The WWE Royal Rumble 2026 officially kicked off the road to WrestleMania 42 on Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Headlined by two traditional 30-person Royal Rumbles, Liv Morgan and Roman Reigns punched their tickets to Las Vegas by winning their respective matches on a Premium Live Event that will be in the very early conversation for the best of 2026.
There were few big surprises in either Royal Rumble, but between breakthrough performances and fan-favorites Morgan and Reigns winning, both matches mostly delivered on the hype that comes with them.
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Aside from the titular contests, Drew McIntyre successfully defended his Undisputed WWE Championship against Sami Zayn, who was an overwhelming crowd favorite after earning his spot by winning last weekend’s Fatal 4-Way on Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Elsewhere on the card, AJ Styles saw his career come to an end after he lost an instant-classic match against Gunther. Styles’ WWE career ends 10 years after he made his surprise debut at 2016 Royal Rumble. On the other side, Gunther continues his momentum as a career-ender of sorts after he retired both Goldberg and John Cena in 2025.
Here are the full results, grades and analysis from the Royal Rumble:
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Best spot: Tiffany Stratton’s elimination of Sol Ruca
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Analysis: This was arguably the best women’s Royal Rumble to date. The action was clean, hard-hitting and fast-paced throughout the hour-plus runtime. The match also did a wonderful job simultaneously showcasing talent and developing/furthering storylines as we head down the road to WrestleMania. We saw what appears to be the beginning of the end of Liv Morgan’s involvement in The Judgment Day, the continued rift between the Kabuki Warriors, potential drama between Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, and true breakout performances from Sol Ruca and Lash Legend.
While the match was a little light on big surprises — save for Brie Bella — many weren’t needed as the depth of the WWE women’s division was on full display. Ultimately, Morgan winning was the right call, as she’s on the short list of the biggest stars in WWE at the moment. She should challenge for the Women’s World Championship at WrestleMania, against Stephanie Vaquer or whoever is champion at the time.
Gunther def. AJ Styles in 24:07
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Best spot: Styles’ 450 Splash into Styles Clash
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Analysis: This was an excellent match between two of the best in all of professional wrestling. There was wonderful action and storytelling as the contrasting styles of these two meshed together perfectly. Gunther had to win here, otherwise there was a risk of undoing all of the momentum that he gained from retiring John Cena last year. Gunther remains arguably the biggest heel threat on either WWE brand, keeping him in the mix for whatever championship he chooses to challenge for. Aside from retiring Styles, Gunther gets added heat as he utilized a low blow during the match to help him gain the upper hand.
For Styles, if this is the end, he finishes his WWE career as a future Hall of Famer and one of the most influential figures in wrestling history. Unlike Cena or others before him, Styles didn’t leave his gear in the middle of the ring, so there may be an added wrinkle somewhere down the line.
Drew McIntyre def. Sami Zayn in 15:58 to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship
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Best spot: McIntyre powerbombs Zayn through a table
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Analysis: Drew McIntyre should be presented as a borderline monster heel champion. He has the look and ability both in the ring and on the mic to be a plug-and-play champion at any time. Having his reign end after just a few weeks would have been a mistake, even if it came at the expense of a potentially great moment of Sami Zayn winning WWE’s top prize in Saudi Arabia.
This match was very good, even if it didn’t quite reach the heights of Gunther-Styles before it. McIntyre’s actions in the men’s Royal Rumble look like he’s going to be in a program with Cody Rhodes and Jacob Fatu for the foreseeable future and Zayn’s path to a potential world championship appears to be reliant on winning the Elimination Chamber now.
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Best spot: Jacob Fatu’s Samoan Drop to Je’Von Evans
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Analysis: The men’s Rumble didn’t quite reach the same level as the women’s, but it was still solid, with Oba Femi and Je’Von Evans somewhat predictably shining as the breakthrough performers.
The match started with a curious moment as WWE recycled the masked man attack angle, this time targeting Bron Breakker and effectively ending his Royal Rumble before it began. Presumably this will set up a Seth Rollins return and a potential WrestleMania program, but it felt off so early on in the Rumble.
The electricity we got when Brock Lesnar and Femi stared one another down should be enough to justify a WrestleMania match. Otherwise, as mentioned earlier, it looks like McIntyre will be locked into a feud with Rhodes and Fatu, leaving the winner Roman Reigns to set up a WrestleMania 42 main event against World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk.
For complete Royal Rumble 2026 coverage, live updates, grades and analysis, follow along with Uncrowned’s live blog below:
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Anthony Sulla-Heffinger
With all 30 men in the ring, there were nine remaining.
Je’Von Evans went after Randy Orton and tried an OG Cutter but was met with an RKO and then eliminated by the Viper. Gunther then eliminated Penta before we got an alliance between Orton and Rhodes targeting the Ring General. As Gunther looked lined up for a Cody Cutter, the American Nightmare hit Orton and we got a slew of eliminations.
Rhodes was eliminated after interference from Drew McIntyre, Roman Reigns eliminated Jey Uso and Jacob Fatu.
The final four were Reigns, Orton, Gunther and Logan Paul. With all four men in the corners Paul and Reigns fought while Orton and Gunther locked up. Roman eliminated Paul and Gunther eliminated Orton, setting up the final two.
Gunther locked in a sleeper on Reigns but the OTC escaped and sent Gunther to the ring apron. After a brief tease, Gunther got back in the ring and locked in a sleeper again. It was rinse and repeat again, but Reigns escaped a third time, hit a spear and sent Gunther to the floor to win his second Royal Rumble.
Roman Reigns wins the men’s Royal Rumble in 58:19
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Anthony Sulla-Heffinger
Gunther, who retired AJ Styles earlier, was last to enter the match. He had a noticeable limp, carrying over the story from his match with Styles.
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Anthony Sulla-Heffinger
Randy Orton, a two-time winner himself, entered at No. 29. It is Orton’s 15th Royal Rumble and he launched right into vintage Orton as the Saudi crowd sang “Voices.”
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Anthony Sulla-Heffinger
Penta lasted longer than anyone else in last year’s Rumble and got a later entry this time around. Action picked up with all eight men in the ring
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Anthony Sulla-Heffinger
Just as it appeared we were going to get Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes, Jacob Fatu’s music hit. Rhodes then attacked Fatu and it was on between the two new rivals.
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Anthony Sulla-Heffinger
We’re at the long entrances portion of the match, as Roman Reigns’ music hit, cutting off Jey Uso’s. Reigns looked to be all-business as he marched to the ring. Reigns teased that he was going to celebrate with Uso, but then attacked his cousin and the rest of the field.
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Anthony Sulla-Heffinger
Brock Lesnar eliminated Oba Femi, who mistakenly turned his back on the Beast. Then, Jey Uso’s music hit and he made his way through the crowd yeeting. Uso is looking for back-to-back Rumble wins.
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Anthony Sulla-Heffinger
Rey Fenix got immediately tossed to the side and F5’d by Brock Lesnar before getting eliminated.
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Anthony Sulla-Heffinger
The Miz ran into the ring and immediately backed out as Femi and Lesnar were still staring each other down. The rest of the field tried to take out the big men but it was ineffective, with Ilja Dragunov getting eliminated in the process.
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Anthony Sulla-Heffinger
The Beast Incarnate came out with Paul Heyman and got some nice pyro. Lesnar launched right into Suplex City as he hit the ring. We then got the much-anticipated showdown between Lesnar and Oba Femi.
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Anthony Sulla-Heffinger
Yeah! Knight made his return and went right after The Vision. He was able to eliminate Austin Theory and Bronson Reed, causing the crowd to erupt.
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Anthony Sulla-Heffinger
The Vision seized control of the numbers game as Paul became the third member of the faction to enter the match. He met his match quickly against Royce Keys. They eliminated Keys, La Parka and Dragon Lee.
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Anthony Sulla-Heffinger
Dragon Lee came in and attacked both Vision members, Ilja Dragunov and Je’Von Evans.
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Anthony Sulla-Heffinger
Another AAA entrant came in the form of La Parka. He quickly won over the crowd with his offense and dancing.
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