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Drew McIntyre Retains Title After Defeating Sami Zayn at the WWE Royal Rumble 2026

The Scottish Warrior reigned supreme in Saudi Arabia
Joe Baiamonte|
Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre | WWE

Drew McIntyre is still the undisputed WWE Champion after overcoming Sami Zayn at the 2026 Royal Rumble.

The match was McIntyre’s first title defense since becoming WWE Champion earlier this month, when he defeated Cody Rhodes in a Three Stages of Hell match on SmackDown, with the help of his rival, Jacob Fatu.

It took multiple Claymore Kicks, but the champ got the job done in Saudi Arabia against a typically valiant and determined Sami Zayn.

McIntyre now appears set for WrestleMania 42 title match

Ahead of the Rumble, it had been widely reported that McIntyre was set to defend his title against Cody Rhodes and potentially Jacob Fatu at WrestleMania 42, in April. Of course, plans can change, but it does indeed look like the Scotsman will walk into Las Vegas in a couple of months’ time holding the gold.

Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre | WWE

At the time of writing, the men’s Royal Rumble match was yet to happen, so any potential number one contenders to McIntyre’s WWE Title had not been identified. Of course, the men’s rumble winner may not choose McIntyre as his WrestleMania opponent, which would then leave Elimination Chamber in Chicago on February 28 as the destination for a potential challenger to the Glaswegian to be revealed.

In defeating Zayn, McIntyre became the first person ever to record a win over the Underdog From the Underground in Saudi Arabia. With Zayn being a practicing Muslim, the bout in Riyadh felt like a home game for the former United States Champion, with the 25,000-strong crowd in Saudi Arabia incredibly vocal in their support of the challenger.

McIntyre looking to put past WrestleMania disappointments behind him

McIntyre will be looking to build upon a WrestleMania record which has seen him capture World Title gold on two separate occasions at the Grandaddy of ‘em All.

The Scottish Warrior dethroned Brock Lesnar as WWE Champion at WrestleMania 36, in 2020 and, briefly, became World Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania 40 after pinning Seth Rollins. Damian Priest and CM Punk quickly crashed that party, however, with Priest taking a Punk assist to cash in his Money In The Bank contract on the Scotsman.

McIntyre’s first WWE Title victory infamously took place in front of no fans, however. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WrestleMania 36 was held in an empty Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. With his second ‘Mania title victory turning to defeat roughly five minutes after it happened, the WWE Champion will be hoping for a more golden moment in the Nevada sun at WrestleMania 42.

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Joe Baiamonte
JOE BAIAMONTE

Joe Baiamonte is a contributing writer for The Takedown On SI, joining the team in April, 2025. Joe has been covering professional wrestling, sports and entertainment for over a decade, serving as editor at SPORTbible between 2014 and 2018 - where he helped the team to three consecutive Football Blogging Awards - and as head of sport at Unilad. Joe has written for numerous outlets in the United Kingdom and United States, including The Sportsman, Sporf, Pubity, GiveMeSport and The Sportster, interviewing the likes of Neymar, Harry Kane, Ruud Gullit, Triple H, Ric Flair, Cody Rhodes, Becky Lynch, Rey Mysterio, Aaron Boone, Alex Cora, Chris Sale and Chase Uttley. He has a BA (Hons) degree in Journalism and Broadcasting from the University of Salford and currently resides in Manchester, England, having been raised just down the road in Burnley. He briefly moved to Croatia with his family after the birth of his son, where he spent an entire summer writing on the beach and eating squid.

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