Royal Rumble 2026 Predictions: Why Roman Reigns WILL Win the Men’s Rumble in Riyadh

The Road to WrestleMania officially begins today in Riyadh, and if you’re still undecided on your Royal Rumble 2026 predictions, you’ve come to the right place. With less than four hours until bell time, Dave Simon and Genesis Johnny North delivered their final picks on Wrestling Uncensored—and there’s a clear consensus on who’s winning the men’s Rumble match.

This isn’t your typical preview article that hedges every statement. After watching a chaotic SmackDown from Saudi Arabia (complete with empty seats and production errors), reviewing Saturday Night’s Main Event from Montreal, and analyzing every declared participant, the crew made bold calls across the entire card. Roman Reigns at +150 odds? That’s value. Tiffany Stratton as a surprise women’s Rumble winner? That’s a statement.

Saturday Night’s Main Event: The Montreal Experience

Dave Simon attended both SmackDown and Saturday Night’s Main Event in Montreal last weekend, providing invaluable perspective on how WWE’s go-home shows actually played to live audiences. The verdict? The production quality is spectacular in person, but the booking decisions left something to be desired.

The Cody Rhodes vs. Jacob Fatu brawl that opened Saturday Night’s Main Event got the crowd absolutely unhinged. Jacob Fatu doing a dive through the crowd was tremendous live, and the physicality looked far more impactful than anything you see on a screen. However, Genesis Johnny North—who has trained with several of the security guys involved—was critical of the execution.

The four-way main event for the number one contendership—Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn vs. Trick Williams vs. Damian Priest—delivered a predictable outcome with Sami winning. But Dave’s observation about Damian Priest was brutal: the man got crickets from the Montreal crowd. When you’re supposed to be a babyface and the response is complete silence while everyone else gets massive pops, that’s a problem.

Jacob Fatu left the biggest impression on Dave in terms of sheer physical presence. He described him as “massive” in person—far bigger than he appears on television. That’s the kind of star power WWE should be building around, though his role in the Royal Rumble match remains uncertain.

SmackDown from Saudi Arabia: Empty Seats and Production Chaos

Friday’s SmackDown from Saudi Arabia was concerning on multiple levels. The brand-new stadium—allegedly built in 30 days—had noticeably empty sections that WWE couldn’t hide with their usual camera tricks. Word around the wrestling community is that resellers bought up all the tickets before the stadium was even constructed, then couldn’t move them.

The production issues were equally troubling. Graphics malfunctioned (Cody Rhodes’ nameplate read “Talent Name” during his entrance), commercial break transitions had extended dead air, and the overall pacing felt rushed. If this is what the go-home show looked like, the Royal Rumble 2026 predictions should factor in potential technical difficulties during the actual event.

The 8-man tag team main event pitted The Vision (Bron Breakker, Austin Theory, Bronson Reed, and Logan Paul) against Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Jey Uso, and Sami Zayn. It ended in a disqualification, which is exactly the kind of non-finish that drives fans crazy before a major pay-per-view. Dave summed it up as “a long nothing just waiting for the Rumble.”

Men’s Royal Rumble 2026 Predictions

With 22 of 30 participants announced—including Cody Rhodes, Gunther, Jey Uso, Rey Mysterio, Dragon Lee, Penta, Roman Reigns, Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, Bron Breakker, Logan Paul, Bronson Reed, Austin Theory, Jevon Evans, Oba Femi, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, Damian Priest, Trick Williams, The Miz, Ilja Dragunov, and Matt Cardona—the men’s field is stacked.

Dave and Johnny both landed on the same pick: Roman Reigns. The reasoning is straightforward. Roman has only won one Royal Rumble (2015), putting him in the same category as Seth Rollins (2019) and The Rock (2000)—legends who should have won twice. With multiple former winners already at two (Edge, Randy Orton, John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Triple H, Cody Rhodes), Roman earning his second feels historically correct.

Potential surprises include Chris Jericho (expected), Powerhouse Hobbs, Dan Housman, and Sheamus. Seth Rollins is reportedly still injured and unlikely to participate. One accidental graphic during SmackDown suggested Bron Breakker might be number one, though WWE will probably change that now.

Roman’s recent comments criticizing WWE creative add an interesting wrinkle. Whether it’s a worked shoot or genuine frustration, the message is clear: Roman believes things have stagnated since he stepped back from the main event scene. A Rumble victory would be the first step toward fixing that.

Women’s Royal Rumble 2026 Predictions

The women’s field has 17 of 30 announced: IYO SKY, Rhea Ripley, Roxanne Perez, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Bailey, Lyra Valkyria, Asuka, Maxine Dupree, Becky Lynch, Chelsea Green, Jordan Grace, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Nia Jax, Lash Legend, and Julia Hart. That’s essentially the entire main roster, which creates problems for any non-Rumble women’s matches.

Dave’s pick: Tiffany Stratton returns as a surprise entrant and wins the whole thing, setting up a WrestleMania match against Women’s Champion Jade Cargill. Johnny went with Liv Morgan, who’s the Vegas favorite at +125. The logic there is that Liv needs a WrestleMania moment against a major opponent—possibly Rhea Ripley.

Surprise entrants could include Bianca Belair (returning from injury), Trish Stratus, AJ Lee, or various NXT talents like Jacy Jayne or Roxanne Perez. Naomi is reportedly pregnant, so that’s off the table. The shallow roster depth means virtually everyone healthy will be in this match, leaving little room for creative flexibility.

Drew McIntyre vs. Sami Zayn: WWE Championship Analysis

Sami Zayn earned his title shot by winning the four-way at Saturday Night’s Main Event, but neither Dave nor Johnny believes this is his moment. Drew McIntyre is the brand-new champion, and WWE rarely does hot-potato title changes. The interesting wrinkle is Sami’s undefeated record in Saudi Arabia—a point he made on SmackDown while speaking Arabic to the local audience.

Dave’s argument for why Sami should win is compelling: nobody expects it, which makes it the perfect time. Sami winning the WWE Championship in Saudi Arabia would be massive for the local audience. Roman Reigns chasing Sami for the belt at WrestleMania would be a bigger match than Roman vs. Drew. But the crew doesn’t think WWE will go there.

The official prediction: Drew McIntyre retains. Sami has won and lost too many times at this level for anyone to genuinely believe he’s winning the big one here. As Dave put it: “It’s hard to believe in him at this point.” That’s the brutal truth about Sami’s booking over the past few years—every time he gets close, creative pulls the rug.

AJ Styles vs. Gunther: The End of an Era

This is being billed as AJ Styles’ final WWE match if he loses—and the crew is unanimous that AJ loses. Gunther retires the Phenomenal One from WWE competition, capping off an incredible run that began in 2016. The keyword is “WWE”—AJ specifically said his “last WWE match,” not his last match ever.

The AEW possibilities are tantalizing. Kenny Omega, MJF, Hangman Page, Swerve Strickland, Darby Allin, Samoa Joe, and especially Will Ospreay are all matches AJ could have outside WWE. Johnny pointed out that AJ looked really good in his recent matches with CM Punk and Shinsuke Nakamura, proving he can still go at 48 years old.

The official prediction: Gunther wins, AJ Styles’ WWE career ends. Whether this truly is retirement or a pivot to AEW remains to be seen, but today marks the end of AJ’s phenomenal WWE chapter. The matches in Japan, the G1 runs, and possibly AEW’s partnership with New Japan means the real retirement might be years away.

AEW Update: Kenny Omega’s Title Chase

The show briefly pivoted to AEW, where Kenny Omega appears to be on a collision course with MJF for the world championship. Kenny beat Rocky Romero in a quick, decisive match on Dynamite—exactly the kind of dominant victory that should precede a title program. The promo afterward set up an interesting scenario involving Hangman Page, Swerve Strickland, and Andrade.

Andrade defeated Swerve with a low blow the referee missed, advancing to face Kenny next week. The winner of that match presumably faces Hangman, with the ultimate goal being MJF at Revolution. It’s convoluted—admittedly, Dave and Johnny couldn’t quite track all the booking logic—but Kenny’s path to the title seems clear.

The contrast between WWE’s aging roster and AEW’s younger main event scene came up repeatedly. MJF, Swerve, and Hangman are all under 40. Meanwhile, WWE’s top champions and challengers—CM Punk (47), Drew McIntyre (40), Cody Rhodes (40), Sami Zayn (41)—are all pushing or past 40. It’s a demographic reality that will force WWE into a transition period within the next five years.

Final Royal Rumble 2026 Predictions Summary

With the event starting in just hours, here’s where Wrestling Uncensored stands:

• Men’s Royal Rumble: Roman Reigns (both hosts agree)
• Women’s Royal Rumble: Dave picks Tiffany Stratton, Johnny picks Liv Morgan
• WWE Championship: Drew McIntyre retains over Sami Zayn
• Career Match: Gunther defeats AJ Styles (AJ’s final WWE match)

The Royal Rumble Watch Along starts at 5:00 PM ET on the Ringside Report Network, with live reactions to the men’s Rumble match and a full recap of every match. Immediately after, at 9:00 PM ET, the crew pivots to UFC 325 for the Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2 Watch Along. It’s a massive day for combat sports fans.

This preview will be updated after the event with links to our full Royal Rumble 2026 analysis and post-show breakdown. For now, check back during the Watch Along for live updates, and drop your own predictions in the comments below.