wrestling / News

Roman Reigns Wins 2026 Men’s Royal Rumble, Punches His Ticket To WrestleMania 42

January 31, 2026 | Posted by Yash Mittal
Roman Reigns WWE Royal Rumble Image Credit: WWE

Roman Reigns will head to WrestleMania 42 to challenge for the WWE World Championship by virtue of winning the 2026 Men’s Royal Rumble match at the namesake premium live event.

Reigns, who entered at number 26, last eliminated Gunther to punch his ticket to The Show of Shows in Las Vegas. This will be his second Royal Rumble victory, having previously won the iconic gimmick match back in 2015.

The former WWE Champion meant business from the very start, as he took out his cousin Jey Uso after initially agreeing to run back his entrance music. He quickly eliminated The Miz and then proceeded to see off Jacob Fatu, who was distracted after Drew McIntyre emerged out of nowhere to Claymore Cody Rhodes out of the ring.

Cody’s dream to win his third Royal Rumble started off strong, as he eliminated Trick Williams, LA Knight, and Brock Lesnar (in partnership with The Megastar). However, McIntyre once again proved to be his nemesis.

Speaking of LA Knight, the former US Champion returned to a massive pop and quickly eliminated The Vision’s Austin Theory and Bronson Reed, besides aiding the elimination of Lesnar, who, until that point, was on a tear, having eliminated Oba Femi, Ilja Dragunov, and Rey Fenix.

The match in itself got off to a wild start, as a masked hooded man came out of nowhere and attacked the number two entrant, Bron Breakker. The mystery assailant sent Breakker crashing into the steel steps and then Superkicked and Stomped him before feeding him to Oba Femi.

The Ruler duly clotheslined Breakker out of the ring and then went on an elimination spree, dumping Rusev, Solo Sikoa, Rey Mysterio, and Matt Cardona out. Femi eventually met his match in the form of Lesnar. The match also saw a face-off between the OG and the current El Grande Americano, with the former getting the better of the latter. Trick Williams (#10) had a solid showing, as did The Young OG, Je’Von Evans.

The match also saw the WWE debut of former AEW star Powerhouse Hobbs, i.e., Royce Keys, and quickly showcased his strength, eliminating Damian Priest in the process. He was eventually eliminated by The Vision’s Bronson Reed. The 30-man Battle Royal also had representation from AAA, with Mr. Iguana and La Parka entertaining fans with their antics.

In the end, it came down to Gunther (No. 30), Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, and Logan Paul. Reigns eliminated Paul, while Gunther got rid of Randy to set up an epic face-off. The Ring General tried to put Roman to sleep, but the OTC eventually tossed him over the top rope to seal victory.

Check out the highlights from the 2026 Men’s Royal Rumble match via WWE’s X handle below:

https://twitter.com/i/status/201772242074905419

More Trending Stories

article topics :

Gunther, Roman Reigns, WWE Royal Rumble 2026, Yash Mittal

More Stories

loading