Roman Reigns secures his spot at WrestleMania 42 by triumphing in the 2026 Royal Rumble match held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Original Tribal Chief claims his second Rumble victory by last eliminating Gunther in a hard-fought battle.
Match Begins with Chaos
The event kicks off with former NXT Champion Oba Femi entering at number one, while Bron Breakker of The Vision draws number two. Breakker’s run ends almost immediately when a mystery attacker in a hood ambushes him outside the ring with a powerful stomp. This allows Femi to eliminate Breakker effortlessly just after the bell sounds.
Femi takes control early, tossing out competitors like Rusev, Rey Mysterio, and Solo Sikoa. The action intensifies as surprise entrants shake up the field.
Surprise Returns and Debuts
At number nine, Mr. Iguana from Mexico’s AAA promotion enters but falls quickly to the newly signed SmackDown star Trick Williams. Cody Rhodes, a two-time Rumble winner, arrives at number 11, followed by two versions of El Grande Americano at 12 and 13. The second, dubbed ‘The Original,’ appears to be the returning Chad Gable, and they eliminate each other in a mask-removal struggle.
Powerhouse Hobbs debuts for WWE at number 14 as Royce Keys. Austin Theory and Bron Reed from The Vision soon join, leveraging their alliance. Logan Paul enters at 20, uniting with his stablemates to oust Keys and rack up more eliminations.
Key Returns Boost the Momentum
Their run halts with LA Knight’s return at number 21. As Heyman’s group seeks reinforcements, Brock Lesnar enters at 22, accompanied by his advocate Paul Heyman. Lesnar dominates, clashing with Femi before a distraction from Logan Paul helps him eliminate the Nigerian powerhouse.
Rhodes and Knight team up to remove Lesnar next. Reigns enters at 26, with Jacob Fatu following at 27. Knight’s partnership with Rhodes crumbles as the American Nightmare eliminates him. Randy Orton arrives at 29, while rumors of Chris Jericho’s return fade as Gunther takes the 30th spot.
Final Four Thriller
Drew McIntyre’s interference leads to Rhodes’ elimination, narrowing the field to Reigns, Gunther, Orton, and Logan Paul. Reigns dumps Paul first, then Gunther follows by eliminating Orton. The showdown between Reigns and Gunther determines the WrestleMania 42 main event in Las Vegas this April.
After a grueling exchange, Reigns overcomes the Austrian powerhouse to claim the victory and headline WrestleMania.
