The first WWE star to confirm their entry into the upcoming 2026 Royal Rumble match has officially been revealed.
The Rumble event is coming up on January 31 and for the first time will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
On tonight’s January 16 episode of WWE SmackDown, the first man to confirm he’ll be entering the Royal Rumble this year made himself known.
Last week, Cody Rhodes lost the Undisputed WWE Championship to Drew McIntyre in their Three Stages of Hell match.
Opening tonight’s SmackDown, McIntyre announced that he put a clause in the contract for that match – there would be no automatic rematch for Rhodes.
However, Rhodes came out later in the show and outlined a potential route to getting his championship back.
Rhodes stated that he will be entering the 2026 Royal Rumble match, looking to become a three-time Rumble winner having come out on top in both 2023 and 2024.
Only one man has ever won the Rumble three times, which was Stone Cold Steve Austin in 1997, 1998 and 2001.
The winner of the Royal Rumble of course earns a guaranteed WWE or World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania, which is what Rhodes is intending to do to get the title back from McIntyre.
If he’s unsuccessful, entering and winning the Elimination Chamber on February 28 would be another route he could take.
Details on who will be challenging McIntyre for his title at Royal Rumble can be found at this link.
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