411’s WWE Royal Rumble 2026 Preview

Hello and welcome, folx! Today, we are at the Riyadh Season Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the 2026 WWE Royal Rumble!

This is my favorite day of the year; I love the Royal Rumble match! It’s always fun to speculate on who will last the longest, who will eliminate the most wrestlers, and what surprise entrants may show up. With that said, I will include an additional section after my prediction for the winner, featuring statistics and the final four.

Quick note, due to the weather in my neck of the woods, and the possibility of losing power, I am writing this on 1/25. I will try to make changes as needed, but some mistakes may get missed.

On top of the Men’s and Women’s Royal Rumbles, Gunther will try to add another retirement to his credit when he takes on AJ Styles. And Drew McIntyre makes his first defense of the Undisputed WWE Championship against Sami Zayn.

The Women’s Royal Rumble
IYO SKY, Rhea Ripley, Roxanne Perez, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Bayley, Lyra Valkyria, Asuka, Chelsea Green, Jordynne Grace, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, Lash Legend, Giulia, and More TBA

Image Credit: WWE

My prediction is dependent on Bianca Belair being cleared to return. But it’s the Rumble, which is a special time for big returns and debuts. So, I’m going to pray to the wrestling gods that Belair is ready to return. She would provide a huge boost to the SmackDown women’s division. And could give Jade Cargill a good match at WrestleMania.

I think Raquel Rodriguez is going to be the runner-up, with her earning a shot at Stephanie Vaquer in the Elimination Chamber. Giving Sol Ruca and Lyra Valkryia the other two Final Four spots will help showcase the future main eventers. I also expect Valkyria to eliminate Bayley and Bayley to cause her to get eliminated. Which could give Bayley a feud to get onto WrestleMania this year.

I expect Green to be the comedy fodder for the match, because while she is incredibly talented, she works best when she can have an “injustice” to cry about. Legend will probably get the most eliminations this year. Coming in at the mid-point and clearing house. On top of being in the final four, Ruca will also probably get what I call the Kofi Kingston Moment. I could see Zaria catch her, or her landing on the crowd barrier and finding her way back in.

Despite the issue everyone has with what the women will be wearing, (I understand the issue from a sociopolitical standpoint, but if the men had to cover up, would everyone feel the same?) I think the match itself will be as good as in previous years. Because, between AAA, TNA, NXT, and the Main Roster, the pool of talent is bigger and better than ever before.

Winner: Bianca Belair

Women’s Rumble Statistics

Final Four: Bianca Belair, Lyra Valkyria, Sol Ruca, and Raquel Rodriguez

Longest Time: Lyra Valkyria

Shortest Time: Chelsea Green

Most Eliminations: Lash Legend

Least Eliminations: Chelsea Green

Kofi Kingston Moment: Sol Ruca

Unannounced Entrants: Faby Apache, Sol Ruca, Bianca Belair, Jacy Jane, Lola Vice, Fallon Henley, Lainey Reid, Zelina Vega, Ivy Nile, Kairi Sane, Nattie Neidhart, Tiffany Stratton, Trish Stratus

If AJ Styles Loses, He Must Retire
AJ Styles vs Gunther

Image Credit: WWE

Since retiring Cena, Gunther has been milking the crowd’s heat while being his smug, arrogant self. This rubbed AJ Styles the wrong way and led to a match between the two on the 1/12 Raw. Gunther would make Styles think he tapped, using the confusion to steal the win. This led to Styles challenging Gunther on 1/19 Raw. With Gunther accepting on the condition that Styles put his career on the line.

I’ve gone back and forth on this match for the last week, because it really depended on what story they wanted to tell. But with the Shinsuke Nakamura match at Saturday Night’s Main Event, it really feels like this is the end. And honestly, with this marking 10 years of AJ Styles in the WWE, I can see him wanting to end on a bookend.

I know a lot of fans have issues with him ending his career in Saudi Arabia, but I think we care more about the location than Styles does. If his body and mind are done, then he is done. The WWE is a global brand, and the event will be broadcast across the globe live. I feel for Styles, it is more about ending his career while he can still do it on a level he expects to perform at.

He can lose here, go home, and spend time with his family. Normally, I would say he gets the Hall of Fame this year. But that is probably going to Cena, and Styles deserves a bigger spotlight for his Hall of Fame.

The match itself will be great, two of the best in the world going out there, leaving it all in the ring. Styles knows how to look competitive against much larger opponents. And Gunther knows how to look like a monster without eating someone up. Styles is one of the best to ever do it and is going out before time catches up to him.

And while I’ll be sad to see the end. It’s been an absolute privilege to watch his career. From a WCW jobber to a WWE Hall of Famer. Thank you, AJ!

Winner: Gunther

Undisputed WWE Championship
Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre

Image Credit: WWE

On the 1/9 SmackDown, Nick Aldis announced there would be a Fatal Four-Way match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. The winner would be the number one contender and get a championship match at the Royal Rumble. McIntyre would beat Rhodes to win the Undisputed WWE Championship later in the night. Zayn, Damien Priest, Trick Williams, and Randy Orton would win the qualifiers, and Zayn would win at Saturday Night’s Main Event to earn this match.

Zayn has had a long road to the top of the WWE. He has played the plucky face, the delusional heel, the sycophant riding the coattails of the Bloodline, and the veteran underdog. Because he isn’t what a traditional champion would look like, he has had to fight and crawl his way up. Comparisons could be made to Mick Foley or Daniel Bryan’s climb to the top.

He spent most of 2025 trying to get a shot against Seth Rollins before moving to SmackDown and doing a side quest with the United States Championship. But in 2026, the stars have aligned, and it looks like Zayn may finally have a chance to fulfill his lifelong dream. And I think it’s going to happen this year, but not tonight. Because tonight is the night he comes inches away, before McIntyre finds a way to steal it away from him.

It’s like Triple H’s idea for LA Knight to almost win the Money in the Bank, only for it to be robbed from him. It builds that anticipation and sympathy and also sets up the end of the night for something even more special.

I expect the match itself to be great. Because McIntyre has been on another level for the past year, and Zayn is going to have the fans in the palm of his hand. Honestly, between this and Gunther vs Styles, we may have two early Match of the Year candidates.

Winner and new/still Undisputed WWE Champion: Drew McIntyre

The Men’s Royal Rumble
Cody Rhodes, Gunther, Jey Uso, Rey Mysterio, Dragon Lee, Penta, Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, Bron Breakker, Logan Paul, Bronson Reed, Austin Theory, Je’Von Evans, Oba Femi, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, Damian Priest, Trick Williams, The Miz, Ilja Dragunov, Matt Cardona, and More TBA

Image Credit: WWE

And now we get to why Zayn needs to lose against McIntyre. Because he needs to win here, I’ve been calling Zayn to win the Rumble for most of 2025. And that hasn’t changed for me. For him to have the Undisputed WWE Championship stolen from him, only to come back and win the Rumble? That would be a huge pop from the Saudi crowd!

Rounding out the final four, I think we will see Cody Rhodes, Bron Breakker, and Jacob Fatu. Rhodes and Fatu will either eliminate each other, or McIntyre will be involved in their elimination. This will help set up the WrestleMania match. I’m thinking either a Fatal Four-Way with Zayn vs Fatu vs Rhodes vs McIntyre, or a Triple-Threat on night 1 for the right to face McIntyre at Night 2. Giving Zayn another hurdle to overcome.

Breakker will be distracted by CM Punk, allowing Zayn to eliminate him and win the Rumble.

I do think Jericho returns today, probably showing up somewhere in the middle of the match. We will also probably figure out his first feud based on who eliminates him. Femi is going to get the powerhouse spot, clearing the ring of most of the early entrants. He will probably eliminate Mr. Iguana as he enters as well. With Femi debuting today, I don’t think we see Hobbs in the match, because they would serve the same role. I also think Breakker will eliminate Femi, setting up a feud between them down the road.

Je’Von Evans is going to get the Kofi Kingston moment, or possibly a combo of Evans & Slater helping each other. Gable will probably return today as well, and I am hoping for an interaction between him and El Grande Americano.

Again, the Rumble matches are my favorite matches every year, and this one looks to be a lot of fun. With Zayn winning, that leaves the Elimination Chamber open for Breakker to win. Which means we may see two brand new champions at WrestleMania. The future of the company in Bron Breakker and the underdog veteran finally getting his moment in the sun with Sami Zayn.

Winner: Sami Zayn

Men’s Rumble Statistics

Final Four: Sami Zayn, Cody Rhodes. Bron Breakker, Jacob Fatu

Longest Time: Bron Breakker

Shortest Time: Mr. Iguana

Most Eliminations: Oba Femi

Least Eliminations: Mr. Iguana

Kofi Kingston Moment: Je’Von Evans

Unannounced Entrants: Chris Jericho, Mr. Iguana, Leon Slater, Chad Gable, Dominik Mysterio, El Grande Americano, Joe Hendry (taken out and replaced by Finn Balor)