WWE has yet to follow up on Kharma’s appearance last month at the Royal Rumble because she has not fully recovered from giving birth on December 31, 2011 and isn’t ready to work a full-time schedule. Nonetheless, her return to the squared circle is on the horizon.
When asked on Twitter this week what she was doing, she replied, “Working hard to come back at my best.” She was then asked when she would be returning to WWE and said “Soon.”
WWE has not followed up on Kharma’s appearance last month at the Royal Rumble because she hasn’t fully recovered from giving birth on December 31, 2011 and isn’t ready to work a full-time schedule. She competed in the Rumble Match because creative felt it would create a good story since it wasn’t expected.
Chris Jericho was pegged to win this year’s 30-Man Royal Rumble Match, but Triple H, who has gained even more influence behind the scenes, called for Sheamus to be the decided winner. The final decision was made last week.
The young girl that Big Show approached at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view in St. Louis was Randy Orton’s daughter. Big Show could be heard saying “I know who your daddy is.”
Sheamus conducted an interview with Sky Sports talking about his win at the Royal Rumble at this link.
It was a mostly storyline interview and he was asked who he would face at Mania and said he won’t say until after The Elimination Chamber PPV. He was asked if his match with Daniel Bryan being left off of last’s year WrestleMania upset him and said, ” Absolutely. I’ve had some incredible ups and incredible downs in such a short time. I remember being excited about that match with Daniel because we knew that we could tear it up and have a match like nobody else. We were young Superstars ready to go out there and do what it takes, so when we found out it was going to be a dark match it was definitely a real kick in the gut. This was the big moment that we’d worked hard all year for. We work hard anyway, but WrestleMania is the moment to go out there and become legends - or try and become legends. When we were told it was huge disappointment to us.”
Mason Ryan’s sizable push was halted weeks ago due to his inability to connect with the audience. Nonetheless, WWE creative plans on renewing his push in the near future as they feel he has great potential. The Welsh wrestler was ultimately kept off Sunday’s 30-Man Royal Rumble Match because they felt it would have done “nothing positive” for him.
Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes Vince McMahon at least initially had an “infatuation” with Ryan, hence his fast track to the main roster last year and subsequent protection on television.
WWE’s website posted the following stats from the 2012 Royal Rumble:
* Sheamus won in only his second Royal Rumble Match appearance. He is also the first Irish-born Royal Rumble Match winner.
* This is the second time a WWE Superstar has entered at No. 22 and won the Royal Rumble Match – Triple H did it back in 2002.
* Epico spent the shortest time of any Superstar in the 2012 Royal Rumble Match, lasting only :12.
* Lasting 45:39, The Miz spent the most time of any Superstar in the 2012 Royal Rumble Match – and 10 minutes longer than any Superstar who participated in 2011′s contest.
* The Miz managed to last longer than all three of his former cohorts (Alex Riley, R-Truth, Big Show) combined.
* Cody Rhodes had the most eliminations with five, and also lasted more than 40 minutes.
* Big Show eliminated three men in a staggering 16 seconds (Cody Rhodes, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler). The World’s Largest Athlete has now eliminated 28 competitors in Royal Rumble Match history.
* Randy Orton is now tied for the most final four appearances in Royal Rumble Match history with five (HBK, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Kane).
* Three participants didn’t last even one minute in the Royal Rumble Match: Jerry Lawler, Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Epico.
* Six more couldn’t last two minutes: Alex Riley, Primo, Jinder Mahal, Michael Cole, Kharma and Big Show.
* Only six Superstars were able to last more than 10 minutes in the Royal Rumble Match: The Miz, Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, Sheamus and Chris Jericho.
* Booker T lasted the longest of the three announcers in the Royal Rumble Match. Second longest was Michael Cole, with Jerry Lawler third.
* Hunico lasted the longest of any Royal Rumble Match rookie at 9:01.
* Kharma was the third woman in Royal Rumble Match history.
TMZ reports that Kharma gave birth to a baby boy named Jamie on December 31st 2011 and has been getting back in ring shape for the past month.
“Great to see Kharma return. That one was a big surprise for me. I love her work and am pleased to see her back. She’s an impact player and not a ‘Diva’ in the stereotypical sense. Instead Kharma is a wrestling attraction meaning that she has more longevity and will sell more tickets that being more about sizzle than steak. When we first met many, many years ago, WWE was looking for Playboy covergirls and not wrestling attractions which is why I told her, honestly BTW, that she wasn’t a ‘Diva’ but she was/is a wrestler and I love that about her.”
Tonight’s WWE Monday Night Raw Supershow will take place from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. Tonight’s show will see Triple H return to evaluate John Laurinaitis and the fallout from the Royal Rumble.
At Sunday’s Royal Rumble event, Sheamus was the last man standing and will go to WrestleMania gets to choose whether he will challenge WWE Champion or the World Heavyweight champion.
Many insiders were predicting Chris Jericho would win the Royal Rumble - and it’s believe that WWE had Sheamus win for that very reason.
Michael Cole’s line at the end of the show about which title will Sheamus will challenge for was a way of emphasizing the unpredictability of the Rumble and how WWE storylines just got shaken up by a “dark horse” winning.
Sheamus has been getting great reactions at recent live events and WWE officials are said to be firmly behind pushing him as a top babyface.
Video: Michael Cole enters the Royal Rumble and Kharma returns to WWE.
