WWE Men’s Royal Rumble 2026: A Roman coronation or arise, American Nightmare?

| Saturday 31st January 2026, 6:00am

Saturday 31st January 2026, 6:00am

It’s that time of year again. No, not Valentine’s Day you soppy trout. It isn’t love in the air, it is Rey Mysterio and the lads. Yes it’s WWE Royal Rumble time, with the annual 30-man festival of chaos taking place this Saturday, January 31. The event will emanate from King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The whole kit-and-caboodle will be live on Netflix.

Join me on the road to WrestleMania as we assess the runners and riders and offer some WWE Men’s Royal Rumble Predictions.

WWE Men's Royal Rumble Odds

Roman Reigns @ 4/5
Gunther @ 9/1
Sami Zayn @ 8/1
Cody Rhodes @ 12/1

I usually do the boxing beat on these fine pages so it is most refreshing to cover this instead of a sport co-opted by the whims of Saudi Arabia and… oh it’s in Riyadh. As inevitable as a Tyson Fury retirement, then.

If you are a bit behind on your wrestling, let me bring you up to speed. Triple H isn’t winning this because he’s the boss now. John Cena isn’t winning this because he recently retired. The Rock is probably too busy filming another movie.

While you come to terms with it all crashing down and hurting inside, let me run you through some of the notables in this year’s 30-man, ‘Mania-facing match-up.

Roman Reigns (4/5) is the current favourite and with good reason. The winner of the 2015 match has been on the sidelines since Survivor Series in November, when he was injured in the storyline to allow him time off to film a new Street Fighter film. I wonder what made the producers of a film about people in colourful outfits pretending to hit each other seek out a WWE Superstar…

‘The OTC’ is almost certain to return in Riyadh, with the six-time world champion set to play a huge part in WrestleMania. Roman is the favourite here because most expect him to play the biggest part at the April event. Namely; to headline against the world champion. A position you secure by winning the Royal Rumble.

Reigns is in pole position to headline his record 11th WrestleMania, a company record he already holds having eclipsed Hulk Hogan’s eight top-line bouts at the event.

If you don’t fancy the former Shield enforcer, perhaps have a gander at Bron Breakker (2/1). The son of ‘The Dog-Faced Gremlin’ Rick Steiner and nephew of ‘Big Poppa Pump’ Scott Steiner has been thoroughly short-changed in the bizarre nickname stakes. But this incredible athlete has all the hallmarks of being a top star for a decade to come.

Positioned as a breakout main eventer, if you’ll pardon the pun, Breakker had a high-profile bout with World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk on the first Raw of 2026. Could the jewel in The Vision’s crown tee up a rematch on Saturday?

Sentimental favourite Sami Zayn (8/1) always has a bit of Rumble buzz, with the clamour peaking a couple of years back when fans wanted the former El Generico to get a crack at then-Universal Champion Reigns.

The main event prospects of the former ‘Honorary Uce’ cooled off a little when his involvement with the Bloodline ended. For the uninitiated, the Bloodline started as a faction of blokes related to Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. His pebbles, if you will.

But Zayn is back at the top of the card. The 41-year-old is a Muslim and there is an expectation he will be given a big moment in front of an almost-entirely Islamic crowd. However, Zayn is facing WWE Champion Drew McIntyre earlier in the evening. Perhaps his crowning glory will be lifting that belt. But Zayn would not be the first losing title challenger to enter the Rumble on the same evening after a title defeat.

The trio above are very much leading the way, but there are other top WWE stars expected to enter the 30-man match who could well be in with a shout.

Men's Royal Rumble 2026 - Winner

Roman Reigns

4/5

Bet Here

Odds correct at time of publishing.

Gunther (9/1) is plying his trade as a ‘career-killer’ at the moment, having retired ring legends Goldberg and John Cena. ‘The Ring General’ is looking to add AJ Styles’ name to the list in a ‘Career Threatening Match’ earlier in the evening. Win, lose or draw; it seems likely the former World Heavyweight Champion will try to get back in the belt hunt post-Styles.

Jacob Fatu (12/1) and Cody Rhodes (12/1) have been feuding alongside their shared issues with the man who beat the latter for the WWE title; Drew McIntyre. I put these two as sleeper possibilities to take home the big prize.

It would benefit Fatu more at this stage of his career, with Rhodes already sitting atop the company as its main star. But you can never count ‘The American Nightmare’ out and a Rumble win would put him in a 'Mania main event slot he has made his own over the past three years.

I’d probably get sacked if I didn’t mention Logan Paul (33/1). Even away from Jake and the boxing beat I can’t escape these bellends, can I? The social media irritant is actually a shockingly-alright wrestler. But he isn’t winning this one. Sorry, YouTube nerds.

Randy Orton (33/1) and Rey Mysterio (50/1) are superstars even the wrestling-agnostics amongst you will know. The former Rumble winners remain solid upper-card fare but neither is at a point where they are likely to win another of these matches. AJ Styles (50/1) might not even have a career by the time the main event takes place after he faces Gunther. Austin Theory (80/1) wouldn’t even make a good theoretical winner of the biggest battle royal in wrestling.

Reigns is my pick. ‘The OTC’ needs a path to the top of the WrestleMania card and I reckon he punches his ticket in Riyadh. Sometimes the most obvious solution is the right one. Reigns fits the bill.

My outside shout is Rhodes. As synonymous with the headline scene as Reigns at this point, I reckon it is only a matter of time before he is back in the title picture. ‘The American Nightmare’ has won two Rumbles already. A third would see Rhodes tie Stone Cold Steve Austin’s record. WWE do like a statistic, so putting their current biggest name on a pedestal next to perhaps the biggest name they have ever had will surely appeal to Triple H and the lads.