Summer Rae Didn't Like How WWE Booked Royal Rumble Alternate

From Hall of Famers (Lita, Ivory, The Bellas) to Legends (Michelle McCool, Melina, Mickie James), nearly half of the entrants (13) in the 2022 women's Royal Rumble match were WWE alumni. One of those was Summer Rae, who rekindled her "Total Divas" rivalry with Natalya on social media in the weeks leading up to the event. 

Though her time in the Rumble match lasted less than a minute, fans on social media appreciated how much effort Rae put into her appearance and was hoping to see her again.

Responding to a fan question during a virtual signing stream for Golden Ring Collectibles, Rae said she wasn't backstage at the 2023 Royal Rumble as an alternate due to hosting the official watch party and live stream of the Pegasus World Cup. 

When informed by the host about who was backstage as the alternates (Ivy Nile, Maxxine Dupri), Rae stated that while it's a great experience for the "NXT" girls to be backstage, she was annoyed at what happened to a fellow WWE alumnus the previous year. "When you fly like Aksana, she hasn't been on TV for like 10 years, and then you don't use her, I feel like that's kind of sh**ty," she said.

Last appearing on WWE programming in June 2014, Aksana was one of two alumni — the other being Jillian Hall — not used in the 2022 women's Royal Rumble match. Though she didn't appear, Aksana posted a 10-second video clip standing in front of the entrance stage on social media as well as a post containing photos alongside Naomi, Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Tamina, and Maryse, with the caption, "no words, just a great time with these beauties."