Why The 2026 WWE Royal Rumble Feels Impossible to Predict

On Jan. 31, WWE will host the 39th annual Royal Rumble, and we're still racking our brains trying to predict the outcome of its marquee matches.

The event will take place at the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The card is quickly coming together, and Superstars from Raw and SmackDown are throwing their hats in the ring.

So far, six men and eight women have been announced as entrants in their respective fields. One could outlast 29 other participants to gain the opportunity of a lifetime at WrestleMania 42, but we're still having a hard time guessing this year's biggest matches.

Two-time winner Cody Rhodes will enter the fray for the first time since he finished his story in 2024. He will join last year's winner Jey Uso, Gunther, Rey Mysterio, Dragon Lee, and Penta in hopes of regaining the Undisputed WWE Championship.

Meanwhile, the women's tag team champions, Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky, will test their friendship following their upcoming title defense against Liv Morgan and Roxanne Perez. Those two teams will have to contend with Bayley, Lyra Valkyria, Asuka, and Raquel Rodriguez for a chance to compete on The Grandest Stage of Them All.

Although it's difficult to predict who will win both the men's and women's Rumble matches, that should make for a much better viewing experience. Unpredictability adds so much intrigue to the annual stipulation match, but it's also hard to grasp some of WWE's current direction right now.

This Next High-Profile Women's Match

When you see the promotional material for WrestleMania 42, it's apparent who WWE has positioned as the top stars in the women's division. However, it's not as easy to determine its ideal matchup heading into the event.

Following their encounter at Wrestlepalooza, The Showcase of the Immortals is the most likely destination for Becky Lynch and AJ Lee's one-on-one match. The potential plans for the main women's titles aren't as clear, though.

Who will win the women's Rumble match and go on to challenge Stephanie Vaquer or Jade Cargill?

Bianca Belair is the current favorite, which makes sense because WWE has seemingly been planting the seeds for a match with Cargill since 2024. Unfortunately, The EST of WWE's status has remained unclear since she injured her hand at WrestleMania 41.

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Tiffany Stratton has also become a strong contender during her recent hiatus, but Liv Morgan is the more popular choice at the moment. Two years ago, fans hoped she would return and earn a match against Ripley.

Instead, Morgan finished as the runner-up in the match for a second consecutive year and eventually developed into the vindictive character we know today. This year could finally be her year, but who would be her opponent when WWE returns to Las Vegas on April 18-19?

Bron Breakker's Prolonged Coronation

Following his clash with Seth Rollins last year, Sami Zayn seemed like the best option for the 2026 men's Rumble winner.

After all, the Canadian star has aspirations to become a world champion, and the Saudi Arabian crowd would erupt for the biggest win of his career.

However, plans have presumably changed since Zayn moved to SmackDown and Rollins injured his shoulder at Crown Jewel. Now, he seems destined to face Drew McIntyre at the event for the Undisputed WWE Championship instead.

Conversely, Bron Breakker is set to return from suspension during the next episode of Raw just in time to declare himself for the Rumble. Securing his place in history among the youngest winners would cement him as the next big thing, but it's still hard to understand why WWE would take the scenic route to get here.

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Breakker had so much positive momentum after he attacked Rollins during the October 13 episode of Raw, and the company squandered it during the Survivor Series build. CM Punk's world heavyweight championship win at Saturday Night's Main Event didn't feel like a satisfying conclusion to his rivalry with The Visionary, either.

Then, Breakker lost to Punk during the first episode of Raw of the year, when his promos were starting to win over the crowd again. The second-generation wrestler has clearly been earmarked as a future main eventer since his time on NXT.

Strangely, WWE is overcomplicating his ascension, and their approach is making us second-guess our prediction that he will win the men's Royal Rumble match.

Yes, it's still a safe bet, but the journey to get there has been a real headscratcher.