Ruthless Xpression’s Royal Rumble 2026 Preview
- Jason Jimenez Garrido
- Jan 31
- 6 min read
As we begin our yearly road to WrestleMania, our first stop comes with the 2026 Royal Rumble premium live event (PLE.) On Saturday, Jan. 31, the 39th annual Royal Rumble will take place live from Saudi Arabia.
To preview the event, Ruthless Xpression’s Jason Jimenez-Garrido and Dan Carlin have gone through the card and made their predictions.
30-Woman Royal Rumble Match -
As of this writing, 17 out of the 30 participants for the match have been announced. The list of talent set to compete in the match currently includes:
Alexa Bliss
Asuka
Bayley
Becky Lynch
Charlotte Flair
Chelsea Green
Giulia
IYO SKY
Jordynne Grace
Lash Legend
Liv Morgan
Lyra Valkyria
Maxxine Dupri
Nia Jax
Raquel Rodriguez
Rhea Ripley
Roxanne Perez
Dan's Picks:
Personal Favorite: Roxanne Perez
Roxanne is ready for a big title run on the main roster. However knowing how the bald fraud Triple H operates, that’s not going to happen.
Most Likely to Win: Liv Morgan
As for who I think wins the match, it is likely Liv Morgan. Liv Morgan has been looking out of place in the Judgement Day ever since she returned from injury. I think there is a perfect scenario where Liv defeats Raquel Rodriguez for the title.
Jason's Picks:
Personal Favorite: Jordynne Grace
I believe that Jordynne Grace winning the women’s Royal Rumble match and choosing to go after Jade Cargill’s WWE Women’s Championship would be a perfect way to extend the rivalry between both amazons into a WrestleMania blowoff match.
At the moment, Cargill does not seem to take Grace seriously, writing her off as a rookie. What better way to establish Grace as a credible threat than by outlasting 29 other women?
Rather than giving the win to an already established star like Charlotte Flair, Becky Lunch, Liv Morgan, or Rhea Ripley, I think WWE should use this year’s Rumble to push a new star like Grace to the top.
Most Likely to Win: Bianca Belair
Through most of 2024, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill dominated as a tag team. They became Women’s Tag Team Champions together and established a trio with Naomi.
However, with Naomi’s betrayal, a rift was created between Belair and Cargill, and it seemed that it was only a matter of time before we saw a feud between them.
Unfortunately, any plans for a possible feud were halted when Belair suffered an injury at WrestleMania 41 that has kept her out of action ever since.
Back in December, rumors stated that Bianca could possibly be cleared in early 2026. With that in mind, It wouldn’t be far-fetched to believe there’s a chance that we may see Bianca Belair make her return and win the Rumble for a second time.
With Belair winning, creative can perhaps pick up right where they left off in their plans for a feud between the former partners, especially now that Cargill is a heel and is holding a world title.
Sami Zayn vs. Drew McIntyre (c) - Undisputed WWE Championship match -
Dan's Pick: Drew McIntyre
I’ve been waiting for Drew McIntyre to have an extensive title run in WWE, and hopefully it continues tomorrow afternoon against Sami Zayn. I think Drew wins this match in his first defense as Undisputed Champion.
Jason's Pick: Sami Zayn
Though McIntyre has just recently won the Undisputed Championship, I think that Zayn will surprise us by finally winning a world title on the main roster.
Heading into the match, Zayn has got all the momentum behind him. After defeating Ilja Dragunov in a hard-fought victory, Zayn made it into the #1 Contenders Fatal 4-Way for a Undisputed Championship opportunity. He then went on to defeat all three opponents; Damian Priest, Trick Williams, and Randy Orton, in his hometown of Montreal, Quebec, Canada at this past Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Despite his track record against McIntyre, which currently sits at 0-11, I feel that momentum is on his side this time around. Thus, I predict Zayn will finally get his moment.
AJ Styles vs. Gunther - If Styles loses, he must retire -
Dan's Pick: Gunther
This match in my opinion can go either way. I think AJ Styles, who’s a legend in this business, can’t be done with another loss to Gunther. However, I do think this win for Gunther will look good on his resume, retiring two legends. I think what happens is AJ Styles retires from WWE, but finishes the rest of his career in TNA.
Jason's Pick: AJ Styles
Just like Dan, I believe this match could go either way. After having collected the careers of legends such as Goldberg and John Cena, Gunther has already cemented himself as the “career killer.” Though I believe adding Styles name among the list of legends Gunther has retired would add yet another layer to the character, I find it hard to believe the idea of Styles’ final year coming to a close this early.
Much to their credit, WWE have done a great job at selling this past week as the possible “last week of Styles’ career.” At many times, I have begun to contemplate whether or not this may be the case. However, I believe this may simply be yet another effort by Triple H and his creative team to swerve the audience only to go the opposite direction. I predict that Styles’ will win and officially kick-off his Farewell Tour.
30-Man Royal Rumble Match -
As of this writing, 22 out of the 30 participants for the match have been announced. The list of talent set to compete in the match currently includes:
Austin Theory
Brock Lesnar
Bron Breakker
Bronson Reed
Cody Rhodes
Damian Priest
Dragon Lee
Gunther
Ilja Dragunov
Jacob Fatu
Jey Uso
Je'Von Evans
Logan Paul
Matt Cardona
The Miz
Oba Femi
Penta
Randy Orton
Rey Mysterio
Roman Reigns
Solo SIkoa
Trick Williams
This leaves only eight more spots left for surprises, one of which is likely already reserved for WWE's newest signing Fahd Tuwaiq, a Saudi Arabian wrestler. There is also speculation that we may see the potential WWE debut of former All Elite Wrestling talent 'Powerhouse' Will Hobbs, who recently became a free-agent.
There is also potential for a few returns, as rumors have circulated for months that with his AEW contract expiring at the start of 2026, Chris Jericho may be close to making his return to the company. One can assume that WWE and TNA's partnership could also allow for former WWE talent such as Nic Nemeth (Formerly Dolph Ziggler) or The Hardys to make appearances.
Heading into the match, it seems that Bron Breakker may be the odds-on favorite to win based on the momentum he has picked up over the last few weeks. However, if there's anything we have learned from watching WWE's Netflix series Unreal, it is that the "creative" team hates being predictable. Therefore, despite the constant teases that Breakker is the favorite to win the match, we believe WWE will likely go a different route.
Dan's Picks:
Personal Favorite: Finn Balor
My pick for who I want to win the men’s royal rumble is Finn Balor. Finn is a fantastic wrestler who should be going after world heavyweight championship or the undisputed championship. Finn is due for a run with a title around his waist, but his talent is being wasted in the Judgement Day. CM Punk has even said in promos how good of a wrestler Finn truly is in the ring.
Most Likely to Win: Roman Reigns
Unfortunately, I believe Finn won’t win the match due to Triple H's lack of vision for talent.
Instead, what we'll have is a part timer in Roman Reigns winning the match because of the Rock's seat on the executive board. Realistically, It’s either him or Bron Breakker, who I wouldn’t be opposed to winning as he is fantastic on the mic and in the ring.
Jason's Picks:
Personal Favorite: Finn balor
There is no doubt that Finn Balor has had somewhat of a career resurgence in recent weeks, stemming from his show-stealing performance against CM Punk in Balor's home turf of Belfast, Ireland. For the first time in years, Balor looked like a credible contender to a world title, even in a losing effort.
Coming out of that match, it seemed like we were headed towards the long awaited Judgement Day breakup and Balor babyface turn.
However, as we saw at the end of this past Monday Night RAW, that no longer looks to be the case, as Balor reverted back to his evil ways, causing Punk’s match against Styles to end in a DQ. This came after Balor was informed by RAW General Manager Adam Pearce that all spots for the Royal Rumble were filled, therefore excluding him from the match.
Though there is still a chance that Balor may attack someone backstage and steal their Rumble spot, I feel that he will not find success until he is free from the Judgement Day. Therefore the chances of Balor winning the Rumble match are slim to none.
Most Likely to Win: Roman reigns
I can see Roman Reigns (returning for the 100th time) winning the match and once again inserting himself into the world title picture.
Though Reigns and Punk may have "settled their issues" after teaming up at this past year's Survivor Series: War Games, I still believe that there is a chance that we may see a triple threat between both men and former WWE Undisputed Champion, Cody Rhodes. This is a match that has been teased several times over the past year, and I still believe it is the route that will be taken leading into WrestleMania 42.
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