WWE Royal Rumble 2026: 5 Things That NEED To Happen
Exactly who should win each Royal Rumble match. Also, is this the end of AJ Styles in WWE?!
Drew McIntyre's win over Cody Rhodes on the 9 January episode of SmackDown in Berlin, Germany was a seismic shakeup moment on the 'Road To WrestleMania'. It kinda had to happen after years of crushing disappointments for the popular Scot, but few would've expected Triple H to be so bold this early in 2026.
Now, attention turns to a Saturday Night's Main Event special then the Royal Rumble PLE itself. There's no rest for the road-weary roster and crew - they're Riyadh, Saudi Arabia bound shortly after returning to the US from an action-packed European tour. Passports, please!
As usual, WWE will keep the card brief. Being fair, they've got 2 lengthy Rumble matches to help pad things out, and there's the not-so-small matter of AJ Styles putting his career on the line against Gunther. Elsewhere, McIntyre will defend his newly won WWE Title against the winner of a Fatal-4-Way at SNME.
Certain things must happen no matter who ends up challenging Drew. The Rumble is a super-important launching point for 'Mania season as a whole, so fans in Saudi and tuning in across the globe will be expecting the usual blend of surprises, thrills, spills and WrestleMania sign pointing.
Amongst other things, this is a rapid fire look at who must win both 30-strong Rumbles, as well as what should happen in supporting bouts. Big comebacks are a-coming, and so are major title matches heading into April. This is the most exciting time of WWE's year for a reason.
Let's get ready to Rumble, not stumble.
5. Gunther’s Cruelty Costs Him
Granted, this could be a controversial way to kick off the night, but does anyone really believe that AJ Styles will end his career in January after announcing intentions to hang up his boots in 2026? That'd be dramatic, sure, but it'd mean fans would miss out on at least one more TNA bout as well as some other WWE fun from a true legend.
There is a way out, if Triple H wants to take it.
Gunther has been walking around with some sense of superiority since retiring John Cena at Saturday Night's Main Event on 13 December last year. He's been telling anyone who'll listen that Cena tapped out "like a little bitch", and he wants to do the same thing to AJ later this month. Here's where the fun finish comes in.
Technically, Gunther will beat Styles, but it'll be ye olde 'Dusty Finish' (sort of). He'll refuse to relinquish his submission on AJ, which will in turn cause the referee to reverse his decision and hand the win to a certain 'Phenomenal' worker. Naturally, that'd lead to yet another rematch between the pair.
Good. One gets the feeling people could happily sit through another Gunther vs. AJ epic on PLE (it might reach greatest WWE match ever territory), and the retirement story Styles is running with does fit the Austrian's career killer gimmick anyway. So, going with this sort of hazy, inconclusive ending at the Rumble would serve multiple masters and get WWE where they want to go with the feud.
In short, Gunther's own cruelty and need to be a bully would cost him the winner's purse. Gorilla Monsoon would be seething.