Two superstars will change their fortunes on the WWE Royal Rumble. On Saturday, one man and one girl will safe world title matches at WrestleMania 42.
Yearly, the Royal Rumble jump-starts the Street to WrestleMania. Superstars throw one another excessive rope with hopes of profitable the Rumble. This 12 months, Cody Rhodes seeks to turn out to be solely the second celebrity to win three Rumbles, a feat achieved solely by “Stone Chilly” Steve Austin. That is a tall process with a stacked discipline that includes Roman Reigns, Jacob Fatu and Bron Breakker.
9 former world champions are set for the ladies’s Rumble, together with Becky Lynch and Liv Morgan. Rounding out the cardboard is Drew McIntyre’s first undisputed WWE title protection in opposition to Sami Zayn, plus the potential finale of “The Phenomenal” AJ Kinds. It is a high-stakes retirement match pitting Kinds’ profession in opposition to Gunther’s Rumble spot.
WWE burning questions for the Street to WrestleMania 42: Who wins the Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber and extra
Shakiel Mahjouri
With so many massive matches set for the occasion, let’s check out what the CBS Sports activities professional wrestling specialists suppose will occur when the motion goes down in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
2026 WWE Royal Rumble predictions
Males’s Royal Rumble match: Whereas WWE pulled a superb transfer final 12 months by having Jey Uso win the Rumble to the shock of everybody, it feels as if there’s a good probability that this 12 months’s version will get the “anticipated winner” therapy. Breakker could be very clearly positioned to problem CM Punk for the world heavyweight championship at WrestleMania. Whereas Oba Femi is likely to be the person who has the standout Rumble efficiency, Breakker has the backing of The Imaginative and prescient, who has agreed to assist Breakker get the win. It is not probably the most stunning end result, however it makes loads of sense to arrange an enormous match for WrestleMania. Choose: Breakker wins — Brent Brookhouse (additionally Shakiel Mahjouri)
Girls’s Royal Rumble match: The place is Belair? She contributed to the most effective match of WrestleMania 41 weekend, a girls’s world title match with Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky. Through the match, she suffered a finger harm that sidelined her for over eight months. In July, Belair informed CBS Sports activities that she was at “the tail finish of this therapeutic course of,” however we nonetheless have not seen her wrestle. She re-entered the ladies’s world title scene on the street to WrestleMania final 12 months. I cross my fingers that she does the identical this 12 months as a shock entrant. Choose: Belair wins — Mahjouri (additionally Brookhouse)
Undisputed WWE Championship — Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Sami Zayn: Generally, it’s important to simply take a look at a match and suppose, “Hey, why not?” It is pretty clear that Zayn will ultimately have a run with a world title, and that is a straightforward alternative to place the title on him for a month or two earlier than taking it off of him forward of WrestleMania. It in all probability is smart to maintain the title on McIntyre, but when we aren’t going to get stunning Rumble winners, why not a stunning title change? Choose: Zayn wins — Brookhouse
McIntyre and Zayn each deserve stable world title reigns, however the defending champ deserves it barely extra. This model of McIntyre has repeatedly fallen quick, or had his reign ended the identical night time it began. McIntyre should win his first title protection, particularly amid his feuds with Rhodes and Fatu. I am unsure McIntyre enters WrestleMania, not to mention leaves it, with the undisputed WWE title, however he ought to maintain it previous the Rumble. Choose: McIntyre wins — Mahjouri
AJ Kinds vs. Gunther: Do I need Gunther to win? No. I need Kinds, my all-time favourite skilled wrestler, to disclaim a loss that will see him retire. I need him to steal Gunther’s Rumble spot and win the 30-man match, 10 years after he debuted on the identical occasion, earlier than he retires in 2026. I need him to headline WrestleMania and additional his phenomenal legacy. The story is true there. Generally the plain choice is the fitting one, however I am not assured WWE will see it by way of. Experiences about inventive shake-ups encourage some hope, however not sufficient to choose in opposition to the modern-day legend killer. Choose: Gunther wins — Mahjouri
Kinds is not going to lose a retirement match. Positive, they may do a rerun of the referee lacking Gunther tapping out just for Gunther to win after which reverse the choice on Uncooked, however that feels unnecessarily difficult. Reasonably than leaping by way of pointless hoops, Kinds ought to simply get the win and proceed alongside his remaining 12 months as an energetic wrestler. Choose: Kinds wins — Brookhouse