9-Time WWE Champion The Favorite To Win 2026 Royal Rumble

The 2026 WWE Royal Rumble will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the first time.

The Royal Rumble match is often the highlight of the event, where 30 participants compete in an over-the-top elimination bout, with the last man standing declared as the winner.

The winner then gets the chance to headline WrestleMania against a champion of their choosing across any brand.

As per Oddschecker, Roman Reigns leads the race currently with 10/11 odds or 52% chance of victory in his favor.

The Tribal Chief has not necessarily had a busy year in WWE, having competed in only 7 matches in 2025. His bouts, however, came at major events like the Royal Rumble, WrestleMania 41, SummerSlam, Clash in Paris, etc.

His last match was at Survivor Series, where he competed in the men’s WarGames match alongside CM Punk, The Usos, and Cody Rhodes.

In the lead-up to the match, he was even involved in a segment with Punk and Rhodes where he discussed potentially coming for one of the championships in the near future.

Roman Reigns Reportedly Ended Sami Zayn’s WWE Push

Earlier in the year, Sami Zayn was considered a frontrunner to win the 2026 Royal Rumble due to his immense popularity with the local fanbase.

At the time, Reigns was focused on advancing his Hollywood career, but he seemingly put the plan on hold and decided to run for the championship one last time before riding into the sunset.

As a result, WWE was forced to alter its creative direction, pulling back Zayn’s push, including his potential victory at next year’s Royal Rumble.

Roman Reigns’ next appearance is still a mystery, but with the company celebrating its first anniversary of RAW on Netflix on January 5, the 40-year-old could make his presence felt.

Also read: Roman Reigns’ Heartwarming Pre-Christmas Gesture For Sick Kids