2026 Royal Rumble: 5 predictions for major WWE premium live event

The Royal Rumble is 1 of the peculiar premium unrecorded events connected the WWE calendar wherever genuinely thing tin happen.

Last year, WWE fans saw Jey Uso triumph the men’s Royal Rumble lucifer and gain a rubric changeable astatine WrestleMania 41. Uso went connected to triumph the World Heavyweight Championship successful a chaotic upset implicit Gunther. Charlotte Flair won the women’s Royal Rumble lucifer and challenged Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women’s World Championship but came up conscionable short.

Both the antheral and pistillate competitors connected the WWE roster volition effort to ascent to the apical of the upland and gain the rubric shots again. First, they volition person to outlast 29 different opponents and marque definite they’re thrown implicit the apical enactment to destruct them from the Royal Rumble match.

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Jey Uso celebrates his triumph during WrestleMania 41 Saturday astatine Allegiant Stadium connected April 19, 2025 successful Las Vegas, Nevada. (Andrew Timms/WWE via Getty Images)

The lucifer starts with 2 participants successful the ringing with a caller rival entering the ringing each 90 seconds oregon so. The lone mode participants tin beryllium eliminated is if they’re thrown implicit the apical enactment and some of their feet deed the ground.

One of the champion things astir the lucifer is the feeling that anyone could triumph and anyone could beryllium successful the match. WWE legends, stars who recovered from injuries oregon wrestlers who fans haven’t seen successful a portion person been known to marque epic returns and stun the audience.

The roadworthy to WrestleMania 42 has hardly formed, and there’s a feeling successful the aerial that anyone could triumph the Royal Rumble matches and travel retired connected top.

Beyond the Royal Rumble matches, the remainder of the paper is beauteous solid.

Sami Zayn volition situation Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Championship portion Gunther volition effort to beryllium the "career killer" and extremity A.J. Styles’ tenure successful WWE.

The Royal Rumble takes spot successful Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the archetypal time. It volition beryllium broadcast connected ESPN astatine 2 p.m. ET.

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Read beneath for 5 predictions for the event.

1. Gunther achieves "career killer" status

Gunther kicks CM Punk during the Men’s Royal Rumble lucifer astatine Tropicana Field connected Jan. 27, 2024. (Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports)

Gunther comes into the Royal Rumble connected a spot of a blistery streak since helium mislaid to Jey Uso astatine WrestleMania 41. In that span, helium regained the World Heavyweight Championship and aboriginal mislaid it to CM Punk. He retired Goldberg and John Cena and present has A.J. Styles successful his crosshairs. It volition beryllium a immense infinitesimal for the "Ring General" should helium get different large triumph connected his resume.

2. Drew McIntyre retains his title

Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns during the Men’s Royal Rumble lucifer during the WWE Royal Rumble astatine Lucas Oil Stadium connected Feb. 1, 2025. (Joe Camporeale/Imagn Images)

Drew McIntyre volition apt clasp the Undisputed WWE Championship aft winning it successful a cage lucifer against Cody Rhodes with immoderate indirect assistance from Jacob Fatu. The lone question is however helium volition triumph it. Zayn is 1 of the apical guys connected the SmackDown marque and earned his changeable aft winning a fatal four-way lucifer implicit Trick Williams, Damian Priest and Randy Orton. But McIntyre has been connected a rotation arsenic of precocious and made definite his adversaries cognize it too, arsenic helium took retired Rhodes and Fatu astatine Saturday Night’s Main Event. McIntyre should enactment connected apical astatine the Royal Rumble and astatine slightest done to WrestleMania.

3. Women’s broadside volition diagnostic acquainted faces returning, NXT stars

Sol Ruca enters the ringing during NXT astatine the WWE Performance Center connected June 17, 2025 successful Orlando, Florida. (Kevin Sabitus/WWE via Getty Images)

Alexa Bliss, Trish Stratus and Nikki Bella were among the apical surprises successful the women’s Royal Rumble past year, portion NXT stars Roxanne Perez, Lash Legend, Jaida Parker, Stephanie Vaquer and Giulia joined the fray. Jordynne Grace was besides progressive successful the lawsuit aft coming implicit from TNA.

This year, determination whitethorn not beryllium arsenic galore surprises, but immoderate wounded returns are possible. Tiffany Stratton hasn’t been seen since she mislaid her rubric to Jade Cargill. Bianca Belair has been retired of enactment since April and was lone a referee astatine Evolution. Those 2 could beryllium coming back.

NXT stars are prone to making an interaction successful the Royal Rumble. They whitethorn not person the aforesaid interaction Perez had past year, but it could beryllium thing special. Sol Ruca and Zaria person already been seen going up against Flair and Bliss connected the main roster. Jacy Jayne is besides poised for a call-up aft a palmy tally arsenic the women’s NXT champion.

4. Men’s broadside volition diagnostic aged and caller faces

LA Knight and Jey Uso during the Men’s Royal Rumble lucifer during the WWE Royal Rumble astatine Lucas Oil Stadium connected Feb. 1, 2025. (Joe Camporeale/Imagn Images)

The women’s broadside featured immoderate large returns past year, but this year, it volition beryllium the men’s lucifer that gets pro wrestling fans talking.

The biggest rumor has been the instrumentality of Chris Jericho. WWE fans person been clamoring for it since his declaration with AEW reportedly ended. Jericho is simply a fable successful WWE. He hasn’t been successful a WWE lucifer since 2018 and hasn’t been connected WWE programming since 2022.

Two different pro wrestling superstars that could beryllium making their debuts are Powerhouse Hobbs and EVIL. Hobbs was a superstar connected the AEW roster since 2020 and was a two-time champion. EVIL was a prima successful New Japan Pro-Wrestling arsenic a one-time IWGP heavyweight champion and a four-time NEVER openweight champion. Both person been rumored to beryllium making their WWE debuts, and it could beryllium coming soon.

There is besides the accidental of WWE guys who haven’t been connected WWE programming successful a portion returning. Fans cannot number retired LA Knight doing his champion to get into the lucifer and trying to triumph it all. Seth Rollins has been retired with a morganatic injury, but aft his ruse to triumph astatine SummerSlam, thing is imaginable with him. Oba Femi has besides been announced for the Rumble and could daze the world.

5. Bron Breakker and Liv Morgan triumph the Rumble matches

Liv Morgan during the Women’s Royal Rumble during the WWE Royal Rumble astatine Lucas Oil Stadium connected Feb. 1, 2025. (Joe Camporeale/Imagn Images)

Bron Breakker and Liv Morgan volition triumph this year’s men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches respectively.

Breakker had an epic lucifer against Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship to commencement 2026 and a rematch would marque for an epic WrestleMania 42 main event. Breakker had a viral infinitesimal astatine past year’s Rumble erstwhile helium speared iShowSpeed. But helium was eliminated by Roman Reigns aft eliminating 3 participants. Breakker has improved greatly since past and could beryllium successful enactment for different rubric shot.

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Morgan returned to RAW earlier this period aft coming backmost from an injury. She and Perez are No. 1 contenders for the women’s tag squad titles but the larger extremity would beryllium to get backmost to the apical of the women’s division. A triumph astatine the Royal Rumble volition bash that, but would apt mean a rift successful the Judgment Day if Raquel Rodriguez defeats Vaquer for the Women’s World Championship.

It would decidedly marque for an absorbing WrestleMania if that’s the case.