The Best, Worst and Most Likely 2026 WWE Royal Rumble Match Winners
The Road to WrestleMania 42 kicks off Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with the 2026 Royal Rumble, headlined by the men's and women's same-titled matches.
Who should and should not emerge victorious from those contests and cash their tickets to The Showcase of the Immortals and who is most likely to?
Find out in this preview of the annual premium live event.
Men's Best: LA Knight
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LA Knight spent the last 12 months getting close to winning a world title, only to have it snatched away from him at the last second by Seth Rollins and The Vision.
The Megastar has been in top contender's matches and competed in Money in the Bank, but was unable to earn the victory that would net him the top prize on Raw.
When the 43-year-old disappeared from television in December after an attack at the hands of Bron Breakker, Logan Paul and Bronson Reed, it was with the idea that he would come back hotter than ever.
Knight has not returned as of yet but what better way for him to pop back up on WWE TV than by spoiling The Vision's plans to dominate the Royal Rumble match and in the process, win it himself?
Knight has earned the opportunity, and while a babyface vs. babyface match with CM Punk may not be the first thing fans think of when it comes to a potential WrestleMania title bout, there is no one better suited to put him over than The Best in the World...if the title does not switch hands before April 18-19.
Women's Best: Liv Morgan
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Liv Morgan's Revenge Tour 2 is off to a slow start, but it is clear the former women's world champion is cooking up something, if for no other reason than the apparent manipulation of every one of her Judgment Day teammates since November.
Though she is fresh off a loss, with Roxanne Perez, to Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky at Saturday Night's Main Event, that defeat feels more like a red herring to throw fans off the scent of a potential Rumble win.
Prominently featured in the WrestleMania 42 promotional video and one of the biggest stars in the women's division, it is time for her to advance to the biggest show of the year and compete for singles gold again.
Men's Worst: Cody Rhodes
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Make no mistake about it: Cody Rhodes is the biggest star in WWE, the most popular, and a hero to an entire generation of fans.
The 40-year-old has put in the work necessary to be QB1 for the top wrestling promotion in the business. Winning the men's Rumble is exactly the sort of thing competitors in that position do.
Except, he has already done that twice.
Winning a third Rumble would put him in the rarefied air of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, who is the only Superstar in WWE history to claim a trio of victories in the Battle Royal. At the same time, it would also risk turning fans against him.
Like any babyface the audience perceives to be overpushed, accomplishing that feat would risk turning hardcore fans against Rhodes, who has worked too hard and overcome too many obstacles to deserve that.
The American Nightmare can get to WrestleMania and a title rematch with Drew McIntyre any number of other ways, including the Elimination Chamber. Let someone else take the win here without risking irritating the audience along the way.
Women's Worst: Charlotte Flair
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Charlotte Flair is all over the promotional materials for WrestleMania 42, as if WWE is going to break up her team with Alexa Bliss and move her back into singles competition for a chance to win another world title.
However, doing so would betray a year-long story for Flair that has seen her turn the audience's jeers into cheers.
Last year, she returned from injury and made history by becoming the first woman to win two Royal Rumbles. The fans rejected it, booing her out of the building the next night and throwing their support behind the spoiled-brat character of Tiffany Stratton instead.
Flair has done all there is to do. Giving her a Rumble win would only serve to infuriate fans and hurt all that the creative team has accomplished with the enemies-turned-friends team of The Queen and Little Miss Bliss.
Men's Most Likely: Bron Breakker
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Bron Breakker came within seconds of dethroning CM Punk on the January 5 episode of Raw and remains the most likely competitor to win the men's Rumble match.
With the World Heavyweight Championship and Punk in his sights, do not be surprised to see the second-generation star raise hell until he gets what he wants: another shot at the world title.
Is it the most interesting or exciting outcome? No, but it is clear WWE is full steam ahead with this Breakker push, and there are few better ways to clear up any doubt about his impact on the WrestleMania 42 card than by having him win in the 30-man battle.
Women's Most Likely: Liv Morgan
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Liv Morgan is one of two women (the other being Natalya) to compete in every women's Rumble match since its inception in 2018.
In two of those, she has finished as the runner-up, watching from the arena floor as someone else celebrated a victory.
That changes this year as Morgan wins her first Rumble and earns the right to challenge for either the WWE or Women's World Championship in Las Vegas on April 18-19.
In the process, her victory will enhance the sense of power she has in The Judgment Day and continue that storyline while setting up a battle with the champion, who is most likely to be Stephanie Vaquer.
Whether Morgan captures the gold remains to be seen, but a one-on-one WrestleMania match, fueled by a Royal Rumble victory, is long overdue for the biggest breakout star of the Triple H era in WWE.
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