WWE Royal Rumble 2026: 5 Shocks WWE Could Pull
1. Chris Jericho Wins The Rumble
Yes, wins the Royal Rumble.
Many predict that Chris Jericho will complete his jump from AEW to WWE and enter the 30-man match over in Saudi, but few have him down as the last man standing at the end of it. The much more likely outcome is that 'Y2J' scores a couple of eliminations, then gets tossed out himself and ends up feuding with the wrestler who bumped him to the floor.
Alternatively, he could come after CM Punk whilst fans rub their eyes and wonder if they're watching an episode of Dynamite from 2022. This all really depends on how much of a team player Jericho is willing to be during his WWE reprise, and it's fully hinging on how Triple H views him in 2026. Is he a token-style legendary cameo artist? Or, is Jericho someone who could realistically go after the top belts?
WWE would have to brace themselves for some tut-tutting and cries of '...but they never push the young guys!' if they do go with Chris. Critics would rally their support behind fresher faces such as Bron Breakker, basically. It'd be an all timer of a calculated risk to have Jericho roar back onto WWE screens and win the 2026 Rumble, it really would.
Don't rule it out 100% though. This portion of the year is supposed to be crazy, and there'd be few things more outrageous than Chris f'n Jericho (who's been written off and hated on for years in AEW) getting a big pop for winning the Rumble during his first night back.
What other shocks and surprises could WWE pull at the 2026 Royal Rumble? For more like this, check out WWE Royal Rumble 2026: 5 Things That NEED To Happen and WWE Royal Rumble 2026: 5 Nightmares That Could Come True!