Tag: WWE Royal Rumble 2026

Updated list of WWE Royal Rumble 2026 entrants

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has confirmed some new Royal Rumble entrants, including the first slate of names for the women’s match.

Rhea Ripley, IYO SKY, Liv Morgan, Roxanne Perez, Raquel Rodriguez, Bayley, Lyra Valkyria, and Asuka are officially set to compete in the 2026 women’s Royal Rumble match. The winner of the 30-woman battle royal earns a title shot at WrestleMania 42, which would be against either Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer or WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill if there are no title changes before then.

The first entrant for the men’s Rumble match was confirmed last week with Cody Rhodes declaring. Now, the field is up to six announced entrants with the additions of Gunther, Jey Uso, Rey Mysterio, Dragon Lee, and Penta. Gunther will be pulling double duty at the Rumble PLE with him also set to face AJ Styles in a singles match where Styles will retire if he loses.

On the men’s side, World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and WWE Champion Drew McIntyre are the champions heading into Mania season. The Royal Rumble will determine the WrestleMania challenger for one of those belts.

Saudi Arabia is hosting Royal Rumble 2026 on Saturday, January 31. The PLE has a start time of 2 p.m. Eastern, airing live on the ESPN app in the United States and Netflix everywhere else.

WWE Royal Rumble 2026 —

  • Men’s Royal Rumble match
  • Women’s Royal Rumble match
  • WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends against either Randy Orton, Damian Priest, Sami Zayn, or Trick Williams (will be determined at Saturday Night’s Main Event on January 24)
  • Gunther vs. AJ Styles (Styles forced to retire if he loses)

AJ Styles to put career on line at WWE Royal Rumble

Posted on by Joseph Currier

AJ Styles is set to retire at some point in 2026 — and that could potentially happen as soon as the Royal Rumble.

WWE has announced that Gunther vs. Styles will take place at the Saturday, January 31 PLE in Saudi Arabia. It’s a career-threatening match where Styles will retire if he loses. He agreed to the stipulation after it was proposed by Gunther as the only way that Gunther would accept another match after how things ended on Raw last week.

The January 12 Raw episode was headlined by Gunther defeating Styles after hitting a low blow and powerbomb. Gunther had tricked Styles into thinking the match was over by tapping out in a Calf Crusher behind the referee’s back. With Styles letting go of the hold, Gunther was able to pick up the victory soon after.

A promo segment then opened Raw today with Styles attempting to goad Gunther into a rematch by calling him scared. Gunther would not give in, saying there was no incentive for him to face Styles again. But he then came up with the idea for Styles to put his career on the line. He gave Styles the rest of the show to think about his answer. After talking it over with his wife, Styles revealed his decision.

“She said exactly what I was thinking — kick his ass,” Styles said as the matchup was made official.

Gunther has already retired Goldberg and John Cena and will now be looking to do the same to Styles. In their storyline, Styles has taken exception to how Gunther has acted so disrespectfully after defeating Cena.

The Royal Rumble is being held in Riyadh on January 31 and has a start time of 2 p.m. Eastern. Gunther will be pulling double duty on the show with him also confirmed as one of the men’s Rumble entrants.

Here is the updated card:

WWE Royal Rumble 2026 —

  • Men’s Royal Rumble match
  • Women’s Royal Rumble match
  • WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defends against either Randy Orton, Damian Priest, Sami Zayn, or Trick Williams (will be determined at Saturday Night’s Main Event on January 24)
  • Gunther vs. AJ Styles (Styles forced to retire if he loses)

Cody Rhodes declares for WWE Royal Rumble

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Cody Rhodes has declared for the Royal Rumble.

The now former WWE Champion came out for a promo on Friday and addressed Drew Mcintyre’s comments earlier in the show, where he said that due to a contract stipulation Cody can’t get a rematch following his title loss last week in Berlin. Cody said that was fine and instead declared he would win the Royal Rumble, the first WWE wrestler to do so this year.

On last week’s SmackDown, Cody and McIntyre were tied in the Three Stages of Hell match when Jacob Fatu made his return, entering the steel cage and attacking McIntyre. When Cody tried to intervene, Fatu responded by attacking him. The distraction allowed McIntyre to crawl out of the ring and exit through the cage, winning the match and his third WWE Championship.

After Cody declared for the Royal Rumble he called out Fatu, who showed up later in the show and said if Cody had something to say to him, then come out and tell him. The two brawled before it was broken up by security.

WWE title number one contendership qualifying matches set for next week’s SmackDown

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A match for the number one contendership for the WWE Championship is set for Saturday Night’s Main Event, with qualifying matches set for next week’s SmackDown.

Prior to Friday’s main event, Nick Aldis announced that four qualifying matches will take place on next week’s SmackDown in London. The winners of those matches will then advance to Saturday Night’s Main Event on January 24. The winner of that match will then face the WWE Champion at this year’s Royal Rumble, which takes place on January 31 in Saudi Arabia.

The four qualifying matches on next week’s SmackDown features Randy Orton squaring off against The Miz, Trick Williams facing Matt Cardona, Damian Priest wrestling Solo Sikoa, and Sami Zayn competing against Ilja Dragunov. 

In the main event of Friday’s show, Drew McIntyre won the WWE Championship after defeating Cody Rhodes. Jacob Fatu interfered at the end of the third fall in the Three Stages of Hell match, laying out McIntyre and also Rhodes once he tried to intervene. Rhodes and Fatu exchanged blows in the corner as McIntyre escaped from the cage, winning his third WWE Championship.

WWE SmackDown (January 16):

  • SNME number one contendership qualifying match: Randy Orton vs. The Miz
  • SNME number one contendership qualifying match: Solo Sikoa vs. Damian Priest
  • SNME number one contendership qualifying match: Matt Cardona vs. Trick Williams
  • SNME number one contendership qualifying match: Sami Zayn vs. Ilja Dragunov

WWE Royal Rumble 2026 start time revealed

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has locked in a start time for its Royal Rumble 2026 PLE.

The event is taking place in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, January 31. When the official poster was revealed last week, there was no start time listed. WrestleVotes has now reported that — after some back and forth internally — WWE has settled on 2 p.m. Eastern as the start time for the PLE broadcast. It’s the first time the Rumble has ever been held outside of North America, with the time zone difference being the reason for the afternoon start in the United States.

The Rumble will air live on the ESPN app in the U.S. and on Netflix internationally.

Men’s and women’s Rumble will both take place as the road to WrestleMania 42 begins. Among the advertised talent for the Rumble PLE are Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Stephanie Vaquer, Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, CM Punk, Becky Lynch, Tiffany Stratton, Drew McIntyre, Penta, Jade Cargill Dominik Mysterio, Jey Uso, and IYO SKY.

WrestleMania 42 is set to be held in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19.

In 2027, WrestleMania will head to Saudi Arabia for the first time ever as WWE’s controversial relationship with the Saudi government continues to grow.

Triple H reveals official WWE Royal Rumble 2026 poster

Posted on by Joseph Currier

On social media today, Paul “Triple H” Levesque unveiled the official poster for WWE Royal Rumble 2026.

The PLE is taking place from Saudi Arabia on Saturday, January 31, making this the first time the Rumble has ever been held outside of North America. It will stream live on the ESPN app in the United States and on Netflix internationally.

WWE released the poster to promote that Royal Rumble tickets are going on sale tomorrow (December 10). The following wrestlers are featured on the poster:

  • Brock Lesnar
  • Roman Reigns
  • Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer
  • WWE Champion Cody Rhodes
  • Rhea Ripley
  • Charlotte Flair
  • World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk
  • Becky Lynch
  • Tiffany Stratton
  • Drew McIntyre
  • Penta
  • Jade Cargill
  • Dominik Mysterio
  • Jey Uso
  • IYO SKY

The PLE will kick off the road to WrestleMania 42, with Bron Breakker rumored to be the favorite to win the men’s Royal Rumble match. The card will feature a men’s Rumble, a women’s Rumble, and two more matches to be determined.

“The current plan for Royal Rumble is a four-match show with two title matches and the two Rumble matches,” Dave Meltzer wrote in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. “The two matches are not finalized even though it’s just under two months away. WrestleVotes first reported this and we confirmed that as the current plan.”


Interesting name emerges as potential favorite to win WWE Royal Rumble match

Posted on by Josh Nason

With next month’s WWE Royal Rumble less than two months away, the planning is underway for both the men’s and women’s Rumble matches themselves.

On Thursday’s WrestleVotes Radio, it was reported that Bron Breakker has emerged as the current “whiteboard favorite” to win the match. That reference is a nod to the board seen during WWE Unreal where creative decisions and plans are written out.

Breakker will challenge WWE World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk on the January 5 Raw as part of his growing role of importance on the main roster — one that has only increased since he aligned with Paul Heyman this year in The Vision.

The 28-year-old son of Rick Steiner is a former two-time WWE Intercontinental champion, former two-time NXT Champion, and former NXT Tag Team Champion (with Baron Corbin).

Next year’s show is set for Saturday, January 31 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — the first time the annual event has headed overseas.

A note on surprises for next year’s WWE Royal Rumble

Posted on by Bryan Rose

It’s possible any surprises for the Royal Rumble next year may not be much of a surprise.

Bryan Alvarez notes that with WWE’s annual event taking place in Saudi Arabia this coming January, any surprises set to take place on the show would be hard to hide.

“There is a feeling that we might not get Royal Rumble surprises this year if only for the fact that sneaking people into Saudi Arabia will be a lot harder,” he writes. “Most likely surprises would take place the week prior at SNME.”

WWE announced over the weekend that they will be heading to Montreal for a January edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event one week prior to Royal Rumble weekend, which will be held for the first time ever in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Surprises are commonplace in both the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches. Notable ones from last year include the returning Alexa Bliss, Trish Stratus, streamer iShowSpeed, Joe Hendry from TNA, and Jordynne Grace, who had just signed with WWE after previously appearing in the Rumble as the TNA Knockouts Champion.

WWE Royal Rumble 2026 date revealed

Posted on by Josh Nason

The date for this January’s WWE Royal Rumble is now official.

Announced on Friday during an event to confirm that WrestleMania will head to Saudi Arabia in 2027, it was also revealed that the Rumble will take place on Saturday, January 31 in Riyadh.

A start time was not revealed, but is assumed to be beginning at an early start time for U.S. fans given past WWE shows in the country.

It will be the first-ever Rumble held outside North America and the first outside the United States since the inaugural one in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, in 1988.

A discussion of the Rumble heading to Saudi Arabia was first revealed in May 2024 and later became more real this past January with the first report that the deal was done and then later confirmed.

WWE/TKO and the Saudis are currently in a partnership that began in 2018 with two annual events with the exception of 2020 and 2021 (one each). Events like the Greatest Royal Rumble, Crown Jewel, King & Queen of the Ring, Elimination Chamber, and Night of Champions have also been held in the country.

A date was not revealed for WrestleMania in 2027, but was said to be taking place during Riyadh Season which runs from October through March.

WWE confirms 2026 Royal Rumble to be held in Saudi Arabia

Posted on by Josh Nason

For the first time since the very first edition, the WWE Royal Rumble will be held on international soil as the company officially announced the 2026 premium live event will emanate from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The news confirms Friday night’s PWInsider report and validates comments Saudi Arabia General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alsheikh made last May about talks to host the Rumble and/or WrestleMania in either 2026 or 2027.

The event will take place in January 2026 as part of the country’s Riyadh Season celebration. It will be the first-ever Rumble held outside North America and the first outside the United States since the inaugural one in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, in 1988.

No official date or start time was announced.

It’s the latest development in a growing, and sometimes contoversial, relationship between WWE, their parent company TKO, and the Saudis which began in 2018 with two annual events with the exception of 2020 and 2021 (one each). In addition to exclusive shows like the Greatest Royal Rumble, Crown Jewel and 2024’s King & Queen of the Ring, PLEs like Elimination Chamber (2022) and Night of Champions (2023) have also been held there.

Based on previous SEC reports, WWE is believed to take in $50 million per show as part of the deal. Based on the verbiage of the press release, it’s assumed the Royal Rumble will be held in addition to the other bi-annual shows. There has been no reporting as to what WWE/TKO will generate for this deal.