The Road to WrestleMania 42 begins at the Royal Rumble. Thirty men and women compete in their respective Royal Rumble matches, with the winners earning guaranteed world title matches at the biggest show of the year. It all goes down on Saturday, Jan. 31, from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Royal Rumble is a flagship WWE event. Each year, superstars try to outlast each other for the right to challenge the world champion of their choice at WrestleMania. Keep your eyes peeled for main event stars, breakout performances and surprise returns or debuts; there are always a few of those. Cody Rhodes and Rey Mysterio are among the stars confirmed for the men’s Rumble. The women’s Rumble includes multiple former champions like Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Liv Morgan, Bayley and Asuka.
Two other matches are booked for the cornerstone event. Undisputed WWE champion McIntyre makes his first title defense against the winner of an upcoming tournament. Four superstars, including Randy Orton, qualified for a fatal four-way No. 1 contenders match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Also on the card, Gunther attempts to retire AJ Styles.
Take a look below at the confirmed matches for the Royal Rumble and take a glance at the crystal ball of what may come. The event streams live on ESPN Unlimited with the main card starting at 2 p.m. ET.
2026 WWE Royal Rumble matches
Men’s Royal Rumble match — Cody Rhodes, Gunther, Jey Uso, Rey Mysterio, Dragon Lee, Penta, and 24 more TBA superstars: Three men’s world champions have confirmed their entries into this year’s match: Rhodes, Mysterio, and Gunther. Rhodes and Mysterio are former Rumble winners; meanwhile, Gunther holds the record for longest Rumble entry, breaking Mysterio’s previous record. Rhodes plans to join “Stone Cold” Steve Austin as the only three-time Rumble winners.
Undisputed WWE Championship — Drew McIntyre (c) vs. TBA: McIntyre will learn the identity of his first title challenger at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Orton, Trick Williams, Damian Priest and Sami Zayn meet in a No. 1 contenders match after winning their qualifying matches. Whoever stands tall after their fatal four-way will make a one-week turnaround against McIntyre.
Women’s Royal Rumble match — Iyo Sky, Rhea Ripley, Roxanne Perez, Liv Morgan, Raquel Rodriguez, Bayley, Lyra Valkyria, Asuka, and 22 more TBA superstars: The women’s Rumble is stacked. Five former women’s world champions are among the eight superstars currently announced for the match. Expect more stars to throw their names into the hat before the Rumble begins.
AJ Styles vs. Gunther: Gunther is turning into a new age Legend Killer. Last year, “The Ring General” retired both John Cena and Goldberg. He wants to do the same to Styles. “The Phenomenal” one previously announced he’d retire in 2026, but Gunther hopes to expedite the process. Gunther stole a victory from Styles on Monday Night Raw, and only granted him a rematch under the condition that Styles retires if he loses at the Rumble.
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