‘WWE Royal Rumble 2026’ PPV Review

Welcome to this review of the Royal Rumble 2026, right here on Nerdly.We have not only the usual two Rumble matches to look forward to but also two other matches – a title match AND AJ Styles’ retirement match! Let’s get into it.

Match #1: Women’s Royal Rumble – Winner: Liv Morgan

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

The match began with tag team partners Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss entering at numbers one and two, respectively. Flair and Bliss toyed with the idea of fighting each other but decided to work together and wait for the rest of the field. Jordynne Grace (entrant No. 8) came in like a house on fire, eliminating Lola Vice (No. 6) and Candice LeRae (No. 7) at the same time before eliminating Ivy Nile (No. 5) for the first three eliminations of the match. The Queen eliminated Nia Jax (No. 4) but also eliminated Bliss at the same time, seemingly by accident, following a big boot to Jax. Becky Lynch arrived (No. 9) and quickly went toe-to-toe with arch nemesis Flair as they brawled outside of the ring. Maxxine Dupri (No. 12) and Nattie (No. 13) locked horns as soon as The Queen of Harts entered, as Dupri looked for retribution after Nattie betrayed Dupri. The Man quickly eliminated Dupri, but Nattie eliminated Lynch moments later. Liv Morgan (No. 14) entered her ninth Rumble, as she and Nattie became the only two Superstars to compete in all nine Women’s Royal Rumble Matches. Eventually the ring filled with all three Judgment Day members as Morgan, Roxanne Perez (No. 11) and Raquel Rodriguez (No. 17) teamed up to take down the rest of the competitors, eliminating Kiana James (No. 3) together. Representing Japan, Women’s United States Champion Giulia (No. 19), WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion IYO SKY (No. 20) and Asuka (No. 21) got into a standoff that resulted in a vicious scrap. Rhea Ripley (No. 22) made her arrival by “eliminating” Alba Fyre, who tried to interfere, before eliminating Green, then launched Perez out of the match with a Razor’s Edge. Bayley (No. 23) almost eliminated Sol Ruca (No. 10), but Ruca saved herself with some deft athleticism. Kairi Sane (No. 28) accidentally eliminated her tag team partner Asuka until getting dumped out by SKY. Brie Bella (No. 29) made her return to WWE, as the crowd erupted in massive “Yes” chants, and Brie quickly reunited with her sister Nikki Bella (No. 25). The number 30 entrant was Stratton, who also made an electric return to in-ring action and immediately nailed an epic Swanton Bomb as she entered the ring. After an edge-of-your-seat fight near the ring apron, The Bella Twins eliminated Bayley and Lyra Valkyria (No. 26). NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne (No. 24) eliminated Kelani Jordan (No. 27) after Jordan tried to save herself, but Ruca hit a SolSnatcher on Jayne before chucking the NXT Women’s Champion out of the ring. Lash Legend (No. 15) had a dominant performance as she eliminated a match-high five Superstars (Grace, The Bella Twins, Charlotte Flair, who lasted just under an hour to become the Iron Woman, and SKY). Legend’s legendary run came to an end after being eliminated by Ripley. Rodriguez eliminated Ripley with a Tejana Bomb onto the apron, then Morgan shockingly snuck up on her Judgment Day partner Rodriguez and tossed her out of the ring. The last three were Morgan, Stratton and Ruca. Ruca hit a double Sol Snatcher on Morgan and Stratton before all three battled on the apron. Ruca attempted the Sol Snatcher on Stratton, but The Center of the Universe evaded and sent her to the floor. Seconds later, Morgan eliminated Stratton with an Oblivion to win her first Women’s Royal Rumble Match.

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #2: Retirement Match – Gunther def. AJ Styles

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

AJ Styles put his incredible career on the line against The Ring General following Gunther’s recent controversial win over Styles on Raw. Gunther brutalized Styles by sending The Phenomenal One crashing into the barricade at ringside. Styles attempted to lock in the Calf Crusher, but Gunther made it to the ropes before Styles could apply the hold to maximum impact. The Ring General obliterated Styles with a spine-tingling Powerbomb, but Styles responded with another Calf Crusher. Gunther escaped the dangerous hold with a Sleeper, and Styles and Gunther went back-and-forth with Sleeper attempts. Styles launched himself over the top rope to nail a Phenomenal Forearm to the outside and soon followed with a Powerbomb back in the ring. Styles hit a springboard 450 splash and followed with a Styles Clash for a two-count. Gunther hit a mule kick below the belt behind the referee’s back before landing a Powerbomb, though Styles narrowly kicked out. Styles attempted another Phenomenal Forearm but was countered by Gunther, who locked in the Sleeper Hold. Styles kept fighting back with desperation elbows, but Gunther trapped The Phenomenal One, whose career ended when he passed out in the hold.

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #3: Undisputed WWE Championship – Drew McIntyre def. Sami Zayn

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Seeking to become a World Champion for the first time and remain undefeated in Saudi Arabia, Sami Zayn challenged Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed WWE Title. The Scottish Warrior bombarded Zayn in the early proceedings before Zayn hit a sunset flip powerbomb, but McIntyre ruthlessly targeted Zayn’s back in an attack that left several marks. Even when Zayn dropped the champion with the Blue Thunder Bomb, it took a tremendous toll on his back. McIntyre hit three Future-Shock DDTs for a long two-count. Zayn almost landed the Helluva Kick, but McIntyre evaded and executed a Claymore Kick. Zayn, however, got his foot on the bottom rope to prevent McIntyre from winning. As The Scottish Warrior argued with the referee, Zayn blasted him with a Helluva Kick that resulted in a long two-count after Zayn was slow to cover McIntyre. Outside the ring, McIntyre powerbombed Zayn through the announce table, which left the challenger reeling in pain. Back in the ring, Zayn hit an Exploder Suplex and set up for another Helluva Kick. McIntyre, however, clobbered Zayn with a Claymore Kick out of nowhere before hitting a second one to emphatically win the match and retain the title.

My Score: 2.5 out of 5

Match #4: Men’s Royal Rumble – Winner: Roman Reigns

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Oba Femi made his Royal Rumble debut, entering at the No. 1 position. The Vision’s Bron Breakker entered at No. 2, but a masked Superstar superkicked and Stomped him before tossing him in the ring to get eliminated first by Femi. Femi eliminated Rusev (No. 5) and Solo Sikoa (No. 3) to score his second and third eliminations. Rey Mysterio (No. 4) hit two 619s on Femi, but an unfazed Femi tossed Mysterio out of the ring for his fourth elimination before also eliminating Matt Cardona (No. 6) for his fifth. Je’Von Evans (No. 8) got bouncy, taking out Damian Priest (No. 7) and Femi with his high-flying skills. El Grande Americano (No. 12) and “Original” El Grande Americano (No. 13) confused the WWE Universe as they squared off and tried to unmask each other. The original Americano eliminated the other Americano, but Trick Williams (No. 10) eliminated the original. Cody Rhodes (No. 11), two-time Rumble winner, eliminated Williams right after. Royce Keys (No. 14), the former Powerhouse Hobbs, made his WWE debut by going toe-to-toe with Priest and eliminating The Archer of Infamy. Eventually, the three other members of The Vision, Logan Paul (No. 20), Bronson Reed (No. 16) and Austin Theory (No. 15), combined forces to eliminate Keys, La Parka (No. 18) and Dragon Lee (No. 19). LA Knight (No. 21) made his return by eliminating Theory and Reed to leave Paul as the only Vision member remaining. Brock Lesnar (No. 22), two-time Rumble winner, made his way to the ring with Paul Heyman and destroyed everyone in the ring before facing off with Femi in a show-stopping collision. Femi tried to eliminate The Maverick, but he made the mistake of turning his back on Lesnar, who quickly eliminated Femi to conclude Femi’s impressive outing. As last year’s Rumble winner Jey Uso (No. 25) made his way to the ring, Rhodes and Knight united to eliminate Lesnar. Roman Reigns (No. 26) entered the ring, looking to “run it back” with Uso, but Reigns clocked Jey, Superman Punched Evans and Paul, and eliminated The Miz (No. 23). Reigns and Rhodes faced off before Jacob Fatu (No. 27) arrived to hammer Evans with a huge Pop-up Powerbomb. Randy Orton (No. 29), another two-time Rumble Winner, RKO’d Paul and Penta (No. 28) in epic fashion. Gunther (No. 30), just hours after ending Styles’ career, limped his way to the ring while feeling the effects of his brutal battle with Styles. Orton eliminated Evans, who became the Iron Man after lasting more than 40 minutes. Rhodes and Orton attempted to team up on Gunther, but The Ring General moved out of the way as Rhodes inadvertently hit Orton with a Cody Cutter. Rhodes grabbed the top rope to avoid elimination, but Undisputed WWE Champion Drew McIntyre executed a Claymore on Rhodes to eliminate The American Nightmare. Reigns then eliminated Fatu and Jey moments after Jey tried to eliminate The Tribal Chief, leaving Paul, Reigns, Orton and Gunther as the Final Four. Reigns eliminated Paul, and Gunther eliminated Orton, leaving The Ring General and The Original Tribal Chief as the final two. After an edge-of-your-seat brawl, Reigns Speared Gunther and ejected The Ring General from the ring to win his second Royal Rumble.

My Score: 3 out of 5

News of the Night:

1. Brie Bella made her return to the WWE in the Women’s Royal Rumble
2. Royce Keys (fka Powerhouse Hobbs) made his WWE debut in the Men’s Royal Rumble

Final Verdict: 3/5

This year’s Rumble was a show that looked massive on paper and largely delivered in moments rather than as a complete, all-timer package. The Women’s Royal Rumble was the standout from a sheer spectacle point of view, packed with returns, debuts, and smartly paced chaos, even if the closing stretch felt slightly over-engineered. Liv Morgan’s win was satisfying and well-earned, though the match never quite hit that next-level greatness WWE sometimes finds with these Rumbles. AJ Styles’ retirement match against Gunther was emotional, brutal, and respectful without tipping into indulgence. It wasn’t the greatest match of Styles’ career, but it was absolutely the right match to end it – Gunther cemented as a final boss, Styles going out fighting until the very end. Drew McIntyre vs Sami Zayn, meanwhile, felt like the night’s weak link: solid, physical, but oddly flat given the stakes. The Men’s Royal Rumble was fun, busy, and occasionally thrilling, with Oba Femi stealing early headlines, but Roman Reigns winning felt inevitable rather than electric. Overall, a strong, occasionally great Royal Rumble… just not a historic one.