Jacob Fatu and Dark-Horse Picks to Win the Men's and Women's 2026 WWE Royal Rumble

The Royal Rumble is a time for great upheaval in WWE, and it marks the official beginning of the road to WrestleMania 42.

In particular, whoever wins the men's and women's Rumble matches will book their ticket to a headlining spot on the card at The Show of Shows.

While it is usually easy to predict who will win the Rumble matches, WWE can pull off a remarkable shock. Even last year, Jey Uso's win was a genuine surprise.

Could this year deliver another unexpected winner?

These are the names that should be considered dark horses with genuine potential to win the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches.

Who Are the Favorites?

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Bron Breakker is one of the favorites to win the men's Rumble match.

Per BetOnline, there are clear favorites for the men's and women's Royal Rumble matches.

Roman Reigns: The OTC is always a favorite to win in WWE, and he has a built-in story if he were to challenge CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Gunther: After defeating John Cena in his final match, anything is possible for The Ring General. He and Punk have history left to explore, but Gunther will also face AJ Styles in singles action on the same night.

Bron Breakker: The Badass is an obvious pick on the verge of a breakout. While he already lost to Punk, he could earn a rematch and likely win it.

Liv Morgan: One of the biggest names in the division to not win the Rumble, Morgan would be a fresh victor and an interesting challenger for Stephanie Vaquer.

Bianca Belair: The EST of WWE has been out since WrestleMania 41, and her health status is up in the air. If she is fit, though, Belair vs. Jade Cargill is an easy call.

Rhea Ripley: Few women are an easier bet for success in WWE than The Eradicator. She could make sense to face any champion.

All of these options make sense, but they are not the only choices. In fact, there are multiple far more interesting and believable winners of the 2026 Royal Rumble matches.

Jacob Fatu

Betting odds could shift significantly following the shocking WWE Championship victory of Drew McIntyre on the January 9 edition of SmackDown.

No one looks more likely to challenge The Scottish Warrior at 'Mania right now than Jacob Fatu.

In the same match in which McIntyre won the championship, Fatu returned with the goal of making the Scot pay for taking him out of action.

While McIntyre refuse to take credit for the backstage attack on The Samoan Werewolf, this feud could intensify with a victory by Fatu in the men's Rumble.

WWE has clearly committed to Fatu as one of the biggest rising names in the company. A Rumble win would boost his rise to the top, especially followed by dethroning McIntyre at WrestleMania.

Asuka

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Asuka could become the second woman to win two Rumble matches.

Stephanie Vaquer needs a strong challenger for her run to WrestleMania, and few names are as well-established as Asuka to challenge La Primera.

These two have never faced each other one-on-one, and The Empress of Tomorrow is the kind of performer who can make the most of any rivalry.

Asuka won the first-ever women's Royal Rumble, so this would require her to win her second.

That is the kind of honor The Empress of Tomorrow has more than earned, solidifying her as one of the greatest women's wrestlers of all time.

While Asuka winning would be a surprise, it would make sense for the sake of her legacy and establishing a major challenger for La Primera heading into The Show of Shows on April 18-19.

AJ Styles

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AJ Styles could be an underrated option to win the men's Rumble in his retirement year.

Ten years ago, AJ Styles made his WWE debut in the Royal Rumble. In the decade to follow, he won two WWE Championships but never the famous Battle Royal.

This is the last year of The Phenomenal One's career, so this is the last chance to add to his legacy.

While WWE should commit first and foremost to its young rising stars, a career victory for Styles would be appropriate, setting the stage for his second WrestleMania main event.

He has fresh matchups with either Drew McIntyre or CM Punk, but The Scottish Warrior would make more sense as the established heel, threatening to send The Phenomenal One into retirement.

A win by Styles would be a shocker at first, but fans would likely embrace the move as an appropriate big moment in his final year.

Since his career is on the line against Gunther on the same show, it is also possible he will not compete in the match at all, but that would be a waste of a good dramatic story beat.

Alexa Bliss

While Charlotte Flair is a favorite to win the women's Rumble most years, Alexa Bliss would make more sense to claim victory in 2026.

Bliss has reignited her career with her team-up with Flair, and the two seem to be staying together into 2026 without the gold keeping them together.

The Queen could help prepare and support Bliss in her challenge of Jade Cargill for the WWE Women's Championship.

A win at WrestleMania could set the stage for a slow heel turn by Flair, who is always after world championship glory.

Bliss is one of the most prolific champions in WWE history but has never won a Royal Rumble.

Why couldn't this be the year?

Sami Zayn

There are few more lopsided rivalries than Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn.

The Scottish Warrior is a four-time world champion while Zayn has never won the world title.

These two men have fought 11 times, and The Ultimate Underdog has lost every time.

Despite all of that, Zayn is still a credible contender for the world title and could well earn another shot by winning the men's Rumble match.

If he does so, the stage is set for Zayn to rise above it all and defeat McIntyre to claim his first world championship at WrestleMania.

The story writes itself, and the only thing in the way of this story is WWE's willingness to go all the way with the Canadian star.

Just because Zayn has never won the Rumble or the world title does not mean 2026 will not be his year.

Roxanne Perez

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Roxanne Perez stands out as a dark-horse option in the women's Rumble.

While all eyes are on Liv Morgan for a Judgment Day star to win the women's Rumble and challenge Stephanie Vaquer, Roxanne Perez was first to call her shot at the titleholder.

Despite that, WWE has delayed The Prodigy battling the Chilean star time and again, turning the focus to Raquel Rodriguez instead.

Assuming Vaquer retains in the deciding match with Rodriguez, Perez should have just as clear a path to the gold as Morgan.

The Prodigy currently already holds the record for longest time spent in the Rumble match by a woman (slightly beating out Morgan in the same 2025 match).

The next step should be for her to win it all, and few have looked more ready for the opportunity than Perez.