WWE Royal Rumble 2026 Set For RADICAL Change (WWE News)
WWE makes BIG change for Royal Rumble 2026.
With the 2026 Royal Rumble taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, there are now new details on what start time WWE is going with for this hotly anticipated Premium Live Event.
Per Wrestlevotes on Fightful Select, after some internal back and forth, WWE has decided on a 2pm ET/11am PT start time for next month's Royal Rumble. Locally, that means a 10pm start time for those in Riyadh. And as for those of us in the UK, the Rumble will kick off at 7pm.
The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer previously reported that the current plan is for the 2026 Royal Rumble to be a four-match card, with two title matches joining the two Rumble matches. Despite the Rumble being just six weeks away, that Meltzer report said that it's not been finalised exactly what those two title matches will be.
Emanating from Riyadh's Kingdom Arena - which also housed this year's Night of Champions and the episode of SmackDown that took place the night before that PLE - WWE Royal Rumble 2026 takes place on Saturday, 31 January. Of course, as has been the case dating back to 1993, the over-the-top Rumble contests have plenty of WrestleMania ramifications, with the winner of their respective Royal Rumble earning themselves a World Title shot at 'Mania 42. On that front, Bron Breakker has been talked up as one of the frontrunners to win the men's Rumble, while, if she's healthy in time, Bianca Belair seems to be a major favourite for the women's Rumble.