WWE Royal Rumble 2026 – Solid event, but silent crowd

The Royal Rumble 2026 Premium Live Event took place at the Riyadh Season Stadium, a temporary venue in the King Abdullah Financial District. It was the first time the main Rumble event had taken place outside of North America since the inaugural event in Canada in 1988.

WWE has maintained a billion-dollar partnership with Saudi Arabia for several years, so the location itself was no surprise. The execution, however, raised questions.

Men’s Royal Rumble Match

The Men’s Royal Rumble concluded with a familiar name standing tall. Roman Reigns won the match by eliminating Gunther last, earning the right to challenge either the Undisputed WWE Champion, Drew McIntyre, or the World Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk, at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas.

Honestly, the win caught me slightly off guard because Roman Reigns hasn’t been a central figure on WWE television in recent months. That said, context matters. After last year’s controversial Jey Uso win, WWE clearly wasn't eager to gamble on another bold or polarizing choice. Instead, they opted for something safer, as no one can seriously claim that Roman Reigns doesn’t deserve the victory. It’s a solid decision, even if it feels more like “playing it safe” than a daring, creative move.

Still, it adds intrigue to the road to WrestleMania, especially since McIntyre is involved in a rivalry with Cody Rhodes and Jacob Fatu. I don't see why Reigns should go after the World Heavyweight Title instead of the Undisputed WWE Championship. However, I look forward to seeing how it turns out.

Other considerations for the Men’s Royal Rumble

Based on how they've booked Oba Femi, WWE obviously has a high opinion of him right now. Similar to Brock Lesnar a few years ago, he took out several opponents at the beginning of the match. In the words of Michael Cole, “This guy is a future world champion, a future WrestleMania main eventer, and a future Hall of Famer. This guy is going to be the face of this company for many years to come.”

We’ve heard similar things in the past. One of the most prominent examples was Drew McIntyre, the former Chosen One. It took him years to earn his spot at the top, so we’ll have to see if Oba Femi can live up to expectations.

Various rumble entrances fizzled out. Moments that WWE had hoped would generate greater reactions fizzled out completely or largely in Riyadh. For example, there was an eerie silence during Mexican cult star Mr. Iguana's appearance.

During Chad Gable's comeback after a long injury break, when he faced off against the masked doppelgänger who had represented him during his absence (German wrestler Ludwig Kaiser), the crowd remained rather quiet.

Also, the atmosphere dampened the debut of Royce “Powerhouse” Hobbs, who was signed by rival AEW. The majority of Saudi fans did not seem to know him. Undoubtedly, the impact would have been different in the US. Still, to quote Michael Cole: "Welcome to WWE, Royce Keys."

WWE Undisputed Championship Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Sami Zayn

No offense to either man, but I never really got into this match. McIntyre's victory was hardly a surprise. After all, he just won the Undisputed Championship 22 days ago, and had already beaten Zayn eleven times in a row coming into this match. Given the context, it was hard to imagine WWE pulling the trigger on a title change here.

That said, the disappointment isn’t really about the outcome; it’s about the missed opportunity. According to reports, WWE briefly considered a world title run for Zayn before ultimately backing away from the idea. That’s unfortunate. Zayn earned that level of trust through years of strong performances, especially during the Bloodline storyline.

In fact, one could argue that Zayn was a foundational piece of that angle’s early success. His role gave the story emotional weight and elevated everyone involved. For that reason alone, Zayn has earned a world championship run as much as—if not more than—Jey Uso has.

Instead, this match felt like a formality rather than a true championship clash. It was solid in execution but largely forgettable.

The Ring General Gunther vs. The Phenomenal AJ Styles

“The career and legacy of AJ Styles fade to black,” declared Michael Cole moments before the final bell. With those words, WWE effectively closed the book on one of the most influential careers of the modern era.

The outcome was expected as Styles had been open about wanting to retire while he could still perform at a high level. To me, the crowd’s audible shock seemed a bit odd. While Styles received a respectable send-off, it felt underwhelming given his legacy. AJ Styles deserved a more substantial farewell than what he received in Riyadh.

That brings us to Gunther. In a previous review, I noted that WWE seems to position Gunther as a modern-day Legend Killer. So, I’m not surprised they now present him as the Career Killer. In less than a year, he has ended the careers of Goldberg, John Cena, and now AJ Styles. To be fair, the first two had already announced their retirements, so there was at least some element of surprise this time.

This gimmick risks becoming predictable. You can only retire so many legends before the stakes start to feel artificial. At some point, it needs to lead somewhere meaningful—or it risks going stale. For now, at least, Gunther feels like a legitimate final boss: a villain with real presence and credibility.

If the rumors about Brock Lesnar are true, he would be another future opponent. True to form, it would be very on-brand for Lesnar to win the first encounter, only to lose the rematch and pass the torch on his own terms.

Women’s Royal Rumble

Liv Morgan deserved her victory, and it fits the current situation in the women’s division. Charlotte Flair's elimination of Alexa Bliss was clearly designed to ignite a major feud, as was Kairi Sane throwing out her Kabuki Warriors partner, Asuka. Those moments stood out more for their narrative implications than for their in-ring execution.

Speaking of: While there were some exciting spots, they were offset by several sequences that looked overly rehearsed. Rather than controlled chaos, parts of the match lacked natural flow. Large portions of the in-ring action failed to generate meaningful responses.

Above all, the Women’s Rumble underscored the challenges of holding major events in Saudi Arabia. The crowd was largely quiet and rarely engaged. One of the biggest reactions of the entire match was Brie Bella’s entrance. Even then, the crowd chanted for her husband, Bryan Danielson (Daniel Bryan), rather than toward her.

Several wrestlers who would normally receive strong reactions in the U.S. or Europe struggled to connect with the crowd, and the disconnect was impossible to ignore. Many entrances were met with near silence. 

As a result, the match often felt flatter than it should have. Not because of a lack of talent, but because the environment never allowed the Women’s Royal Rumble to truly catch fire.

WWE Royal Rumble 2026: Takeaways

Year after year, millions of fans look forward to the WWE Royal Rumble, including many who don’t regularly follow wrestling. In theory, it’s one of the most exciting WWE events: a simple concept with high stakes and a guaranteed WrestleMania title shot. In 2026, however, many viewers were left with mixed feelings. It wasn't because the in-ring work was poor; it was because the setting overshadowed the show.

Much has already been said about WWE’s Saudi events, so there’s no need to revisit that debate here. What is worth questioning is the decision to stage the Royal Rumble in a temporary venue, especially since many the roughly 25,000-seat stadium remained empty. These empty sections, and the crowds reaction altogerther, were hard to ignore and don’t inspire confidence ahead of WrestleMania 43, scheduled for Riyadh in 2027.

Ultimately, Royal Rumble 2026 wasn’t a bad show. It just wasn’t memorable. At least in 2025, there was something to argue about with Jey Uso’s controversial win. This year? Once the dust settles, it will be hard to say what, if anything, will still be talked about.

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