Chris Jericho is heavily rumored to return to WWE at the 2026 Royal Rumble.
AEW
WWE Royal Rumble 2026 | Key Points
- WWE Royal Rumble 2026 will be the first-ever traditional Royal Rumble held in Saudi Arabia. Ticket demand exploded with 868,000 fans in queue when tickets went on sale.
- The WWE Championship match at the Royal Rumble is likely to pit Drew McIntyre against Sami Zayn.
- Potential Royal Rumble surprises include Chris Jericho and Bianca Belair. Current Royal Rumble favorites are Roman Reigns (+165) and Liv Morgan (+100)
WWE Royal Rumble 2026 Darkhorses And Surprises
WWE Royal Rumble 2026 is as wide open as it has ever been, following up on the dynamic from the 2025 Royal Rumble that was won, in shocking fashion, by Jey Uso. Now back in the tag team division as a nine-time world tag team champion, the popular WWE star is not even listed as a Top 10 favorite. Winning back-to-back Royal Rumbles is rare, though Cody Rhodes did just that in 2023 and 2024. The last time this was done before Rhodes, who also isn’t in the Top 10, was Stone Cold Steve Austin from 1998-1999.
Roman Reigns is currently listed as a favorite alongside Gunther, but with both the Road to WrestleMania and the Royal Rumble itself unclear at this point, it feels like a litany of top stars—and even surprise entrants—could leave Saudi Arabia with a win.
Chris Jericho’s contract reportedly expired at the end of last year, and WWE has wasted no time teasing his imminent return. During a Raw preview posted to WWE’s social media for its Stranger Things Raw crossover, Adam Pearce dropped a popular Jericho Easter egg by saying WWE planned to “break down the walls.” The remark led to intense speculation that Jericho was going to show up, but WWE ultimately did not deliver on its tease.
Good things come to those who wait.
Potential surprise entrants in the 2026 WWE Royal Rumble include:
- Chris Jericho
- Will Hobbs
- Bianca Belair
- Blake Monroe
- Chad Gable
- Paige
- Oba Femi
WWE Men’s Royal Rumble 2026 Odds Via Betonline.com
- Roman Reigns (+165)
- Gunther (+200)
- Sami Zayn (+400)
- Bron Breakker (+400)
- LA Knight (+600)
- CM Punk (+1000)
- Oba Femi (+1800)
- Dirty Dominik Mysterio (+2000)
- Jacob Fatu (+2000)
- Brock Lesnar (+2500)
WWE Women’s Royal Rumble 2026 Odds
- Liv Morgan (+100)
- Bianca Belair (+200)
- Rhea Ripley (+300)
- Tiffany Stratton (+1000)
- Charlotte Flair (+1200)
- IYO SKY (+1400)
- Lyra Valkyria (+1800)
- Jade Cargill (+2000)
- Nia Jax (+200)
- Chelsea Green (+2200)
WWE SmackDown Ratings And Viewership
- January 9, 2026 | 990,000
- January 2, 2026 | 1.175 million
- December 26, 2025 | 1.138 million
- December 19, 2025 | 995,000
- December 12, 2025 | 1.124 million
WWE Royal Rumble Start Time And Where To Stream
- WWE Royal Rumble Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026
- WWE Royal Rumble Start Time: 11:00 am PST (2:00 pm EST)
- Where to Watch/Stream WWE Royal Rumble: ESPN Unlimited
WWE Royal Rumble Ticket Sales For January 31, 2026
- WWE Royal Rumble Venue: King Abdullah Financial District (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
- WWE Royal Rumble Ticket Demand: 868,000 potential ticket buyers in queue
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alfredkonuwa/2026/01/17/wwe-royal-rumble-jan-31-2026-start-time-odds-favorites-and-surprises/
