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The Royal Rumble is one of the special premium live events on the WWE calendar where anything can really happen.
Last year, WWE fans saw Jey Uso win the men’s Royal Rumble match and earn a title shot at WrestleMania 41. Uso then won the World Heavyweight Championship in a wild loss to Gunther. Charlotte Flair won the women’s Royal Rumble match and challenged Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women’s World Championship, but was unsuccessful.
Male and female competitors on the WWE roster will attempt to climb to the top of the mountain and earn title chances once again. First, they will have to outlast 29 other opponents and ensure they are thrown over the top rope to eliminate them from the Royal Rumble match.
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Jey Uso celebrates his victory during WrestleMania 41 on Saturday at Allegiant Stadium on April 19, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Andrew Timms/WWE via Getty Images)
The match begins with two participants in the ring and a new competitor enters the ring approximately every 90 seconds. The only way for participants to be eliminated is to throw them over the top rope and touch the ground with both feet.
One of the best things about this match is the feeling that anyone can win and anyone can participate in the match. WWE legends, stars who have recovered from injuries, or wrestlers fans haven’t seen in a while are known for making epic returns and stunning audiences.
The road to WrestleMania 42 is barely formed and there is a feeling in the air that anyone could win the Royal Rumble matches and come out on top.
Beyond the Royal Rumble matches, the rest of the card is pretty solid.
Sami Zayn will challenge Drew McIntyre for the undisputed WWE Title while Gunther will attempt to be the “career killer” and end AJ Styles’ tenure in WWE.
The Royal Rumble takes place for the first time in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It will air on ESPN at 2 p.m. ET.
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Read five predictions for the event below.
1. Gunther gets ‘career killer’ status
Gunther kicks CM Punk during the Men’s Royal Rumble match at Tropicana Field on January 27, 2024. (Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports)
Gunther comes into the Royal Rumble on a bit of a hot streak since losing to Jey Uso at WrestleMania 41. During that time, he regained the World Heavyweight Championship and then lost it to CM Punk. He retired from Goldberg and John Cena and now has AJ Styles in his sights. It will be a big moment for the “Ring General” if he gets another major victory on his resume.
2. Drew McIntyre retains his title
Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns during the Men’s Royal Rumble match during the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 1, 2025. (Joe Camporeale/Imagn Images)
Drew McIntyre will likely retain the undisputed WWE title after winning it in a cage match against Cody Rhodes with indirect help from Jacob Fatu. The only question is how he will win. Zayn is one of the top guys on the SmackDown brand and earned his chance after winning a fatal four-way match against Trick Williams, Damian Priest and Randy Orton. But McIntyre has been on a roll lately and made sure his opponents knew it too by knocking out Rhodes and Fatu in Saturday Night’s main event. McIntyre should stay on top at the Royal Rumble and at least until WrestleMania.
3. The women’s team will feature returning familiar faces, stars from NXT
Sol Ruca enters the ring during NXT at the WWE Performance Center on June 17, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. (Kevin Sabitus/WWE via Getty Images)
Alexa Bliss, Trish Stratus and Nikki Bella were among the biggest surprises at last year’s women’s Royal Rumble, while NXT stars Roxanne Perez, Lash Legend, Jaida Parker, Stephanie Vaquer and Giulia joined the fray. Jordynne Grace was also involved in the event after arriving from TNA.
This year there may not be as many surprises but some injury returns are possible. Tiffany Stratton hasn’t been seen since losing her title to Jade Cargill. Bianca Belair has been out of action since April and was only a referee at Evolution. These two could come back.
NXT stars tend to make an impact at the Royal Rumble. They may not have the same impact as Perez last year, but this could be something special. Sol Ruca and Zaria were previously seen facing Flair and Bliss on the main roster. Jacy Jayne is also up for a call-up after a successful run as NXT Women’s Champion.
4. The men’s side will feature old and new faces
LA Knight and Jey Uso during the Men’s Royal Rumble match during the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 1, 2025. (Joe Camporeale/Imagn Images)
The women’s team had some major comebacks last year, but this year it will be the men’s match that will have pro wrestling fans talking.
The biggest rumor was the return of Chris Jericho. WWE fans have been asking for him since his contract with AEW ended. Jericho is a WWE legend. He has not competed in a WWE match since 2018 and has not appeared on WWE programming since 2022.
Two other professional wrestling superstars who could debut are Powerhouse Hobbs and EVIL. Hobbs was a superstar on the AEW roster since 2020 and was a two-time champion. EVIL was a star in New Japan Pro-Wrestling as a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion and four-time NEVER Openweight Champion. Both are rumored to be making their WWE debut and it could happen soon.
There’s also the possibility of some WWE guys who haven’t been on WWE programming in a while returning. Fans can’t count on LA Knight doing his best to get into the match and try to win it all. Seth Rollins is legitimately injured, but after his ruse to win at SummerSlam, anything is possible with him. Oba Femi has also been announced for the Rumble and could shock the world.
5. Bron Breakker and Liv Morgan win Rumble matches
Liv Morgan during the Women’s Royal Rumble during the WWE Royal Rumble at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 1, 2025. (Joe Camporeale/Imagn Images)
Bron Breakker and Liv Morgan will win the men’s and women’s matches at this year’s Royal Rumble, respectively.
Breakker had an epic match against Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship to start 2026 and a rematch would make for an epic WrestleMania 42 main event. Breakker had a viral moment during last year’s Rumble when he launched iShowSpeed. But he was eliminated by Roman Reigns after eliminating three participants. Breakker has improved greatly since then and could be in line for another title shot.
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Morgan returned to RAW earlier this month after returning from injury. She and Perez are the No. 1 contenders for the women’s tag team titles, but the bigger goal would be to return to the top of the women’s division. A Royal Rumble win would accomplish that, but it would likely mean a breakup at Judgment Day if Raquel Rodriguez defeats Vaquer for the Women’s World Championship.
It would definitely make for an interesting WrestleMania if that’s the case.
