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The road to WrestleMania 42 begins this Saturday with the 2026 edition of the Royal Rumble.
The four bout card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, kicks off at 2 PM ET/11 AM PT and will air in North America on the ESPN App. The four bout card includes the annual men’s and women’s Royal Rumble matches. However, the event will also feature a pair of matches with major implications.
WWE undisputed champion Drew McIntyre will defend his title for the first time when he takes on Sami Zayn. Also, AJ Styles‘ legendary career will be on the line in a grudge rematch with two-time heavyweight champion Gunther.
Below you can find all the results, top highlights, and match grades for the 2026 Royal Rumble.
WWE Royal Rumble results
- Women’s Royal Rumble Match Winner: Liv Morgan
- Gunther def. AJ Styles – Styles Retires with Loss
- Drew McIntyre (c) def. Sami Zayn – Undisputed WWE Title Match
- Men’s Royal Rumble Match Winner: Roman Reigns
WWE Royal Rumble highlights and match grades
Women’s Royal Rumble Match
The women’s Royal Rumble was a rock-solid affair. The biggest standouts in the match were the ladies from Judgment Day, NXT star Sol Ruca, and Lash Legend. The trio from Judgment Day had some great villain moments, Ruca showed off why she is one of the brightest young stars in the company, and Legend made a name for herself by eliminating the Bellas, Charlotte Flair, and Iyo Sky.
After shockingly eliminating her faction sister Raquel Rodriguez, Liv Morgan outlasted Ruca and a returning Tiffany Stratton to win the 2026 Royal Rumble.
- Winner: Liv Morgan
- Grade: B-
AJ Styles vs. Gunther – AJ Styles Retires With Loss
AJ Styles’ wrestling career is over. Maybe? The WWE legend’s career was on the line at the 2026 Royal Rumble if he lost to Gunther. The pair went back and forth in an entertaining match, and similar to John Cena, “The Phenomenal One” also suffered a loss to the Austrian by submission.
Following the match, Styles looked like he was going to leave his gloves in the ring. However, he ended up putting them back on and leaving the ring in frustration. Is he really retired? You’ll have to tune into Raw for final confirmation.
- Winner: Gunther
- Grade: B
Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Sami Zayn – Undisputed WWE Title Match
McIntyre vs. Zayn was the most predictable bout on the card. It would have been an absolute stunner if the Scotsman lost the title in his first defense. He didn’t, as most assumed. While Zayn gave a good effort, he moved to 0-12 versus the current WWE undisputed champion.
- Winner: McIntyre
- Grade: C
Men’s Royal Rumble Match
The 2026 edition of the Royal Rumble was a solid match. Unfortunately, there were no major surprises. Oba Femi was impressive in his Rumble debut. The man formerly known as Powerhouse Hobbs made his WWE debut. And Cody Rhodes did not win the event for a third time in four years. Things most fans in the know expected.
However, we did get a winner who had won it before when Roman Reigns returned after being away since November to win his second Rumble match.
- Winner: Roman Reigns
- Grade: C
