WWE Royal Rumble 2026 Results & Winners: Roman Reigns punches his ticket to WrestleMania 42; Gunther retires AJ Styles; Brie Bella returns & more
(Courtesy : WWE.com)
Drew McIntyre retains; Liv Morgan backstabs Raquel Rodriguez; Royce Keys debuts & more!
The first PLE of 2026, the Royal Rumble, officially kicked off the Road to WrestleMania 42. The 39th installment took place on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of Riyadh Season
The temporary arena at KAFD was built in record time, and the event marked the first traditional Royal Rumble held outside North America, as well as the 14th WWE event hosted in Saudi Arabia under the company’s decade-long partnership aligned with Saudi Vision 2030.
It was also the country’s second event to feature a Rumble match, following Greatest Royal Rumble in 2018, and the first WWE “Big Five” event staged there. Apart from the two marquee Rumble matches, WWE had also announced a title clash and a high-stakes showdown between AJ Styles and Gunther.
Get to know what happened this Saturday, as we have the complete summary, highlights, results, and winners’ list for the 2026 edition of WWE Royal Rumble.
WWE Royal Rumble 2026 Summary and Highlights
Women’s Royal Rumble match
The 2026 women’s Royal Rumble match kicked off the first PLE of 2026. Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss entered the match at numbers one and two, respectively. Flair survived the longest in the match after accidentally taking out Bliss. However, Liv Morgan bagged the win after she too eliminated Raquel Rodriguez, notably, not by accident. Morgan eliminated Tiffany Stratton to secure the win.
Winner: Liv Morgan
Grade: C+
Match Insights & Backstage Moments:
- Lola Vice, Sol Ruca, Kelani Jordan, and Jacy Jayne participated in the match from NXT.
- Liv Morgan has won the Rumble match for the first time in her career, after participating in every single Women’s Rumble match since 2018.
- Flair was the 2026 Iron Survivor as she lasted a total of 59:49 minutes.
- Tiffany Stratton was the final entrant in the 2026 women’s Rumble match.
- Lash Legend topped the charts with five eliminations, followed by Jordynne Grace, Rhea Ripley, and Liv Morgan, who each recorded three.
- The lack of surprise returns, despite having a massive talent pool from TNA, AAA, and WWE itself, was a massive letdown.
AJ Styles vs Gunther – Career Threatening match (If Styles loses, he will be forced to retire)
In their second showdown, AJ Styles battled Gunther with his career on the line. Styles utilized a similar game plan from their first meeting, targeting Gunther’s calf, but he failed to submit to Gunther, who retaliated with punishing blows, locking in the sleeper. Styles was unable to fight out of it as he went to sleep, forcing referee Dan Engler to fight back emotions and call off the match.
After the match, the crowd showered Styles with chants, and the Phenomenal One initially removed his gloves but put them back on to celebrate with the Riyadh crowd one last time.
Winner: Gunther
Grade: B+
Match Insights & Backstage Moments:
- Even during the second match, a significant number of seats in the upper sections of the arena remained empty.
- AJ Styles career ended at the Royal Rumble, the same place where it started 10 years ago in 2016.
- The arena fell silent after the match ended, signalling how no one was able to believe the outcome.
- The Ring General has now officially become a career-killer, retiring three legends in a span of less than a year.
Drew McIntyre (c) vs Sami Zayn – Undisputed WWE title match
In the third match of the show, Undisputed WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defended the title against the number one contender, Sami Zayn. The challenger was a heavy underdog, having been unable to beat Drew in their past thirteen encounters.
Zayn was once again unable to overcome the odds as McIntyre pinned Sami, after hitting two back-to-back Claymores, shattering Zayn’s undefeated streak in Saudi Arabia.
Winner & Still: Drew McIntyre
Grade: B
Match Insights & Backstage Moments:
- With another loss, Sami is now 12-0 against Drew McIntyre. His unbeaten streak in Saudi Arabia also came to an end tonight.
- The Scottish Warrior defended the Undisputed title successfully for the first time as he looks to enter WrestleMania 42 with the title around his waist.
Men’s Royal Rumble match
The main event of the show began with Oba Femi and Bron Breakker entering at numbers one and two, respectively. However, before Breakker could enter, a masked man attacked him, aiding Femi, who eliminated Breakker with ease. The match saw the return of Chad Gable as the ‘Original’ El Grande Americano.
LA Knight made his highly anticipated return, while Drew McIntyre once again cost Cody Rhodes, laying him out with a Claymore and eliminating him in the process. In the end, Roman Reigns stood tall as he eliminated Gunther last to win his second career Rumble match.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Grade: B
Match Insights & Backstage Moments:
- Oba Femi and Roman Reigns led the way with five eliminations each, while Cody Rhodes and LA Knight were tied behind them with three apiece.
- This was Reigns second Rumble win; he first won the match in 2015.
- Gunther was the final entrant in the 2026 Rumble match, while Oba Femi entered at number 1.
- La Parka and Mr. Iguana made their Rumble debut, representing AAA. While no current NXT stars participated in the match.
- Powerhouse Hobbs made his WWE debut under the name Royce Keys, a moniker with deep personal significance. Royce is the name of his youngest son, while Keys is the maiden name of his late mother.
- Brock Lesnar was eliminated during Jey’s entrance, which was a weird creative choice. On the other hand, Femi was the star of the match, justifying why WWE took so long for his main roster debut.
- Reign’s part-time schedule might hamper the WrestleMania build, now that he has punched his ticket to WrestleMania 42.
WWE Royal Rumble 2026 Results
- Brie Bella returned
- Liv Morgan won the 2026 Women’s Royal Rumble match
- Gunther defeated AJ Styles – Career Threatening match (If Styles loses, he will be forced to retire)
- Drew McIntyre (c) pinned Sami Zayn – Undisputed WWE title match
- Roman Reigns won the 2026 men’s Royal Rumble match
Who won in the main event of WWE Royal Rumble 2026?
Roman Reigns eliminated Gunther to win in the main event to become the 2026 men’s Royal Rumble winner.
Who won the men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches in 2026?
Roman Reigns and Liv Morgan won the 2026 men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches, respectively.
Did AJ Styles beat Gunther to save his WWE career?
No, Gunther submitted AJ Styles to win the career threatning match.
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Abhijit Singh is a budding sports journalist with over three years of experience in the field, and a photographer capturing stories through his lens since 2018. With a background in philosophy and political science, he brings a thoughtful, analytical edge to his reporting where every word is guided by curiosity and intent. Whether he's capturing the emotion of a moment or unpacking the deeper narratives within the game, Abhijit’s work is rooted in insight and passion. When he’s not covering sports, he’s often exploring new ideas through reading, traveling or just procrastinating.