Making Sense of WWE on the Road to Royal Rumble 2026
WWE delivers its first premium live event of 2026, the annual extravaganza known as the Royal Rumble, live from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on January 31. The first Rumble to be held outside North America will kick off the Road to WrestleMania 42 and give fans a preview of the direction the company will take leading into its marquee event.
What should fans expect from the blockbuster card and what are a few things to keep an eye on surrounding the show?
Find out with this preview, as we try and make sense of what might occur at the annual spectacular.
Projected Match Card
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The match card for the first premium live event of 2026 is as follows:
What's Next for Cody Rhodes?
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Cody Rhodes dropped the Undisputed WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre on Friday's SmackDown amid the return and interference from Jacob Fatu. A third showdown between Rhodes and Roman Reigns for the top prize in the company seemed like a lock, but now has some fans wondering what exactly the plan is for the former champion at the Showcase of the Immortals.
That direction figures to make itself crystal clear at the Royal Rumble, where Rhodes will likely compete in the namesake match for a chance to become a three-time champion.
Do not count him out of appearing in the Undisputed WWE Championship match, should it happen. Rhodes will be revenge-minded and want to pay back both McIntyre and Fatu for their roles in his losing his title. Could his inevitable vendetta against Fatu be the emphasis for his renewed rivalry with Reigns? And would WWE really change the WWE title two or three times between now and WrestleMania?
Those are questions that bear watching, beginning as soon as Friday's SmackDown but definitely intensifying by the first major event of 2026.
Women Continue to Rule WWE
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It's not a stretch of the imagination to say the women's divisions on Raw and SmackDown were the most consistent highlights of WWE in 2025. They routinely delivered, producing some of the best matches and moments of the entire year.
The start to this year has been more of the same, with Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, and The Kabuki Warriors kicking off Raw with a banger for the Women's Tag Team Championship. Raquel Rodriguez is intensifying her rivalry with Stephanie Vaquer for the Women's World Championship, and Liv Morgan is looking like a Royal Rumble favorite early on.
Throw in Jordynne Grace's main roster call-up and Giulia's victory over Chelsea Green for the Women's United States Championship on SmackDown, and you have a division ready to leave its impact on the company again.
Look for it to start with the least predictable Rumble match in recent years, which should lay the groundwork for a WrestleMania 42 featuring several women's matches and the potential to steal the show for the second year in a row in Las Vegas.
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The Badass or The Beast?
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Bron Breakker solidified himself as the future of WWE with his performance on the January 5 episode of Raw, looking like CM Punk's equal in the biggest match of his young career.
But is the second-generation star the pick to challenge Punk again, this time at WrestleMania 42, and by way of the Royal Rumble? Or could that spot belong to another Paul Heyman associate?
The WrestleMania promotional pieces feature Punk and Brock Lesnar, perhaps hinting that the Wise Man will reach out to a former client to help solve his Punk problem.
If that is the case, does Lesnar potentially win his third Rumble match, or does that victory come in February at the Elimination Chamber in Chicago?
There are plenty of moving pieces, and if history has taught us anything, it's that Lesnar doesn't necessarily need a win to earn a title shot. Regardless of how it happens, do not be surprised if The Beast enters the Rumble as a surprise and joins Steve Austin as the only three-time winner in company history.
Royal Rumble Surprises
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Obviously, the biggest Rumble surprise, the one everyone will be keeping an eye on, is Chris Jericho. The Ayatollah of Rock N Rolla has long been rumored to be leaving AEW amid the conclusion of his contract with the company and some even expected him in WWE as early as the January 5 episode of Raw.
Instead, a huge surprise return in Saudi Arabia, on the kickoff to the road to WrestleMania, feels like the more likely scenario for a star of that magnitude.
Another potential surprise is the former world champion, Seth Rollins.
The Architect will be seeking revenge for the assault that left him sidelined and, even if he is not yet cleared to compete, an appearance that leads to The Vision losing the Rumble or being in disarray following it would be a solid use of Rollins.
On the women's side, if she is cleared from the finger injury that has kept her out of action for nearly a year, Bianca Belair is certainly an option to appear. The 2021 Rumble winner could easily join Charlotte Flair as the only other two-time winner, especially with Jade Cargill holding it down as WWE women's champion over on Friday nights and their history together.
A TNA Knockout or two should not be counted out, nor should Jacy Jayne or Blake Monroe, both of whom Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported have been reportedly considered for main roster call-ups in recent days.
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