WWE Royal Rumble 2026 Match Card Predictions After Survivor Series WarGames Results
On the heels of Survivor Series: WarGames, WWE turns its attention to the 2026 Royal Rumble and the kickoff of the Road to WrestleMania 42.
Based on the results of Saturday's premium live event, including the most star-studded WarGames matches in company history, what might the card for the first extravaganza of 2026 look like?
Find out with this way-too-early preview of the international show from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The Wyatt Sicks vs. The MFTs
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With WWE likely to load up on talent for the Men's Royal Rumble match, there will be an undercard slot open and if last year's show is any indication, one can expect one of the two tag team divisions to be featured.
Lacking a high-profile Raw feud, and likely to want AJ Styles to beef up the Rumble star power, expect that spot to go to SmackDown's WWE Tag Team Championship and the program between The Wyatt Sicks and The MFTs.
The former has targeted the Bloodline 2.0 for weeks, hinting at a showdown between the two factions.
A showdown pitting Joe Gacy and Dexter Lumis against Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa, with the other members of the faction ominously hanging around ringside, feels like the right call and does not detract from Rumble field.
World Heavyweight Championship Match: CM Punk vs. Bron Breakker
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Bron Breakker flattened world heavyweight champion CM Punk with a spear Saturday night inside WarGames, winning the match for his team and positioning himself for a shot at the top prize on the Raw brand.
While some may point to WrestleMania 42 as the opportune spot for Breakker to win the title and catapult himself into superstardom at the top of the card, the trajectory of top storylines does not appear to point to that outcome.
If the plan is not for Breakker to headline the biggest show of the year, giving him the exposure of a title match at the most significant, non-WrestleMania event of the new year is the next best option.
Let him get the experience from working with Punk in a big spot, with a world title on the line, and see how he responds.
Women's Royal Rumble Match
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The Women's Royal Rumble Match has traditionally been presented first, with the sole exception being the original in 2018, and that was because of the historic arrival of Ronda Rousey at its conclusion.
With that said, there is plenty of potential for a loaded field in 2026, with former winners Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, and Asuka all possible entrants.
Throw in previous runners-up Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez, Hall of Famer Nikki Bella, the likes of Iyo Sky, Alexa Bliss, Kairi Sane, and Tiffany Stratton, as well as a few surprises (Bianca Belair, anyone?), and you have a stacked lineup.
The potential winner? Ripley is one of the biggest stars in the company and a WrestleMania showdown with Stephanie Vaquer over the Women's World Championship would be a dream match between two of the top performers in the company.
If not her, Morgan, always the bridesmaid and never the bride, is long overdue to cross that accomplishment off her bucket list.
Men's Royal Rumble Match
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The clear main event of this year's show should feature several top-tier competitors but few will command the attention that Roman Reigns does.
The Tribal Chief teased his intentions to challenge for a heavyweight title on the Raw before Survivor Series and in the closing moments of the WarGames main event Saturday, engaged WWE Undisputed champion Cody Rhodes in a tense confrontation, telling his longtime rival it was the last time they would team up.
Reigns vs. Rhodes is the biggest match the company has at its disposal, despite the other marquee stars on the roster, and to get there, Reigns would have to win his first Royal Rumble match since his disastrous victory in 2015.
While WWE has been known to swerve us before, including last year when Jey Uso outlasted John Cena to win the premium live event's namesake match, The OTC seems like the clear winner of this year's event and the obvious to contender on the road to the Showcase of the Immortals.
