstage frenzy during WWE Royal Rumble events. Case in point: the 2022 Royal Rumble, where Vince McMahon reportedly made tons of "last-minute changes" and went as far as to dismiss his own son, Shane McMahon, for interrupting with his processes and clashing with talents.

However, the common denominator — as far as a backstage presence — from the first 35 editions of the Royal Rumble was absent this past Saturday, with McMahon nowhere to be seen at the Alamodome in San Antonio. 

The result?

A much less chaotic backstage atmosphere, according to a new report from Fightful Select. 

The report quoted one anonymous WWE talent as saying that "the process of the Rumble itself was easiest in a long time without Vince McMahon at the helm, and that there were way less last minute changes." The talent added that "this year's [Rumble] was a dream compared to last year's nightmare" while adding that it would be wise to overlook the 2021 Royal Rumble due to COVID-19 and the challenges that talents, producers and others had to overcome.

Another WWE source told Fightful that the backstage atmosphere at WWE shows "is much more laid back" with Paul "Triple H" Levesque spearheading creative operations, and one of their only reminders of Vince's influence remains the "Vince's office" directional sign that hasn't changed since his retirement, but now points to a completely different section in the backstage area.  

Another source noted that nobody is "fearful of bringing up his [Vince's] name" in meetings, but talents have been repeatedly reassured by the brain trust of Triple H, Nick Khan and Kevin Dunn that Vince "wouldn't be involved in creative or talent relations."

Finally, talents who spoke to Fightful heralded the show-ending Bloodline segment as a "new age curtain sellout" with many people standing around Gorilla position and watching the intriguing storyline play out.