5 Way too early favorites to win the 2026 WWE Men's Royal Rumble match

The 2026 WWE Royal Rumble takes place on January 31st. That's less than three months away, with two editions of Saturday Night's Main Event and Survivor Series: WarGames on the schedule beforehand.

The landscape atop WWE has drastically changed recently, with three of the four major WWE titles switching hands. That in turn alters the favorites to win each Royal Rumble from month to month.

CM Punk and Jade Cargill won titles at Saturday Night's Main Event. They'll both likely reign until WrestleMania. Stephanie Vaquer won the Women's World title at Wrestlepalooza in September.

Both matches have several intriguing frontrunners. The next five stars are the very early favorites to win the men's Royal Rumble match.

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#5. LA Knight gets the monkey off his back

The Megastar has hovered around the World Heavyweight Championship picture ever since WrestleMania 41. He's fallen short in every bid to win the title. Knight even fell to Bron Breakker ahead of Saturday Night's Main Event.

Those losses could portend future success, much like when a Money in the Bank winner loses most of their matches.

Knight is one of the most popular stars in the business and would be a great challenger for either Punk or Rhodes, provided they are both Champions next April.

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#4. Gunther chops his way to a Royal Rumble victory

The Ring General had two impressive showings in both the 2023 and 2024 Royal Rumble matches. He made the final two in 2023, but didn't compete this year due to holding the World Heavyweight Championship.

He lost the title to Jey Uso at WrestleMania 41, but won it back over the summer. Punk then claimed the belt from Gunther at SummerSlam.

It was in that match that the Austrian star broke his nose. He'll be back at any moment, and when he returns, he'll jump to the top of the favorites to win the 2026 Men's Royal Rumble match.

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#3. Roman Reigns looks to win a second Royal Rumble

If he's around to compete or not a champion, Roman Reigns will always be a favorite to win a Royal Rumble. He's only won one such match, back in 2015 during WWE's attempts to make him the new face of the company.

His part-time status makes it hard for him to be the winner, but it doesn't mean he won't be one of the frontrunners to win in 2026. Reigns has grounds to face both current titleholders.

Rhodes defeated The Tribal Chief for the Undisputed Championship. He has a tenuous rivalry with The Best in the World.

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#2. Sami Zayn's quest to win a World Championship

Jey Uso was a sentimental favorite to win the 2025 Royal Rumble. In 2026, Sami Zayn more than qualifies for that spot. Zayn lost the United States title to Ilja Dragunov, but has never won a World title.

CM Punk and other stars have pointed this fact out to The Ultimate Underdog. Those teases have to pay off at some point.

Instead of going with a former winner, bookers should heavily consider Zayn to win the event. It takes place in Saudi Arabia, and few stars are more popular there than Zayn.

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#1. Bron Breakker is the future of WWE

The Vision was created to push Bron Breakker to the top of WWE. That push came sooner than later due to Seth Rollins' unfortunate injury at Crown Jewel.

Breakker was held out of the battle royal to determine Punk's opponent for the World Heavyweight title at Saturday Night's Main Event.

The booking decision was likely to postpone the spot for a bigger moment, like a Rumble victory and a possible win at WrestleMania.

Royal Rumbles and Money in the Bank should be used to push future main-eventers and under-pushed veterans who deserve title shots but have lost. Breakker fits the former and is atop the list of favorites to win in 2026.

Edited by Matthew Serocki