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Roman Reigns Wins the 2026 Men's WWE Royal Rumble Match

Roman Reigns will main event his eleventh WrestleMania this April.
Sid Pullar III|
Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns | WWE

After 11 years since his first victory in 2015, Roman Reigns won his second Royal Rumble by outlasting 29 other competitors in the 2026 Men's Rumble Match and will now go on to headline his record-breaking eleventh WWE WrestleMania Premium Live Event.

In the main event of WWE Royal Rumble 2026, 30 stars competed in the Men's Royal Rumble Match in front of a loud crowd in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and saw an array of surprise entrants, including former AEW star Royce Keys (Powerhouse Hobbs), LA Knight, Lucha Libre AAA stars Mr. Iguana and La Parka.

However, when the smoke settled in the one-hour-long battle, it was Reigns who walked away with the victory and punched his ticket for WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, this April.

Roman Reigns joins elite company as a two-time Royal Rumble winner in Saudi Arabia

This year's Royal Rumble 2026 Premium Live Event marked the first to emanate from outside of North America, taking place from the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This marked the first official Men's Royal Rumble to take place in the country (excluding the Greatest Royal Rumble back in 2018).

Coming into the match, there were several stars pegged as favorites, including Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Bron Breakker and Roman Reigns. However, Breakker came in at #2 and was quickly eliminated by Oba Femi after an attack from a mystery assailant, wearing a mask and hoodie before he entered the match.

Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns | Netflix

The closing minutes of this bout saw a few eye-opening moments, including Undisputed WWE Champion Drew McIntyre getting involved to deliver a Claymore to eliminate Cody Rhodes, denying him the opportunity at a rematch for the title he lost earlier this month.

Coming in a prime position at the #26 spot, Reigns had to deal with several of the biggest stars in the company, including his cousins Jey Uso and Jacob Fatu. Ironically enough, "The OTC" eliminated both former Bloodline members before making it to the final four with Randy Orton, Logan Paul and Gunther.

This led to Roman eliminating Paul, while Gunther eliminated Orton to bring the field down to the final two. "The Ring General" looked to give Reigns the same treatment that he gave to AJ Styles earlier in the night to end his WWE career by applying the sleeper over and over again.

Following a heated exchange, Reigns was able to escape the sleeper, deliver a massive spear, and finally eliminate Gunther to win the 2026 Royal Rumble Match.

The former six-time WWE World Champion will now take part in a World Title Match and the main event of WrestleMania 42.

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Sid Pullar III
SID PULLAR III

Sid Pullar III is a lifelong pro wrestling fan who has been covering the business for the past eight years. Starting off as a podcaster and creator of the Tru Heel Heat Wrestling YouTube channel, he made the transition to news and feature writing with Sportskeeda and WrestleTalk in 2020. His passion for the industry has been documented with over 3,000 videos on YouTube and 8,000 written pieces across multiple outlets, such as Fightful, WrestleTalk, The Takedown and more. Follow him on X @TruHeelSP3

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