It’s been noted quite a bit that there were some issues with this year’s WWE Royal Rumble, both in fan reception and behind the scenes. One of the issues in the Men’s Rumble match was the lack of surprise appearances, and the ones that were there (aside from Bad Bunny, because he was great) were either expected or underwhelming. One name that could’ve been in the mix was Sean Waltman, aka X-Pac, who previously revealed on The Bump that he was medically cleared to return. to the ring and was interested in jumping into the ring at the Royal Rumble. That never happened though, and he was asked about it in a new interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated.
“As far as the Royal Rumble, I gave them a heads up I’d be ready if they wanted me. I wasn’t actively campaigning for it. I wasn’t going to do that. But I let them know, and I guess they weren’t interested,” Waltman said.
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We do know they called several wrestlers who had been previously released with most of them turning it down (and in some cases, like Nia Jax, laughing at the request). Then there was the whole Shane McMahon ordeal that led to his being let go from the company the next day.
Despite not appearing at the Rumble, Waltman is excited about returning to the ring, which will take place at GCW Welcome To Heartbreak on February 25th, where he will team up with Joey Janela to go against Matt Cardona and Brian Myers. He is feeling healthy physically and mentally, and this run, however long it lasts, is going to be special.
“I did pretty well in this industry when I wasn’t clear-headed, so think of what I can do with a healthy mind and healthy body. don’t know how many matches I have left in me, so I’m going to go out there and have some great f—ing matches. I want to go out on my terms. My last matches, I was going through the greatest hits. It was all nostalgia. This is going to be different,” Waltman said.
“I want to do it while I still can. I’ve worked on my body and got a lot of my health issues resolved. My right knee struggled for years, but it’s feeling great now. I’m motivated, I’m happy, and I’m hungry. This is holistic. It’s more than just having my body in good shape again. I’m clear-headed. This is a chance to play a few songs off the new album. There is a lot I want to prove to people that have believed in me for a long time,” Waltman said.
