Michelle McCool Looks Back On Appearance In 2023 WWE Royal Rumble

WWE legend Michelle McCool has remembered her surprise entrance in the 2023 women's Royal Rumble when she entered the match from the crowd. 

McCool revealed during her appearance on "Insight" that WWE asked her to enter the Rumble on short notice, giving her little time to prepare for the match — something that became evident once she stepped into the ring.

"Yeah, that was fun. That was interesting. I've told the story before. They called me on very short notice. I think it was eight, nine days, asked me if I wanted to do it, and I was like, 'Oh shoot ... I mean, yes, I'll work out.' But I'm sure you've heard it a million times, ring shape is a whole different ball game," she said. "I think at one point, I was kind of in a corner with — it was either Piper or Naomi — I was like, 'Give me a second y'all, I'm tired.'"

McCool revealed that her father and children were in the audience, and said that her appearance in the match was an opportunity to teach her daughter — a huge WWE fan — to be brave and embrace things outside her comfort zone.

"Honestly, it was a thing where Mark [Calaway] and I talked, our daughter was kind of struggling, she's a perfectionist, and if she can't do something on the first try, she gets so mad. So it was a kind of a lesson. I said, 'You know what? I'm just gonna let her know this is something that mommy is kind of a little bit terrified to do on such a short notice. I don't know if I'm ready to do it, but you know what, we can be scared and brave at the same time and go out and do it.'"

She's unsure if her daughter absorbed the lesson or was even cheering for her in the 14 minutes that she was in the match, where she eliminated two stars.