WWE’s builds to the Royal Rumble aren’t what they used to be because, at this point, the matches sell themselves.
What it leaves is plenty of uncertainty about who will be pointing at the WrestleMania sign when things are said and done in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday (2 p.m. ET, ESPN Unlimited).
You can usually count on a few surprises, a few returns and a roller coaster of emotions to close out each Rumble match. The same drama should apply to Gunther vs. A.J. Styles, with the latter staring at retirement should he lose.
With plenty at stake, The Post’s Joseph Staszewski does his best to predict how it will all unfold as we head to WrestleMania 43 in Las Vegas for the second straight year.
WWE Royal Rumble 2026 full match card
Gunther over A.J. Styles (Styles’ career is on the line)
(Odds: Gunther 3/10, A.J. Styles 11/15, BetMGM International)
All signs point to this being at least the final match of Styles’ “WWE career” — two words he used very clearly during his promo on Raw this week. All the reports indicate that the Phenomenal One’s contract with WWE expires in February, and he has stated that 2026 will be his last year.
There is always the chance WWE is setting us up for Styles to somehow win or not technically lose, as they have teased matches for him with TNA World champion Mike Santana and Je’Von Evans in NXT. Styles can still do those as a “free agent” outside WWE before 2026 ends. Or, this really could be the end for one of the best ever to do it.
The only thing that gives me hesitation is Shinsuke Nakamura posting and then deleting from Instagram a thank you message that said Styles told him the Royal Rumble would be it for him. That feels like something WWE would do to make themselves look smart during the next season of “Unreal” on Netflix and throw people off the scent.
It is, however, way too early to have Gunther take any kind of loss after ending John Cena’s career, even if you have him come back and win the Rumble later in the show. Gunther did win the first match by faking out Styles with a tap-out that the ref did not see before hitting a low blow. Does he have another trick in him? Does he get caught hitting the low blow this time to result in a DQ?
There just isn’t enough to make me think Styles doesn’t bow out of WWE 10 years after debuting at the Royal Rumble, and the “career-killer” Gunther adds him to the list with Cena and Goldberg. It is just hard to be certain this is the actual end for Styles, whose performance level hasn’t dipped. He could become free to pop up in TNA or even AEW if he really wanted to before 2026 ends.
Drew McIntyre over Sami Zayn to retain the Undisputed WWE championship
Odds: Drew McIntyre 1/5, Sami Zayn 3/1
While Sami Zayn is the right No. 1 contender for this match, it just feels counterproductive to flip the championship again a month after many fans rejoiced in McIntyre finally getting his due. As I wrote in my column earlier this week, this feels like WWE’s chance to play the long game with Zayn, who in many fans’ eyes isn’t a main event performer — let alone WWE championship material.
Losing to McIntyre here gives WWE a year to see if they can get Zayn to that point in his quest for the first world championship of his career. If things break right, Zayn can complete the journey at WrestleMania in Saudi Arabia in 2027 as he is big over there being a Syrian Muslim. McIntyre will likely find a way to cheat Zayn out of the championship — but it could be one heck of a ride to get there. Then the champion gets to the unfinished business he has with former champion Cody Rhodes and Jacob Fatu, who he put out of action in storyline.
Bianca Belair wins the Women’s Royal Rumble
Betting favorites: Bianca Belair 7/10, Liv Morgan 11/10, Tiffany Stratton 4/1, AJ Lee 7/1, Rhea Ripley 7/1, Becky Lynch 11/1, Roxanne Perez 11/1, Lyra Valkyria 14/1.
Every year, it feels like the women’s field gets the fewest stories and has the fewest legitimate potential winners. With how little effort WWE has put into building stories around the women, it makes you think it will be won by someone making a return for the second straight year.
Listen, there are a few legitimate candidates on the active roster in Liv Morgan, Jordynne Grace, Rhea Ripley, Roxanne Perez and Raquel Rodriguez. But several of WWE’s top women are connected to tag teams at the moment. Think Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Bayley and Asuka.
So that leaves the winner being a potential returnee like last year with Flair. It is too early for Naomi to return, so the most likely candidate is Bianca Belair, who last won the Royal Rumble in 2021. Belair has not wrestled since she broke her knuckle and joint in multiple places during her triple threat match at WrestleMania.
Triple H and Co. had been treading water with WWE champion Jade Cargill for a month until recently, as she began a story with Grace. Belair vs. Cargill has been a dream match for years and the two are on less-than-friendly terms after Belair was stuck between the now champ and her then-attacker Naomi, before her injury absence. If Belair is healthy, this scenario makes too much sense.
There is another wild-card scenario out there as Saraya (Paige) recently posted a video of her training again, which could be a sign she is preparing for a return to WWE. WWE Women’s World champion Stephanie Vaquer will likely finish up her program with Rodriguez on Raw next week, so a match between her and Saraya at WrestleMania could make some sense. Though I could see that going to Morgan, who could win an Elimination Chamber that features her, Perez and Rodriguez to spark internal issues within The Judgment Day.
Roman Reigns wins the Men’s Royal Rumble
Betting favorites: Roman Reigns 4/5, Sami Zayn 6/4, Bron Breakker 2/1, L.A.Knight 4/1, Gunther 6/1, Cody Rhodes 9/1, Oba Femi 9/1.
Cody Rhodes losing the WWE championship to McIntyre makes things all the more fascinating, as it opens up many more viable possibilities outside of the “American Nightmare” winning a third Rumble in four years for a WrestleMania main event.
Reigns winning the Rumble would quickly take care of his WrestleMania plans since he hasn’t been around enough to have an active feud with anyone outside of Rhodes, McIntyre and Punk to a degree. Reigns beat McIntyre at Clash at the Castle in 2022 with help from Solo Sikoa, something the Scottish Warrior is still looking to avenge.
The four stars getting the most creative attention heading into the match are Zayn, Finn Balor, Bron Breakker and Randy Orton. Zayn has been talking about becoming a world champion for the first time for a year-plus and would be a popular winner in Saudi Arabia, should he not best McIntyre for the belt earlier in the night.
Orton has made it very clear he is hellbent on winning world title No. 15. A championship win could set up a fun scenario with Rhodes down the road, either to win the championship back or deny Orton No. 16 or 17 at some point. A heel champion in McIntyre would be the perfect foil for the Viper.
On the Raw side, it could be all about The Vision. WWE could give Breakker a win if they are actually ready to put the belt on him at WrestleMania. Logan Paul, who wants the faction to help Breakkerr win, is long overdue to be a world champion and could tell a fun story with Punk if he double-crosses his teammate.
Balor, who lost to Punk on Jan. 19, attacked the champion to close Raw on Monday, but will have to find a way into the Rumble after Raw GM Adam Pearce told him it’s full. Balor is long overdue for a title push. Then, there is always the possibility of a Seth Rollins return to reclaim the championship he never lost.
Having Reigns win the Royal Rumble is the easiest way to get him to a big WrestleMania match after being out of the world championship picture for almost two years now. It’s easier to see Breakker having to go the Elimination Chamber route to face Punk and potentially Seth Rollins after that or in a three-way, than Reigns being a part of that match. Making a new star will have to wait as the Saudis will likely want to end the night with an established one going over.
As far as surprises go, there have been rumors of Chris Jericho returning to WWE for months and the former AEW star Powerhouse Hobbs reportedly has signed with the company. A Chad Gable return, possibly as El Grande Americano, would be fun. You would expect at least one member of the TNA roster to enter, most likely world champion Mike Santana or X-Division champion Leon Slater.