Cesaro Expresses His Disappointment Over Missing Out On 2022 WWE Royal Rumble

Cesaro was disappointed about not being in the Royal Rumble.

Cesaro looked like he was poised for a breakout year in early 2021. With a victory over Seth Rollins at WrestleMania and a match against Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at Backlash a month later, Cesaro left 2021 more of an afterthought than originally perceived at the start of the year.
This year, Cesaro was not included in the WWE Royal Rumble. Now, he is reflecting on his disappointment over missing the annual spectacle in a new interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated.

“Yes, I was,” Cesaro says. “A lot of people would have liked to see me in the Rumble, and a lot of people would have liked to see me win. That would have put me on the next path of my journey. I saw Big E say in an interview he’d like to see me win, and that was very nice. I appreciate the support of my colleagues, but unfortunately, that did not happen.”

“I do care, a lot,” Cesaro says, speaking about his passion and love for professional wrestling. “Maybe almost too much sometimes.”

Reflecting on his 2021, Cesaro says his WrestleMania moment against Seth Rollins meant a lot to him and the crowd reaction was amazing for him.

“WrestleMania, that moment meant a lot,” Cesaro says. “Up to now, it’s been the crowning achievement of my career. That was my first WrestleMania singles match, and it was with Seth Rollins. We’ve known each other for half our lives. The crowd was back, and the crowd means so much. The ThunderDome era was so weird, so to have the crowd back was important, and then to have that kind of match and hear that kind of reaction was amazing. I don’t know what other superlative to use. It meant a whole lot.”

Reflecting on his match a month later with Roman Reigns, Cesaro again expressed his desire to wrestle Roman in front of fans.

“I’m very proud of that match against Roman,” Cesaro says, reflecting on the 27-minute affair against Reigns. “Not many people expected to go almost 30 minutes, and our pace was one that surprised people. I wish it took place in front of fans. That’s what made my career. The fans have always had my back, so I wish we could run it back in front of fans.”