Three reasons why Roman Reigns should not win WWE Royal Rumble 2026

The OTC is the betting favorite to win this Saturday.

‘The OTC’ Roman Reigns has officially declared for the 2026 Royal Rumble match. This will be his first WWE appearance since the men’s WarGames match at the Survivor Series 2025, where he was part of the babyface team.

Fans are hyped about Reigns’ return, while the oddsmakers have picked him as the betting favorite to win the men’s Rumble match this Saturday in Riyadh. Let us take a look at the top three reasons why that would be a bad call for WWE.

3. Overlooking deserving talents

There is no denying that Roman is among the biggest stars to step foot into the squared circle. However, Reigns presence in the main event scene has been severely hampered due to his part-time schedule. Reigns has already won the Royal Rumble match once in 2015.

That said, Roman doesn’t really need to win the match to earn a title shot, and he doesn’t even need a title opportunity to sell a match featuring him. Meanwhile, there are young breakout stars who have put in the work day in and day out and would benefit far more from the spotlight of a Royal Rumble win.

Names like Bron Breakker or Oba Femi, among others, should be at the forefront of the conversation as potential winners this Saturday.

Also Read: All superstars confirmed for Men’s WWE Royal Rumble 2026 match

2. Absence in the lead-up to WrestleMania

As noted, Reigns’ part-time schedule has made it harder to build consistent excitement around his appearances, with fans often joking about how few times he shows up each year. Even if he were to win the Royal Rumble, it’s unlikely he would be a regular presence on television in the lead-up to WrestleMania.

The absence would severely hamper the build towards the WrestleMania showdown, despite Reigns having existing storylines with both current Champions, CM Punk and Drew McIntyre.

1. Another disastrous reception from fans

‘Main Event’ Jey Uso winning the 2025 Royal Rumble became a highly controversial decision among WWE fans, partly because he eliminated John Cena to secure the victory, and also because many other stars were seen as being overlooked.

While Roman winning the match likely wouldn’t spark immediate backlash from fans, criticism would likely grow during the build to WrestleMania as opinions begin to surface.

WWE has increasingly leaned toward virality over long-term storytelling, and a Roman Reigns Royal Rumble victory would only add fuel to that conversation.

Also Read: Top three reasons why Cody Rhodes should not win WWE Royal Rumble 2026

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