With the new year coming up, wrestling fans are just days away from one of the most exciting times of the year, the Royal Rumble.
Every year, many speculate what surprises or top stars we could see appear in the Royal Rumble matches, but with this year’s event taking place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, we may see less surprise entrants than usual.
Even so, there are more than enough names for make an exciting field for this year’s match.
Here is our prediction for every entrant in the 2026 men’s Royal Rumble match.
Roman Reigns
Coming off his historic Universal Championship run, Roman Reigns has been unable to get back championship gold, but 2026 could mark the end of that drought.
At the end of Survivor Series, a tense moment between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns took place, leading to speculation that the two men could complete their trilogy at WrestleMania 42.
With Reigns looking to re-enter the title picture ahead of WrestleMania, he seems a safe bet to be in this year’s Royal Rumble match, likely one of the very first announced.
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The Vision (Bron Breakker, Bronson Reed, Logan Paul, Austin Theory)
The Vision have been the focal point of Raw for most of 2025, and that doesn’t seem like it will slow down in 2026.
Bron Breakker is set to challenge CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship on January 5, but should he come up short, he will likely enter the Royal Rumble to get another shot.
Throw in Bronson Reed, Logan Paul and Austin Theory, and this year’s Royal Rumble will be very Vision focused.
Of course, there’s another man that will likely have the Vision’s back during the match…
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Brock Lesnar
Looking to make his first Royal Rumble appearance in three years, Brock Lesnar has been an ally of the Vision on WWE television thanks to their shared partnership with Paul Heyman.
Lesnar has dominated almost all Royal Rumble matches he has entered over the years, with this year’s likely not set to be any different.
While it seems unlikely that Brock will emerge victorious in the match, his presence will absolutely be felt, likely before being the final man eliminated by the winner, whoever that may be.
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LA Knight
LA Knight was recently written off WWE television by a backstage attack at the hands of the Vision.
Knight’s absence from television is likely setting up for him to make a big return during the Royal Rumble match, where he looks to get revenge on the Vision for taking him out.
Of course, there are other members of the Raw roster that will be standing by his side in his quest.
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Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio also found himself tied up with the Vision recently, more specifically Logan Paul, who has vowed to retire the legendary luchadore.
LA Knight’s attack came after he attempted to save Rey from an attack by the Vision, so he and Rey will be standing side by side in an attempt to take out the Vision in the match.
20 years on from his initial Royal Rumble victory, Rey’s presence always adds some star power to any match he’s in.
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The Judgment Day (Dominik Mysterio, Finn Balor)
One thing that doesn’t seem to be stopping heading into the new year is the tensions between the Judgment Day, more specifically Dominik Mysterio and Finn Balor.
Finn and Dom’s issues have been on the backburner for a few weeks, but they are very much still there, and the Royal Rumble will likely only amplify them.
A quest for a WrestleMania title shot could serve as the final breaking point for Finn or Dominik, with one of them likely eliminating the other during the match to set up their WrestleMania destination.
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El Grande Americano
While Dominik may eliminate his stablemate, he has another potential ally in the match in the form of El Grande Americano.
Americano and Dominik have an established alliance on Raw over the past few months, with El Grande aiding Dominik during his Intercontinental Championship defences against Penta.
A character that has become very popular in AAA, El Grande Americano will make his first-ever Royal Rumble appearance this year, another accolade in the legendary luchador’s iconic career.
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Je’von Evans & Oba Femi
A number of free agent NXT stars are seemingly on their way up to the WWE main roster in the coming weeks, which includes Je’von Evans and NXT Champion Oba Femi.
Every year faces from NXT make appearances in the Royal Rumble match, and while they will likely technically be signed to Raw or SmackDown by then, Je’von and Oba would serve as this year’s.
Both men would be perfect for a big spotlight in the Royal Rumble match in different ways, with Je’von standing out for his incredible athleticism, while Oba racks up eliminations in dominant fashion.
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The Usos (Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso)
Last year’s Royal Rumble winner, Main Event Jey Uso enters this year’s match once again as part of a tag team with his brother Jimmy.
Both Usos will likely be appearing in the match, with Jey looking to become the fourth person to win the match back to back.
While he likely won’t have such luck, there are a number of people both Usos could create some interesting moments in the match with, including Roman Reigns and LA Knight.
Of course, other members of the Bloodline will also be in the match.
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Jacob Fatu
Jacob Fatu has been off television for a month after he was mysteriously attacked backstage on SmackDown, but by all accounts, the Samoan Werewolf will likely be back very soon.
Jacob returning to the ring at the beginning of 2026 will likely heat him up for a big spot at WrestleMania against whoever WWE has planned for him.
Another big dominant force in this match, there almost aren’t enough eliminations to go around.
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Solo Sikoa
Solo Sikoa’s MFTs continue to be a mainstay on SmackDown, with them most recently being embroiled in a rivalry with the Wyatt Sicks.
While the rest of the MFTs will likely just be around for moral support, Solo will enter the match looking to once again collide with Cody Rhodes.
Of course, old foes in the form of blood, as well as the potential of Wyatt Sicks involvement, will make it very difficult for him.
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Sami Zayn
Sami Zayn also recently had his issues with the MFTs, with Solo’s crew defeating Sami Zayn’s collection of babyfaces ahead of Survivor Series.
Sami has not appeared on WWE television since, but with the Royal Rumble taking place in Riyadh, he is always beloved when WWE heads over to Saudi Arabia.
A dark horse pick to take it all home, Sami will likely be the fan favourite to win on the night.
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Randy Orton
Randy Orton has been absent from WWE television for a lot of 2025, though it seems his return to television will take place soon.
Orton was recently in Saudi Arabia to advertise the Royal Rumble, as well as him being advertised for the SmackDown episode prior to the big event.
All signs point to many RKOs being delivered out of nowhere in Riyadh next month.
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Gunther
While Sami Zayn may be the fan favourite on the night of the show, GUNTHER will almost certainly find himself the most hated man in Riyadh.
After retiring John Cena in his final match, GUNTHER has received major hatred from the WWE fans, and that likely won’t change when the company goes overseas.
If WWE wants to continue GUNTHER’s momentum after retiring the Greatest of All Time, him winning the Royal Rumble can not be ruled out.
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AJ Styles
After GUNTHER retired John Cena, he seemingly has his sights on AJ Styles next, who himself has said he plans to retire in 2026.
As such, this year’s event in Riyadh may very well be AJ’s final Royal Rumble match, just as last year’s was with John Cena.
With this being AJ’s last Royal Rumble, 10 years after he made his debut in the match, it could be a big one for AJ that sees him go the distance.
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Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre will enter the 2026 Royal Rumble with one goal in mind; win the match to get another shot at Cody Rhodes.
While obviously anything can happen, it’s very likely that Drew will come up short in his attempts to dethrone Cody on January 9 in Berlin, so the Rumble is his next best option.
Drew’s quest to get to WrestleMania will be thwarted by his opponent on the big show, just as it was with Damian Priest last year.
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Penta
While Penta is currently out of action, he likely could be back and ready to get back in the ring come bell time for the Royal Rumble.
Penta and Rey Mysterio opened up last year’s match, and Penta will look to make a statement in his second Royal Rumble event.
Some cool spots and team ups await for Penta.
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Aleister Black
Aleister Black will appear in his first Royal Rumble match in six years, his last appearance coming during the 2020 match.
Since returning to SmackDown, Black has found himself at loggerheads with Damian Priest, with their rivalry set to come to an end in an Ambulance match next week.
If Black ends up scoring the win in that match, he will ride the momentum into the Royal Rumble, where he will look to make an impact.
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Carmelo Hayes
Another SmackDown star that has hit a wave of momentum heading into 2026 is the new United States Champion Carmelo Hayes.
Hayes has appeared in both the previous two Royal Rumble matches, with him looking to make a mark in his third Rumble.
A potential option for the match’s Iron Man, Hayes will certainly be one to watch in 2026.
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Ilja Dragunov
Another SmackDown star looking to ride his momentum into the Royal Rumble is the former United States Champion, Ilja Dragunov.
Ilja has yet to make an appearance in a Royal Rumble match in his career, so he could make a huge impact in his first-ever match.
Yet another great option for the Iron Man spot, Ilja opening the match with GUNTHER would instantly drive up hype for the match.
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Chris Jericho
While there will likely be less surprise names in the 2026 Royal Rumble, one name we’ve had speculation about for months is Chris Jericho, whose AEW contract expires in a matter of days.
However, it was reported by Sports Illustrated earlier today that WWE may debut Jericho at the January 5 episode of Raw, rather than hold him out for a surprise in the Rumble match.
Either way, whether the Rumble itself is his return or he’s already been backed for a number of weeks, Y2J is almost a lock for an appearance in this year’s Rumble match.
Jericho’s last WWE match was the Greatest Royal Rumble in Riyadh, and his first match back being another Royal Rumble in Riyadh would seem very fitting.
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Joe Hendry
Last year, the world said his name, and Joe Hendry appeared in the Royal Rumble match while reigning as TNA World Champion.
This year, Joe Hendry is officially signed to WWE, and seemingly a future member of the SmackDown roster following his recent brief program with The Miz.
Riyadh will say his name for the second year in a row, and once more, Joe Hendry shall appear.
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Mr. Iguana
While Joe Hendry remains popular to the WWE fans, another breakout cult hero in the company this year was AAA’s Mr. Iguana.
This marks WWE’s first Royal Rumble event since they purchased AAA last April, so some AAA representation will likely occur during this year’s match.
Of all the faces in AAA, the one most familiar and popular to the WWE fans is Mr. Iguana, who will have plenty of fun interactions with the rest of the main roster.
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Andrew Schulz
WWE, especially in the TKO era, absolutely loves it’s celebrity involvement, as we saw with last year’s Royal Rumble moment with IShowSpeed.
This year, the celebrity Royal Rumble spot will likely go to Andrew Scuhlz, who has already made numerous appearances for WWE over the past year.
It was reported following Schulz’s most recent Raw appearance in Madison Square Garden that the company had plans to feature him more on television going forward, and a cameo appearance in the Royal Rumble sounds right up their alley.
He has built in beef with Logan Paul and Dominik Mysterio, I guess.
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