WWE Royal Rumble 2026 Early Start Time, Odds, New Entrants And Favorites

WWE Royal Rumble 2026 | Key Points

• Roman Reigns became the latest big name to declare for the 2026 WWE Royal Rumble last night on SmackDown.
• The 2026 WWE Royal Rumble will emanate from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for the first time ever on January 31. Royal Rumble posters in Riyadh feature talent from the men’s and women’s NXT rosters.
• Roman Reigns declared for the WWE Royal Rumble as part of a vignette on SmackDown. In addition to Gunther, Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Liv Morgan, Roxanne Perez, Raquel Rodriguez, Bayley and Lyra Valkyria, Asuka and Kairi Sane have declared for the 2026 WWE Royal Rumble match since Raw and SmackDown.

WWE Royal Rumble 2026 Updates And Favorites

Roman Reigns and Liv Morgan remain atop the favorites, respectively. Reigns declared for the Royal Rumble during last night’s broadcast of SmackDown. WWE has done very little to promote its first Big Four event of the year outside of announcing entrants. The Royal Rumble sells itself, and this year’s broadcast will be a paid show in Saudi Arabia, where ticket demand rose to almost one million when tickets went on sale. WWE is expected to make upwards of $50 million for the Royal Rumble.

If any pay-per-view didn’t need to be promoted, it’s the Royal Rumble, however the lack of a build takes the air out of the anticipation. Regardless, Royal Rumble remains one of WWE’s most anticipated shows, and as of this writing both the men’s and women’s Rumble once again feel wide open.

Potential surprise entrants in the 2026 WWE Royal Rumble include:

• Chris Jericho
• Will Hobbs
• Bianca Belair
• Blake Monroe
• Chad Gable
• Paige
• Oba Femi

WWE Men’s Royal Rumble 2026 Odds Via Betonline.com

1. Roman Reigns (+175)
2. Gunther (+200)
3. Sami Zayn (+400)
4. Bron Breakker (+500)
5. LA Knight (+600)
6. Jacob Fatu (+700)
7. Oba Femi (+1400)
8. Seth Rollins (+1800)
9. Dirty Dominik Mysterio (+2000)
10. CM Punk (+2000)

Jacob Fatu has seen significant line movement in the odds over the past week. Last week, Fatu was listed at +2000, but has since shot up to +700. These odds place him just outside the Top 5, and are better than Dirty Dom, Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar, who is a surprising +2500. Paul Heyman recently teased that “The Big Man” was on the phone this past week on Raw. Alongside The Rock and Vince McMahon, Brock Lesnar has also dominated speculation of being the mystery caller.

In the women’s Royal Rumble, Tiffany Stratton was the biggest riser after being previously listed at +1000.

WWE Women’s Royal Rumble 2026 Odds

1. Liv Morgan (-115)
2. Bianca Belair (+200)
3. Rhea Ripley (+300)
4. Tiffany Stratton (+700)
5. Charlotte Flair (+1200)
6. IYO SKY (+1400)
7. Lyra Valkyria (+1800)
8. Nia Jax (+2200)
9. Chelsea Green (+2200)
10. Jade Cargill (+2500)

WWE SmackDown Ratings And Viewership

• January 16, 2026 | Total viewership unavailable, 0.21 in 18-49
• January 9, 2026 | 990,000
• January 2, 2026 | 1.175 million
• December 26, 2025 | 1.138 million
• December 19, 2025 | 995,000

WWE Royal Rumble Start Time And Where To Stream

• WWE Royal Rumble Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026
• WWE Royal Rumble Start Time: 11:00 am PST (2:00 pm EST)
• Where to Watch/Stream WWE Royal Rumble: ESPN Unlimited

WWE Royal Rumble Ticket Sales For January 31, 2026

• WWE Royal Rumble Venue: King Abdullah Financial District (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
• WWE Royal Rumble Ticket Demand: 868,000 potential ticket buyers in queue.