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Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the site of the 2026 Royal Rumble - Source: Unsplash
As we head deeper into fall, WWE finds itself at a crossroads. Now-former World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins has been downed with a legitimate shoulder injury suffered during his successful clash against Cody Rhodes at Crown Jewel in Perth, Australia. As a result, his Vision faction now finds itself in purgatory, while a new heavyweight champion will be crowned when CM Punk and Jey Uso face off at Saturday Night's Main Event.
The injury suffered by the Visionary doesn't just have short-term implications either. With his recovery timetable currently unknown, the main event of WrestleMania is also up in the air. Many thought that the initial plan was for Rollins to face off with Roman Reigns in a long-anticipated one-on-one match on the grandest stage for the first time ever, but that now seems to be scrapped until more is known regarding the former Architect of the Shield's estimated recovery timeframe.
As ever, it's the winner of the Royal Rumble match who will secure their ticket to WrestleMania, and with plans changing rapidly, it's anyone's guess as to who will emerge victorious in the 30-man extravaganza in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, next January. Who are the current frontrunners to leave the Kingdom with victory and direct passage to the main event of the Showcase of the Immortals? Let's take a look.
For the majority of the year, it seems as though Sami Zayn has been positioned as a potential Royal Rumble winner, and when online odds providers price up their rumble favorites, the Canadian will surely be at the front of the queue. The latest Bovada wrestling odds haven't yet been published for January's showdown, with the American betting giant thought to be seeing how the next few weeks and months of WWE TV play out before they roll out their offering. When they do, you can expect to see Zayn as a 7/4 frontrunner to pick up the biggest victory of his career.
Throughout 2025, Zayn has embarked on somewhat of an underdog run as he builds toward a first-ever world championship triumph. His unsuccessful quest to win the 30-man matchup last January, as well as his missing the Elimination Chamber match entirely, saw him drop down the card. Now, however, Zayn has been a staple of WWE TV all year, embarking on feuds with the likes of Karrion Kross and Solo Sikoa, culminating with him winning the US title from the latter.
Zayn's Syrian heritage is thought to be another key reason as to why he could win the Rumble, with the matchup being held in Saudi Arabia. However, in recent weeks, fans have been turning on the Underdog of the Underground, with loud boos being heard in arenas whenever Zayn appears on screen or in the ring. Such a turn in fan sentiment could scupper any plans that WWE brass has for a potential coronation in the New Year.
After joining Seth Rollins' Vision, Bron Breakker has ascended to the periphery of the main event scene. Throughout the year, he has shared the ring with the likes of Roman Reigns, CM Punk, and Jey Uso, regularly closing out episodes of Monday Night Raw. However, his marquee moment came when he turned his back on his mentor Rollins, bludgeoning him in Perth and taking Bronson Reed and Paul Heyman into the Australian night with him.
With Rollins now written off WWE TV, Breakker is unquestionably the main man, especially with Reed and Heyman by his side. Many expected him to be the next World Heavyweight Champion before WWE surprisingly booked Punk vs Uso. However, his crowning moment will come, perhaps beginning with a Rumble match victory.
The Royal Rumble is usually won by the man with the most momentum. There can be no denying that, as of right now, that man is Breakker. The former NXT champion is arguably the hottest heel on Monday Night Raw at the moment, and if his warpath with General Manager Adam Pearce is anything to go by, his hot streak should continue well into the fall and potentially through the festive period. If that is the case, and if Zayn continues to get negative receptions, the Indomitable Badass could well be on his way to Rumble glory.
The fact that Roman Reigns hasn't been in a single championship match since his record-breaking 1.316 Undisputed WWE Universal Championship reign came to an end at WrestleMania 40 last April beggars belief. The Tribal Chief is never usually far away from the title picture, but as of right now, he has never been further away. That could all change with a victory at the Royal Rumble.
Reigns has been feuding with Seth Rollins and the Vision ever since he was double-crossed by Paul Heyman at WrestleMania 41 in Las Vegas. More often than not, however, he has come out on the losing side, most recently a shocking defeat to Bronson Reed at Crown Jewel, just Reigns' second singles match pinfall defeat of the last five years. But even despite the loss, the Head of the Table's stock hasn't dropped.
Should Reigns win the Rumble for the second time in his career, the possibilities are endless. A potential third Mania main event against Cody Rhodes would be a blockbuster following the pair's first two clashes. There are also ready-made feuds surrounding the world heavyweight championship, with Reigns having ongoing stories with both Jey Uso and CM Punk, as well as Seth Rollins, should he return and reclaim the gold before next April.
Fans are longing to see Reigns back on top, just as he was between 2020 and 2024, and his road back to the summit could begin in Saudi Arabia in January.
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