Every year the Royal Rumble remains one of the most exciting events of the WWE calendar, with 30 men and women fighting for the right to main event WrestleMania.
Part of the excitement for the match itself is the entry number of each participant, with the two wrestlers starting the match typically an exciting match up to begin the next hour.
Number 1 and number 2 in the Royal Rumble is an important spot for the match, and this year there are numerous pairings we could see in that spot.
Here are some potential WWE Royal Rumble 2026 number 1 and 2 entrants.
Gunther & Ilja Dragunov
Gunther currently holds the record for the longest time spent in a Royal Rumble match, with him lasting 71 minutes after he entered at number one in 2023.
Gunther enters this year’s clash coming off retiring John Cena, and potentially also retiring AJ Styles earlier in the night, so it’s safe to say he will be lasting a long time in this year’s match too.
Ilja Dragunov will look to enter his first Royal Rumble this year after missing last year’s match due to injury, with him also a great choice to be this year’s iron man.
Gunther and Dragunov renewing their rivalry on the main roster as the opening participants in the Royal Rumble would give us a nice appetiser before they run it back officially later down the line.
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Carmelo Hayes & Trick Williams
Carmelo Hayes has come into his own on the SmackDown brand in recent months, with him finally winning his first main roster championship last month.
Trick Williams has also burst onto the scene on the blue brand after his call up on January 2, with him main eventing numerous shows and already having the main roster crowd in the palm of his hands.
Trick and Melo are over enough on the main roster alone that either man entering the Rumble will excite fans, let alone if they start the match together.
After all the years of history between the two men, them beginning this year’s Royal Rumble match would bring their careers full circle.
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Rhea Ripley & IYO SKY
Rhea Ripley won the 2023 Women’s Royal Rumble match from entrant number one, so she will be a favourite to win regardless of when she enters.
Rhea will look to get back to the World Championship at WrestleMania this year, but much like last year, IYO SKY will stand in her way again.
Rhea and IYO have spent the better part of the last year being a tag team, even reigning as the Women’s Tag Team Champions, but it’s truly every woman for herself when the bell rings in Riyadh.
Rhea and IYO’s friendship being put the test was teased during a promo segment on Raw, and what better way to do that than making them face each other for the entire match.
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El Grande Americano & El Grande Americano
Over the past few weeks, reports have emerged on the status of Chad Gable, with Gable expected to make his return to WWE television any day now.
When Gable left, he was playing the role of El Grande Americano, before that role was later picked up by Ludwig Kaiser, who remains in the role to this day.
With Gable’s return imminent, and American Made once again appearing backstage during Americano segments on Raw, it seems an El Grande Americano civil war is upon us.
The Royal Rumble is often used to tease future matches for WrestleMania season, which will likely be where the two Americanos duke it out.
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Lyra Valkyria & Becky Lynch
The Royal Rumble isn’t only used to tease future matches, it can also be used to revive long standing issues between competitors.
Becky Lynch made her return at WrestleMania 41 last year, entering a rivalry with Lyra Valkyria for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship of which the effects on WWE television are still felt to this day.
Lyra’s alliance with Bayley was born out of the pair’s shared resentment of Becky, with Lyra yet to get her ultimate victory over Becky for the torment of the past year.
Lyra and Becky are both wrestlers built to go deep into a Royal Rumble, so reviving their issues at the start of the match would be a hot open.
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Finn Balor & Dominik Mysterio
There are few certainties in life; Death, Taxes, and ongoing tension within the Judgment Day.
Finn Balor vowed to capture a championship for the Judgment Day in 2026, which led to his recent defeat against CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship in Belfast.
However, Dominik Mysterio is currently off TV with an injury, though he is expected to be back at any time.
Finn entering the Rumble alone to attempt to win Judgment Day gold, only for Dominik to make an unexpected appearance, adds drama to the match from the opening bell.
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AJ Lee & Paige
AJ Lee finally made her return to WWE after 10 years away back in September 2025, with AJ set to partake in her first Royal Rumble match next weekend.
Paige also spent 2025 as a free agent, with speculation of her potentially making a return to WWE in this year’s Royal Rumble match.
Paige has recently been sharing training videos on social media, which has only added to potential return speculation.
If she does make her return during the Royal Rumble, her old frenemy AJ will likely be waiting for her.
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Cody Rhodes & Randy Orton
Cody Rhodes was the first man to declare entry into the 2026 Royal Rumble match, with him hoping to become only the third wrestler in history to win three Rumbles.
Cody’s ongoing issues with Jacob Fatu will be a major roadblock for his potential victory, but there are more potential roadblocks in Cody’s way.
Randy Orton is also looking to win his third Rumble this year, with him teasing a potential encounter with Cody Rhodes following his return to television on January 2.
Randy and Cody faced off last time WWE was in Saudi Arabia, and them running it back to kick off this year’s Royal Rumble would excite the crowd.
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Chris Jericho & Powerhouse Hobbs
As always, there are a lot of rumours and speculation about who may or may not show up in this year’s Royal Rumble match.
Chris Jericho is reportedly a free agent following the expiration of his AEW contract at the beginning of the new year, with him being speculated for a Royal Rumble return for many months at this point.
There’s also Powerhouse Hobbs, who has reportedly signed with WWE following the expiration of his AEW contract, who may also make his debut in this year’s Rumble.
Kicking off this year’s Royal Rumble match with two big new free agent signings going face to face, things don’t come more exciting than that.
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