Six-time world champion Roman Reigns is heading to the main event of WrestleMania 42 after winning the 2026 WWE Royal Rumble match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The OTC last eliminated Gunther to secure the second Rumble victory of his career.
Former NXT Champion Oba Femi was the number one entrant in the match, with The Vision’s Bron Breakker drawing number two. However, Breakker’s chances of winning were all but over before he even entered the ring.
The 28-year-old was taken out by a mystery attacker as he made his way down to ringside. The hooded man hit Bron with a stomp on the outside of the ring, allowing Femi to eliminate him with ease just seconds after the bell rang.
Mystery Attacker Ambushes Bron Breakker at WWE Royal Rumble
Oba followed up his elimination of Breakker by dominating the early going, dumping the likes of Rusev, Rey Mysterio and Solo Sikoa out of the match.
The first surprise entrant of the match arrived at number nine when Mr Iguana of Mexican promotion AAA entered the fray, but he was swiftly eliminated by newly-signed SmackDown Superstar Trick Williams.
Two-time winner Cody Rhodes made his entrance at number 11, before two incarnations of El Grande Americano entered at 12 and 13 respectively. The second version was referred to as ‘The Original’ El Grande Americano and was almost certainly the returning Chad Gable. The pair were ultimately eliminated while trying to unmask each other.
Former AEW star Powerhouse Hobbs made his WWE debut at number 14, under his new moniker of Royce Keys. Austin Theory and Bron Reed of The Vision were next to enter the match and used the numbers game to their advantage. They were soon joined by their stablemate Logan Paul, who drew number 20.
Paul Heyman’s faction united to eliminate the debutant, Keys, and quickly followed that up with a number of other eliminations. Their dominance would not last, though, as LA Knight made his return to WWE at number 21. The Megastar threw both Reed and Theory out of the match in quick order.
Just as Heyman’s men needed some back up, Brock Lesnar strolled to the ring in the number 22 slot, with his advocate by his side. ‘The Beast Incarnate’ quickly laid waste to any Superstar who crossed his path, before facing off with Oba Femi. The two giants squared off, before a Logan Paul distraction allowed Brock to shove the Nigerian out of the match.
Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi’s Epic Collision at 2026 WWE Royal Rumble
Lesnar wouldn’t last much longer, though, as Cody Rhodes and LA Knight combined to eliminate the two-time winner. Reigns made his entrance shortly afterwards, drawing number 26, with Jacob Fatu arriving at 27. Knight and Cody’s alliance didn’t last long, as he was eliminated by The American Nightmare. No sooner had he hit the floor than Randy Orton entered at number 29.
The WWE return of Chris Jericho had been heavily rumoured for the Royal Rumble, but all chance of that happening in Riyadh was extinguished when Gunther was revealed as the 30th entrant.
After Rhodes was eliminated thanks to the interference of Drew McIntyre, the match was soon down to a final four of Reigns, Gunther, Orton and Logan Paul.
Roman Reigns to Headline WrestleMania 42
First, Reigns dumped Logan out, before Gunther eliminated Paul. This left Reigns and Gunther facing off for the chance to main event WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas in April. After an intense battle, Reigns finally got the better of the Austrian to win the match.
The PLE went off the air without Reigns indicating which world champion he intends to challenge at Allegiant Stadium in the WrestleMania headliner. At present, he will have the choice of facing World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk or WWE Champion McIntyre.
While Roman has history with both men, there is every chance that either of the world championships could change hands before the ‘Show of Shows’, namely at the Elimination Chamber PLE in Chicago in late February.
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