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Start Time Reportedly Set For WWE Royal Rumble 2026
Image Credit: WWE
The 2026 WWE Royal Rumble officially has a start time, according to a new report. WrestleVotes On Fightful Select reports that the 2026 iteration of the Rumble will kick off at 2 PM ET/11 AM ET when it takes place on January 31st.
As noted, the Royal Rumble takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the first time next year. The report notes that there was some “internal back and forth” in WWE about the start time. The company has now officially settled on the 2 PM ET start. That means a 10 PM start time in Riyadh.
That time is a touch later than PLE’s have traditionally taken place when they go to Saudi Arabia. The past three PLEs there — King and Queen of the Ring 2024, Crown Jewel 2024, and Night of Champions 2025 — all had 1 PM ET/10 AM PT start times. In fact, Crown Jewel 2022 was the last Saudi PLE to not start at 1 PM ET; it started at noon ET.
Tickets for the 2026 Rumble are already on sale. No matches beyond the Rumble matches have yet been announced for the show.