The Royal Rumble 2026 predictions are taking shape, and Dave Simon isn’t buying the conventional wisdom. With Drew McIntyre holding the WWE Championship after his shocking Berlin victory, the road to WrestleMania just got complicated. Meanwhile, Kenny Omega made his triumphant return to AEW Dynamite, immediately setting his sights on MJF. This week on Wrestling Uncensored, Dave and Johnny break down everything from the Saturday Night’s Main Event fatal four-way to why Will Hobbs leaving AEW for WWE makes perfect sense.
The Drew McIntyre Problem: Why His Title Reign Has an Expiration Date
Dave Simon isn’t mincing words about Drew McIntyre’s championship run. While the European tour has given Drew his feel-good moment—winning in Berlin, celebrating in Glasgow, and appearing as champion in London—Dave argues this reign is fundamentally temporary.
As much as I like Drew McIntyre, he’s just not a headline player for WrestleMania,” Dave explained. “I don’t see him walking into Mania as champion. I don’t really want to see it.”
The booking logic is clear to Dave: Drew’s European celebration was the reward. Now it’s time to transition. The real question isn’t whether Drew loses the belt before WrestleMania—it’s who takes it from him and when.
Saturday Night’s Main Event Fatal Four-Way: The Royal Rumble 2026 Predictions Start Here
Next week’s Saturday Night’s Main Event in Montreal features a fatal four-way that will determine Drew McIntyre’s Royal Rumble challenger. The competitors:
- Sami Zayn (won qualifying match vs. Ilja Dragunov)
- Randy Orton (won qualifying match vs. The Miz)
- Damian Priest (won qualifying match vs. Solo Sikoa)
- Trick Williams (won qualifying match vs. Matt Cardona)
Dave’s prediction? Sami Zayn wins the four-way and challenges Drew at the Royal Rumble. But here’s where it gets interesting—Dave wants Sami to actually win the WWE Championship in Saudi Arabia.
“How cool would it be if Sami won in Saudi Arabia? Those people will go nuts,” Dave said. “A stadium full of people going crazy for Sami Zayn. He’s so over in Saudi Arabia. It’s a feel-good moment for Sami. You have him finally win the WWE Championship, then have him lose it to Roman Reigns. No shame in that.”
Royal Rumble 2026 Predictions: Why Roman Reigns Is the Only Real Pick
The current Royal Rumble 2026 betting odds paint a clear picture for the men’s Royal Rumble:
| Wrestler | Odds |
|---|---|
| Roman Reigns | +125 |
| Bron Breakker | +150 |
| Sami Zayn | +300 |
| Gunther | +1000 |
| Cody Rhodes | +1000 |
| Jacob Fatu | +1600 |
| LA Knight | +1600 |
| Omos | +1600 |
Dave and Johnny both lean toward Roman Reigns as the likely winner. The argument is compelling: Roman has won the Royal Rumble only once (2015), while legends like Stone Cold, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Cody Rhodes, and Batista have each won it twice.
“The fact that Roman has only won it once, when so many guys have won it twice, doesn’t make sense,” Dave noted. “He should win.”
Cody’s promo from SmackDown made an impact—he mentioned that only Stone Cold has won the Royal Rumble three times, and Cody is trying to join him. But the math favors Roman. He deserves to be on that two-time winner list, and the Royal Rumble 2026 is the year to do it.
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The WrestleMania Scenario Dave Actually Wants
Dave pitched a complete Royal Rumble 2026 scenario that would shake up the WrestleMania main event picture:
- Sami Zayn beats Drew McIntyre early in the night to win the WWE Championship
- Cody Rhodes wins the Royal Rumble at the end of the show
- Sami comes out as champion to congratulate Cody—they’re friends, they’re on top of the world
- Then Cody beats the hell out of Sami Zayn, lays him out
- The crowd turns on Cody. Full heel turn.
- Roman Reigns, the babyface tribal chief, is set up to save the day at WrestleMania
“You don’t need a heel champion if you have a heel as your Rumble winner,” Dave argued. “Heel Cody, hero babyface Roman Reigns, tribal chief to save the day.”
Johnny pushed back, believing WWE would give Drew a longer run—at least until Elimination Chamber. The disagreement highlights how unpredictable this Royal Rumble build has been.
The Royal Rumble 2026 Stadium Isn’t Even Built Yet
Perhaps the most absurd detail about the Royal Rumble? The stadium in Saudi Arabia isn’t finished yet. With just two weeks until the event, construction crews are still building the venue.
“Shows in two weeks. Stadium’s not built,” Dave observed, questioning how Saudi Arabia manages to complete such massive projects on impossible timelines.
Kenny Omega’s MJF Warning: AEW’s Real Main Event Is Coming
The biggest AEW news of the week was Kenny Omega‘s return to Dynamite, immediately confronting MJF after the world champion’s victory over Bandido. Omega made his intentions clear—he wants MJF and the world title.
Johnny believes Swerve Strickland will get the first title shot at Revolution, with Kenny potentially waiting until Double or Nothing. But Omega isn’t wasting time—he’s scheduled to face Josh Alexander next week as he works his way back up the rankings.
“Kenny’s trying to work his way up,” Dave explained. “Starting from the bottom.”
The Elite star’s return adds a legitimate main event challenger to AEW’s roster at a crucial time. Kenny versus MJF is the dream match AEW fans have been waiting for.
Will Hobbs to WWE: The AEW Pipeline Continues
Will Hobbs appears to be WWE-bound after his AEW contract expired. Reports suggest he could have debuted on SmackDown immediately, but may wait for the Royal Rumble for maximum impact.
Dave sees this as part of an emerging career path for wrestlers: indie scene → AEW → WWE.
“I think AEW is kind of like the stepping stone to WWE for a lot of wrestlers, and some of them are starting to figure that out,” Dave said. “And that’s not a bad thing. It legitimizes AEW in many ways. If all of WWE’s top talents are former AEW wrestlers, what does that tell you about AEW?”
Hobbs joins Penta, Rey Fenix, Ricky Starks, and Jade Cargill as AEW talents who have made or are making the jump to WWE.
Logan Paul Is Actually Making the Towns
In a surprising development, Logan Paul has been a constant presence on WWE’s European tour—not just for TV appearances, but for house shows as well.
“He’s legitimately one of the biggest stars in the world, and he’s just like a goon as part of this group,” Dave observed about Logan’s role with The Vision. “I want to hate him, but you gotta give the guy respect. He’s in Dusseldorf, Germany, making the towns, ringside, no promo time, no match, just there.
After years of part-time appearances, Logan appears committed to his full-time WWE deal, learning the business the old-school way.
SmackDown Lowlights: The Wyatt Sicks Lantern Saga Continues
Not everything on SmackDown worked. Dave’s least favorite segment involved the ongoing feud between the Wyatt Sicks and Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline, specifically the obsession with Uncle Howdy’s lantern.
“This lantern thing, it’s like they’re treating it like it’s the Undertaker’s urn or something,” Dave said. “It is not good. None of that stuff is good.”
The segment ended with Tama Tonga kicking Uncle Howdy in the face and stealing the lantern back—again—leaving the story exactly where it was before.
Saturday Night’s Main Event Montreal Card
The Montreal double-header is set:
Saturday Night’s Main Event:
- Fatal Four-Way (Sami Zayn vs. Randy Orton vs. Damian Priest vs. Trick Williams) – Winner faces Drew McIntyre at Royal Rumble
- Cody Rhodes vs. Jacob Fatu
- Rio (Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky) vs. Liv Morgan & Roxanne Perez (Women’s Tag Team Championship)
SmackDown (Friday):
- Damian Priest vs. Trick Williams
- Nathan Frazer vs. Johnny Gargano
- Women’s Tag Triple Threat (Alexa Bliss & Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax & Lash Legend vs. Bianca Belair & Naomi)
Dave will be attending both shows with his son and brother—no episode next week as a result.
Johnny’s Film Corner: 28 Years Later – Bone Temple
Johnny reviewed “28 Years Later: Bone Temple,” starring Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Ian. The film follows survivors navigating a zombie apocalypse complicated by Satan-worshipping cultists. Johnny praised Fiennes’ performance and recommended it to fans of the zombie genre.
Reality Check: The Royal Rumble 2026 Predictions Nobody Wants to Hear
The Reality: WWE has built themselves into a corner. Drew McIntyre isn’t a WrestleMania main eventer, Cody Rhodes is starting to get the AEW-era boos again, and the only clear path to a satisfying Mania main event runs through Roman Reigns winning his second Royal Rumble. The problem? That means either hot-shotting the title around or giving us Drew vs. Roman for the belt—a match that nobody is asking for. Sometimes the safest pick (Roman wins the Rumble) is the only pick that makes sense.
