Royal Rumble (2026)


The 2026 Royal Rumble, also promoted as Royal Rumble: Riyadh, was a professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by the American company WWE. It was the 39th annual Royal Rumble and took place on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at Riyadh Season Stadium, a temporary outdoor stadium in the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as part of the 2025–2026 Riyadh Season, held for wrestlers from the Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brand divisions, and also featured wrestlers from Mexican sister promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide.
This was the first traditional Royal Rumble to take place outside of North America, the 14th event WWE held in Saudi Arabia as part of its 10-year partnership in support of Saudi Vision 2030, the second to feature a Royal Rumble match after the Greatest Royal Rumble in April 2018, and the first of WWE's "Big Five" events to take place in the country. It was the first Royal Rumble to livestream on the ESPN app in the United States.
The event is based around the Royal Rumble match, and the winner traditionally receives a world championship match at that year's WrestleMania. The men's winner can choose to challenge for Raw's World Heavyweight Championship or SmackDown's Undisputed WWE Championship, while the women have the choice between Raw's Women's World Championship and SmackDown's WWE Women's Championship at WrestleMania 42. The women's match, which was the opening bout, was won by Raw's Liv Morgan, while the men's match, which was the main event, was won by SmackDown's Roman Reigns, marking his second Royal Rumble victory, after 2015. This also made him the 12th overall wrestler to win the eponymous match twice, after "Stone Cold" Steve Austin—the only three-time winner—Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, John Cena, Batista, Triple H, Randy Orton, Edge, Brock Lesnar, Cody Rhodes, and Charlotte Flair.
In addition to the two Royal Rumble matches, two other matches were contested on the main card, as well as two dark matches before the event. In the other two televised matches, Gunther defeated AJ Styles by technical submission in a Career Threatening match, forcing Styles to retire, while Drew McIntyre defeated Sami Zayn to retain SmackDown's Undisputed WWE Championship. The event also saw the debut of Royce Keys, formerly known as Powerhouse Hobbs in All Elite Wrestling, as well as the returns of Brie Bella, Tiffany Stratton, and Chad Gable, the latter as the original El Grande Americano.
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Production

Background

The Royal Rumble is an annual professional wrestling event that is traditionally held in January by the American company WWE since 1988. It is one of the promotion's five biggest events of the year, along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and Money in the Bank, referred to as the "Big Five". The concept of the event is based around the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle royal in which the participants enter at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time.
From 1988 up through the 2025 event, the Royal Rumble was held annually in North America, with the inaugural 1988 event in Canada and the rest in the United States. In early 2018, WWE began a 10-year strategic multiplatform partnership with the Ministry of Sport in support of Saudi Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia's social and economic reform program. The first event in this partnership was the one-off Greatest Royal Rumble, which featured a 50-man Royal Rumble match. In May 2024, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, announced that the country was in talks with WWE to bring either the Royal Rumble or WrestleMania to the country in 2026 or 2027. On January 3, 2025, PWInsider reported that WWE would be holding the 2026 Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia, with Fightful later confirming an official announcement would come during the [WWE Raw (WWE brand)|Raw premiere on Netflix|Raw premiere on Netflix].
Ahead of the Netflix debut, WWE officially confirmed that the 39th Royal Rumble, and 14th event in the Saudi Arabian partnership, would be happening in Riyadh in January 2026 as part of the 2025–2026 Riyadh Season, an annual series of entertainment events that previously hosted Crown Jewel; the 2025 Crown Jewel was moved to Perth, Australia as a result. It was later confirmed that it would be held on Saturday, January 31 at a temporary outdoor stadium called Riyadh Season Stadium at King Abdullah Financial District. With the 2026 Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia, the 2026 calendar year will host three events in the country instead of two, as 2025 only had one. This also returned the Royal Rumble to its traditional January slot as the 2025 event was held in February. The event primarily featured wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brands. The January 30 episode of Friday Night SmackDown was also held at the same venue. The main theme song was "Heavy Is the Crown" by Linkin Park.
The Royal Rumble match generally features 30 wrestlers and the winner traditionally earns a world championship match at that year's WrestleMania. For 2026, the men and women could choose which world championship to challenge for at WrestleMania 42; the men could choose Raw's World Heavyweight Championship or SmackDown's Undisputed WWE Championship, while the women had the choice between Raw's Women's World Championship and SmackDown's WWE Women's Championship.

Broadcast outlets

The event was available to livestream on ESPN's direct-to-consumer streaming service in the United States, Netflix in most international markets, the WWE Network in Austria, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland, SuperSport in Sub-Saharan Africa, and Abema in Japan. This was the first Royal Rumble to livestream on ESPN in the United States, as WWE's contract with Peacock to air main roster PPV and livestreaming events expired at the conclusion of Clash in Paris in August 2025.

Storylines

The event included four matches that resulted from scripted storylines. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands, while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown.
On the January 9 episode of SmackDown, the brand's General Manager Nick Aldis announced that a tournament would begin the following week, with eight wrestlers competing against each other in four singles matches, with the winners advancing to a fatal four-way match at Saturday Night's Main Event XLIII, and the winner of that bout would earn an Undisputed WWE Championship match at the Royal Rumble. Later that night, Drew McIntyre defeated Cody Rhodes in a Three Stages of Hell match to win the title, confirming his status as the defending champion. At Saturday Night's Main Event XLIII on January 24, Sami Zayn won the fatal four-way. Additionally, as McIntyre's win over Rhodes had an extra stipulation in that Rhodes would not receive an automatic rematch for the title and would instead have to earn one, Rhodes, in turn, declared himself as the first entrant in the men's Royal Rumble match.
At Saturday Night's Main Event XLII on December 13, 2025, Gunther defeated John Cena in the latter's retirement match by making Cena tap out. Over the following episodes of Raw, Gunther continuously gloated about making Cena tap out. Several wrestlers took issue with this, including AJ Styles, who confronted Gunther several times. During the Raw on Netflix Anniversary Show on January 5, 2026, Styles interrupted Gunther, however, Gunther did not allow Styles to speak, resulting in Styles slapping Gunther. They faced each other the next week where during the match, Gunther feigned a tap out during a Calf Crusher by Styles out of sight of the referee. Styles released the hold thinking he had won and during the distraction, Gunther delivered a low blow and a Powerbomb on Styles to win the match. The following week, Styles interrupted Gunther and challenged him to a rematch at the Royal Rumble. Gunther initially declined but later proposed that he would accept if Styles put his career on the line, as during the Crown Jewel Kickoff pre-show in October 2025, Styles stated that he would retire in 2026. Later that night after consulting his wife, Styles accepted, with Raw General Manager Adam Pearce making the match official.

Event

Preliminary matches

The event began with the women's Royal Rumble match. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss began the match as the first and second entrants, respectively. Nia Jax entered fourth and dominated the early portion of the match. Candice LeRae entered next and formed a brief alliance with Jax, her former tag team partner. Jordynne Grace entered eighth and secured the first three eliminations by tossing LeRae, Lola Vice, and Ivy Nile out. Flair and Bliss attempted to eliminate Jax; Flair shoved Jax out of the ring, but Flair also knocked Bliss down to the floor. Becky Lynch entered ninth; Lynch and Flair immediately reigniting their rivalry by brawling at ringside. Nattie entered 13th with a new theme song and was targeted by Maxxine Dupri; however, Lynch intervened, hitting Dupri with a Manhandle Slam to eliminate her. Nattie blocked an elimination attempt from Lynch and tossed her out of the ring. Lash Legend eliminated Grace following a struggle on the apron. Raquel Rodriguez entered 17th and aligned with her Judgment Day stablemates, Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez, to eliminate Kiana James. Chelsea Green entered 18th accompanied by Alba Fyre; despite Fyre saving Green from elimination, Rodriguez clotheslined Fyre out of the ring. Giulia, Iyo Sky, and Asuka followed, leading to a confrontation between the three. Rhea Ripley entered next, quickly eliminating Green and Perez. Bayley and Jacy Jayne entered and targeted Sol Ruca. Morgan eliminated Nattie with the Oblivion on the apron. A miscommunication between The Kabuki Warriors led to Sane accidentally eliminating Asuka, after which Sky immediately eliminated Kairi Sane. A returning Brie Bella and Tiffany Stratton completed the field. The Bella Twins eliminated Bayley and Lyra Valkyria, while Ruca eliminated Jayne. Legend then eliminated The Bella Twins before booting Flair off the apron. After Legend eliminated Sky, she was herself eliminated by Ripley. Rodriguez eliminated Ripley with the Tejana Bomb to the apron, only to be immediately tossed out by her teammate, Morgan. The final three participants were Morgan, Stratton, and Ruca. After all three narrowly avoided elimination on the apron, Ruca failed to hit the Sol Snatcher on the apron and Stratton knocked Ruca to the floor. Morgan immediately followed with an Oblivion to Stratton, knocking her off the apron to secure the victory and earn a women's world championship match at WrestleMania 42.
Next, AJ Styles faced Gunther in a Career Threatening match, where Styles would be forced to retire if he lost. Gunther dominated early with a suplex to Styles onto the announce table and a Boston Crab. Styles responded with an Ushigoroshi and locked in the Calf Crusher. Styles attempted a pinfall after a springboard 450 splash and the Styles Clash, but Gunther kicked out at two. Amid a referee distraction, Gunther hit the low blow and a powerbomb to gain the advantage before hitting an assault of chops and kicks that prompted the official to check on Styles' condition. After Styles failed to connect with a Phenomenal Forearm, Gunther locked in a sleeper hold. Despite a brief rally, Styles lost consciousness within the hold, leading the referee to award the technical submission victory to Gunther. Following the match, a visibly emotional Styles received a standing ovation from the crowd. After initially teasing the traditional gesture of leaving his gear in the ring, he chose to keep them on.
In the penultimate match, Drew McIntyre defended the Undisputed WWE Championship against Sami Zayn. McIntyre targeted Zayn's lower back early in the match, utilizing a series of backbreakers and an avalanche White Noise for a near-fall. Despite the injury, Zayn countered a superplex into a sunset flip powerbomb and hit the Blue Thunder Bomb. McIntyre regained control with three consecutive Future Shock DDTs and attempted a pinfall but Zayn managed to kick out at two. McIntyre later connected with the Claymore and attempted a pinfall but Zayn avoided a three-count by placing his foot on the bottom rope. Following a struggle on the floor that saw McIntyre powerbomb Zayn through the announce table, the match returned to the ring where Zayn briefly rallied with an exploder suplex into the corner. However, McIntyre thwarted a Helluva Kick attempt with a second Claymore and, after pausing to mock his opponent, delivered a third Claymore to secure the pinfall victory and retain the title.

Main event

In the main event, the men's Royal Rumble match began with Oba Femi and Bron Breakker as the first and second entrants. Before Breakker could enter the ring, a masked assailant hit him with a curb stomp. Femi immediately eliminated the incapacitated Breakker. Femi dominated the early stages, eliminating Solo Sikoa, Rusev, Rey Mysterio, and Matt Cardona. Trick Williams entered 10th and eliminated Mr. Iguana from sister promotion Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide. A conflict between two versions of El Grande Americano occurred, resulting in Kaiser being eliminated by Gable, who was then tossed by Williams. Royce Keys, formerly known as Powerhouse Hobbs in All Elite Wrestling, made his WWE debut by entering 14th and eliminated Damian Priest. The Vision began to assert control after Logan Paul entered 20th to eliminate Keys, AAA's La Parka, and Dragon Lee. LA Knight returned at number 21 and eliminated Austin Theory and Bronson Reed. Brock Lesnar entered 22nd and eliminated Ilja Dragunov, Rey Fénix, and Femi. As Jey Uso entered 25th, Cody Rhodes and Knight teamed up to eliminate Lesnar. Roman Reigns entered next and immediately turned on his cousin Uso before eliminating The Miz. Jacob Fatu arrived 27th and attacked Rhodes at ringside. Gunther was the final entrant and eliminated Penta. Orton eliminated Je'Von Evans after countering a cutter with the RKO. A miscommunication between Orton and Rhodes allowed Drew McIntyre to interfere by hitting Rhodes with the Claymore on the apron to eliminate him. Reigns eliminated Fatu and Uso, leaving the final four participants with Reigns, Gunther, Orton, and Paul. Reigns eliminated Paul and Gunther eliminated Orton. Gunther attempted to lock in the sleeper hold, but Reigns countered by driving him into the turnbuckle. Reigns followed with the Spear and then eliminated Gunther to win his second Royal Rumble match, after 2015, securing a world championship match at WrestleMania 42.

Results

Women's Royal Rumble match entrances and eliminations

DrawEntrantBrand/StatusOrderEliminated byTimeElimination
Charlotte FlairSmackDown23Lash Legend59:492
Alexa BlissSmackDown5Charlotte Flair and Nia Jax13:290
Kiana JamesSmackDown9Raquel Rodriguez27:300
Nia JaxSmackDown4Charlotte Flair09:291
Ivy NileRaw3Jordynne Grace06:240
Lola ViceNXT1Jordynne Grace04:320
Candice LeRaeSmackDown2Jordynne Grace02:130
Jordynne GraceSmackDown8Lash Legend14:473
Becky LynchRaw7Nattie07:351
Sol RucaNXT28Tiffany Stratton50:471
Roxanne PerezRaw12Rhea Ripley22:120
Maxxine DupriRaw6Becky Lynch02:470
NattieRaw13Liv Morgan23:011
'Liv MorganRaw'Winner43:503
Lash LegendSmackDown25Rhea Ripley38:465
ZelinaSmackDown10Giulia10:540
Raquel RodriguezRaw27Liv Morgan35:292
Chelsea GreenSmackDown11Rhea Ripley08:350
GiuliaSmackDown14Lyra Valkyria15:151
Iyo SkyRaw24Lash Legend27:311
AsukaRaw15Kairi Sane14:360
Rhea RipleyRaw26Raquel Rodriguez25:403
BayleyRaw18Nikki Bella16:220
Jacy JayneNXT20Sol Ruca16:111
Nikki BellaRaw 21Lash Legend14:021
Lyra ValkyriaRaw17Brie Bella10:441
Kelani JordanNXT19Jacy Jayne09:220
Kairi SaneRaw16Iyo Sky01:361
Brie BellaHOF22Lash Legend06:501
Tiffany StrattonSmackDown29Liv Morgan12:481

Men's Royal Rumble match entrances and eliminations

DrawEntrantBrand/StatusOrderEliminated byTimeElimination
Oba FemiUnaffiliated18Brock Lesnar39:045
Bron BreakkerRaw1Oba Femi00:100
Solo SikoaSmackDown3Oba Femi03:510
Rey MysterioRaw 4Oba Femi02:430
RusevRaw2Oba Femi00:320
Matt CardonaSmackDown5Oba Femi00:550
Damian PriestSmackDown10Royce Keys11:060
Je'Von EvansRaw22Randy Orton40:580
Mr. IguanaAAA6Trick Williams02:050
Trick WilliamsSmackDown9Cody Rhodes06:192
Cody RhodesSmackDown24Drew McIntyre36:503
El Grande AmericanoRaw7Original El Grande Americano 02:450
Original El Grande AmericanoRaw8Trick Williams01:211
Royce KeysUnaffiliated11Bronson Reed09:551
Austin TheoryRaw14LA Knight10:081
Bronson ReedRaw15LA Knight09:023
Ilja DragunovSmackDown16Brock Lesnar11:000
La ParkaAAA12Austin Theory and Bronson Reed04:260
Dragon LeeRaw13Bronson Reed03:010
Logan PaulRaw27Roman Reigns25:070
LA KnightRaw21Cody Rhodes14:253
Brock LesnarUnaffiliated19Cody Rhodes and LA Knight05:323
The MizSmackDown20Roman Reigns07:050
Rey FenixSmackDown17Brock Lesnar01:280
Jey UsoRaw26Roman Reigns13:080
'Roman ReignsSmackDown'Winner15:485
Jacob FatuSmackDown25Roman Reigns09:010
PentaRaw23Gunther06:010
Randy OrtonSmackDown28Gunther07:401
GuntherRaw29Roman Reigns07:512

WWE Championship #1 Contender's Tournament