Watching the 2026 WWE Royal Rumble was a unique experience in more ways than one, as will become apparent in this review.
The first Rumble to take place outside of North America, and giving fans a preview of what to expect when WrestleMania comes to the Kingdom later in the year, January 31 saw fans experience a Rumble that was very different to the traditional format that has been seen for the best part of 4 decades.
First, the time. Starting at 7 pm in the UK and at 11 am on the United States West Coast, those in Europe were able to catch the show live at a sensible time instead of staying up late, while those in America were able to watch the Rumble at lunchtime or early afternoon, Being able to catch the show live instead of waking up the next day and desperately trying to avoid spoilers was a positive, but this could have been a bonus if the show was held anywhere in Europe, Asia or Australia. Secondly, the venue and its choice of technology quickly became a point of debate online. With the stands filled with LED lights, the stadium looked empty at points, leading fans to question how worthwhile it was to have the show take place in Saudi. However, footage from those in the venue did point out that the venue was full, it just wasn’t projected well on TV.
Kicking off the show was the Women’s Royal Rumble match. Per the rules of Saudi Arabia, all 30 contestants wore bodysuits, with many paying homage to pop culture. Notable highlights saw Candice LeRae dressed in Van Halen-inspired gear, and Roxane Perez cosplayed as Shego from animated kids TV show Kim Possible.
Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss started the Rumble, with some will they coexist being noted on commentary. Following a couple of spots where they teased eliminating the other, both women got on the same page and remained allies for pretty much the rest of their time together. However, it was Flair who accidentally eliminated her tag partner later on, as was the case with Asuka and Kairi Sane.
Using NXT for nearly all of the surprise spots, Sol Ruca, Lola Vice, Jacy Jayne and Kelani Jordan all factored into the match, with Ruca making it ot the final 3 and looking set for an imminent main roster call-up. The breakout star of the match was Lash Legend, who had the most eliminations and continually put on an impressive performance. Top star Becky Lynch felt almost like a non factor into the match, and the biggest pop came when Brie Bella made her return alongside twin sister Nikki.
Eventual winner Liv Morgan intentionally eliminated her partner Raquel Rodriguez, potentially setting up a Mania match between the 2 if Rodriguez wins the title. Morgan winning was the right choice and the tag teamtension will be fun to visit, but it didn’t feel like a lot was set up down the road when all was said and done.
The biggest news of the night came next as AJ Styles faced Guther with his career on the line. Unsurprisingly, when 2 wrestlers the calibre of AJ Styles and Gunther have a match, the end result is very good! Styles targeted Gunther’s leg to set up for the Calf Crusher, while Gunther used his power to wear Styles down. Despite the fact that Styles got a few hope spots in, it was Gunther who locked inthe sleeper to force Styles to tap out, ending The Phenomenal One’s WWE career 10 years on from his debut. With the crowd stunned, Styles took off his gloves but then put them back on to psoe one more time. Fans have followed Styles for more than 20 years and wanted something bigger for his farewell tour, but it was sadly time to say goodbye to one of the best wrestlers of the 21st century.
For anyone hoping that the WWE Championship match would make up for the Styles loss with a feel-good moment, they were sadly mistaken. Drew McIntyre demolished Sami Zayn in the penultimate match of the show, barely giving Zayn any offence in the match. Zayn had a couple of hope spots to get the crowd behind him, but it was 2 Claymores from McIntyre that sealed the deal in his first title defence. McIntyre is making a strong case to make it to Mania as champion, and this wasn’t the last fans saw of the champion.
Headlining the show was the Men’s Royal Rumble, which saw former NXT star Oba Femi strut his way to the ring as the number 1 entrant. After it was revealed ahead of time that Bron Breakker would be number 2, the badass of The Vision was met with a shock as he was attacked by a masked man, thrown in the ring, and dumped out by Femi just a few seconds later. Fans had pinned Breakker to have a major 2026, but with a loss to Punk at the start of the month and this disappointing Rumble showing, WWE need to change course quickly to avoid dropping the ball.
With favourite Breakker out of the match early, Femi continued to dominate and went on to have 5 eliminations. AAA star Mr. Iguana had a comedy spot, but this didn’t have the same appeal as it would have if the likes of R-Truth was given this entry instead, especially if he tried to cash in a Money in the Bank briefcase [yes, it doesn’t make sense, but R-Truth was once tagged into a Rumble]. 2 El Grande Americanos made their way into the match and did the Spider-Man point, with Chad Gable Americano eliminating Ludwig Kaiser Americano. Je’Von Evans was the Iron Man and was very impressive with his athleticism.
Royce Keys [Powerhouse Hobbs] made his WWE debut in the match and had a good showing, but it’s too early to see where he factors into plans moving forward. Brock Lesnar entered at number 22 and had the most underwhelming performance of his Rumble career. Aside from a basic elimination of Femi, Lesnar did nothing and was dumped out by LA Knight and Cody Rhodes as Jey Uso made his entrance. Also, can we please retire the run it back thing that Uso does, it’s a joke that has run its course. Rhodes was eliminated by McIntyre when the WWE Champion interfered in the match.
Winner Roman Reigns entered the match at number 26, also picking up 5 eliminations. Gunther entered the match at 30 following his victory over Styles earlier in the night and made it to the final 2. Although Reigns received a much better ovation than he did in 2015, and was a popular choice in Saudi, do we really need another Roman Reigns WrestleMania main event? Additionally, Reigns has not been seen for weeks and now has to factor into storylines. There was also the matter of the lack of a massive Rumble surprise. Yes Chris Jericho was a near possibility to show up, but a legend or NXT cameo would have added something to the match.
WWE Royal Rumble 2026 Review: Final Thoughts
Overall, the 2026 Royal Rumble wasn’t good or bad, it was just there. The non-Rumble matches were entertaining, especially as the AJ Styles match could have gone either way, and the likes of Lash Legend, Sol Ruca, Je’Von Evans and Oba Femi all had great showings. However, with the likes of Brock Lesnar and Becky Lynch being quietly eliminated, a lack of newsworthy moments and 2 average Rumbles, this wasn’t the kickstart to WrestleMania may had hoped it to be.
Featured image: WWE
