Royal Rumble 2026 Didn’t Quite Click But the Road to WrestleMania Is Set

30 men and women entered the Royal Rumble. Two punched their ticket to a title shot at WrestleMania 42. On a night where a career ended and there were very few returns to excite the fans, this event didn’t quite click. The fans in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, had their favorites throughout the show, but weren’t the most vocal. Even the winners were somewhat questionable across the board, so let’s get into the action.

The night kicked off with the women’s Royal Rumble, and the tag team of Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair entered at #1 and #2. They teased fighting each other, but awaited #3, which was Kiana James. James was one of four debuts in the match, with the others being Lola Vice, Sol Ruca (who got a massive pop), NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne, and Kelani Jordan. There were only two superstars who returned.

The first was Brie Bella, who received a big ovation from the crowd. Tiffany Stratton was last in the Rumble after being out with an undisclosed injury. Lola Vice was the first superstar eliminated, as she was thrown out by Jordynn Grace. Lash Legend was the star of the show, racking up five eliminations.

A few highlights of the bout included Kiana James hitting Nia Jax with a Samoan Drop, Natalya debuting a new heel theme song, Lash Legend delivering a double chokeslam, and Alba Fyre coming up with a creative way to save Chelsea Green. Fyre crawled along the outside of the ring to catch Green’s feet and prevent her stablemate from being eliminated.

Sol Ruca, Rhea Ripley, Lyra Valkyria, Brie Bella, and Tiffany Stratton received the biggest reactions from the crowd. Upon her return, Bella did the “YES” kicks in the middle of the ring as fans chanted “YES” in memory of Daniel Bryan.

The final four were Sol Ruca, Raquel Rodriguez, Liv Morgan, and Tiffany Stratton. In a surprising turn of events, Morgan betrayed Rodriguez and tossed her over the top rope. Ruca then hit a Sol Snatcher on both Morgan and Stratton. The remaining three battled on the apron before Morgan emerged as the last woman standing. She was the frontrunner heading into the match, and while predictable, the finish sets up future tension within The Judgment Day.

Charlotte Flair spent the most time in the Rumble at 59 minutes, while Kairi Sane lasted under two minutes.

While Liv Morgan had a career-defining night, AJ Styles would put his career on the line in the next match against Gunther. The Ring General had already retired Goldberg and John Cena. Could he add another legend to the list?

AJ Styles received a massive reaction during his entrance, complete with pyro. Toward the end of the match, Gunther shoved the referee into the corner and delivered a low blow to Styles. That wasn’t enough to keep The Phenomenal One down. Gunther then shut him down with a barrage of chops, strikes, and a sleeper hold. Styles eventually lost consciousness, officially losing the match. Fans were stunned and gave AJ Styles his flowers as he exited. They pleaded with him not to leave his gear in the ring, a traditional sign of retirement. Styles walked to the back, potentially into the sunset.

In the lone championship match of the night, Sami Zayn challenged Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship. Zayn had never defeated McIntyre in his WWE career. The Scottish Warrior dominated much of the match, including hitting a White Noise from the top rope. He followed it with three Future Shock DDTs but still couldn’t put Zayn away.

Sami’s only significant offense came in the form of a Helluva Kick. As Drew argued with the official, the referee moved out of position and Zayn capitalized. However, Zayn was slow to make the cover, and it cost him. McIntyre put Zayn through the announce table before rolling him back into the ring and delivering two Claymores to secure the victory. Some fans were hoping for a feel-good moment in Saudi Arabia, but Sami’s time will have to wait.

The main event featured the men’s Royal Rumble, with 30 superstars battling to be the last man standing. Earlier in the night, it was announced that Bron Breakker would enter at #2. What fans didn’t expect was for Breakker to be attacked by a masked man before entering the ring. The attacker delivered a curb stomp, allowing Oba Femi to quickly eliminate Breakker. As the favorite to win, Breakker’s ten-second appearance was a shocking twist. The WWE Universe will now wait to learn the identity of the masked man.

Je’von Carter, Mr. Iguana, Royce Keys (formerly Powerhouse Hobbs), Ilja Dragunov, La Parka, and Rey Fenix all made their debuts. Keys stood out the most, continuing the trend of AEW stars making the jump to WWE. Trick Williams also debuted to a massive ovation, with the crowd chanting “Whoop That Trick.” Fans erupted with “NXT” chants as Carter, Williams, and Femi stared each other down in the ring.

One memorable moment saw El Grande Americano and El Original Americano square off. With Chad Gable sidelined by injury, Ludwig Kaiser filled in for the gimmick. Hopefully, this confrontation leads to a future face reveal.

Rey Mysterio, Cody Rhodes, LA Knight, and Roman Reigns received the biggest reactions of the night. Knight eliminated both Bronson Reed and Austin Theory, getting revenge for attacks that took place months ago. Randy Orton had the crowd singing his entrance theme long after the music stopped.

The big question heading into the closing moments was who would enter at #30. Fans speculated about Chris Jericho or another returning legend, but instead, Gunther claimed the final spot after retiring AJ Styles earlier in the night. The final four were Randy Orton, Gunther, Logan Paul, and Roman Reigns. Reigns outlasted 29 other superstars to win his second Royal Rumble.

Oba Femi went the distance from the #1 spot, lasting 39 minutes, while Bron Breakker lasted just ten seconds. Speculation has already begun regarding Breakker’s booking and the identity of the masked man who cost him the match.

So where do we go from here? It appears Roman Reigns and CM Punk are on a collision course for WrestleMania 42. Meanwhile, a potential triple threat between Jacob Fatu, Cody Rhodes, and Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship seems to be taking shape. Liv Morgan’s victory could spark the long-awaited split of The Judgment Day, with Morgan and Dominik Mysterio possibly turning babyface and taking over Monday Night Raw.

The Road to WrestleMania is officially underway, so be sure to tune in to Monday Night Raw for the fallout from the Royal Rumble.