2026 WWE Royal Rumble results, winners, grades: Roman Reigns, Liv Morgan earn spots at WrestleMania 42

Reigns and Morgan's futures are set; meanwhile, AJ Styles' career is uncertain after losing a retirement match

Roman Reigns and Liv Morgan are going to WWE WrestleMania 42. On Saturday, the former world champions secured their immediate futures by winning their respective Royal Rumble matches.

Reigns' victory puts him in rare company. Reigns joins 10 superstars, all of whom are current or future WWE Hall of Famers, to win two Rumble matches. Among the legendary group were Brock Lesnar and Cody Rhodes, both of whom competed in Saturday's marquee match. Morgan outlasted 29 opponents to win her first Rumble. She'll get to call her shot for either a women's world or WWE women's title match at WrestleMania.

Gunther, the last person eliminated in the men's Rumble match, scored a pivotal win earlier that night, defeating AJ Styles in the latter's retirement match.

CBS Sports was with you for all the action from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Morgan wins Rumble match, Bella Twins return

The intensity picked up as  Sol Ruca, Becky Lynch and Roxanne Perez (No. 11) joined the match. Lynch and Flair were immediately at each other's throats. The former world champions exited under the bottom ropes and brawled outside the ring. Former women's intercontinental champion Maxxine Durpi beelined for her rival Lynch, before showing off her improved repertoire against the rest of the field. Her attention immediately diverted to the entranceway when Nattie's music hit. Dupri and her former mentor exchanged technical holds, leaving space for Lynch to sneak up behind Dupri and eliminate her. Lynch thought she had struck up a friendship with Nattie, but the Hart Dungeon alum -- whose made her ambitions for Lynch's women's intercontinental title clear -- promptly tossed her from the match. 

Judgment Day standout Liv Morgan (No. 14) hit the ring like a bat out of hell and immediately planted Flair with Oblivion. With Jax eliminated earlier, Lash Legend became the biggest threat upon her entry. A power struggle between Legend and Grace ended with the latter's feet hitting the floor. Jax's next feat of strength involved using Zelina Vega (No. 16) like a battering ram before power-bombing her. Legend might've been the biggest physical threat, but there is strength in numbers. Raquel Rodriguez drew No. 17, growing Judgment Day's active tally to three. The trio promptly eliminated James. Chelsea Green joined the match and tried to bargain with Judgment Day. The faction rejected her offer, putting a beating on her and Alba Fyre, who wasn't an official entrant. Giulia (No. 19) nearly eliminated Green, but Alba Fyre transformed into a human step stool to rescue her commander in chief. The talent quota steeply increased with the addition of Iyo Sky at No. 20.

WWE dialed up the prestige in the final third of the women's Rumble. The company showed love to the Japanese promotion Stardom as Giulia, Sky, and Asuka (No. 21) duked it out. Riyadh came unglued for the next entrant, Rhea Ripley. The WWE women's tag team champion dropped numerous opponents before coming into contact with Green. Green tried to negotiate by feeding Ripley other superstars to beatdown. It worked for a while until Ripley decided to toss Green from the match. One of the most impressive moments of the night followed. Ripley intercepted Perez's Pop Rox, converting it to a Razor's Edge and launching her over the top rope. Bayley (No. 23) was the next former world champion to join.

Judgment Day might've been diluted by the numerous top stars entering the match, but they were still a potent force. Morgan eliminated Nattie with an inverted Oblivion. Nikki Bella made her surprise appearance at No. 25, receiving a warm reception from the crowd. Kelani Jordan (No. 27) impressed out of the gate with a phoenix splash and double tornado DDT. Asuka thought she had a helping hand when Kari Sane entered, but she accidentally eliminated Asuka while aiming for Sky. 

The biggest surprise of the night was not Nikki Bella, but her twin sister Brie Bella. Brie, wrestling her first match in four years, received a huge reaction from the crowd as she punished opponents with Yes Kicks. The final entrant was Tiffany Stratton, who hadn't wrestled since losing the WWE women's title in November. The Bella Twins had momentum behind them after eliminating Bayley and Lyra Valkyria, before Legend reinforced herself as a dominant force. Legend tossed the WWE Hall of Famers, then eliminated Flair and Sky.

Half of the remaining field watched helplessly as powerhouses Ripley, Legend, and Rodriguez exchanged blows. Rodriguez roared to life, eliminating her fellow monsters, only to be betrayed by her best friend, Morgan. The match kicked into overdrive with only Morgan, Stratton, and Ruca remaining. Stratton landed a stunning Prettiest Moonsault Ever, followed by a double Sol Snatcher from Ruca. All three women simultaneously dangled from the ropes in the closing seconds. Stratton threw Ruca to the ground but ate a match-ending Oblivion from Morgan. A solid Rumble match that didn't overstay its welcome. WWE explored several narratives throughout the match. The action picked up nicely with the final six. Brie Bella's return was a touching addition. A solid Rumble match that didn't overstay its welcome. WWE explored several narratives throughout the match. The action picked up nicely with the final six. Brie Bella's return was a touching addition. Morgan wins the Royal Rumble. Grade: B

Women's Royal Rumble entrants, results

Number	Entrant order	Elimination order
1	Charlotte Flair	Lola Vice (Grace)
2	Alexa Bliss	Candice LeRae (Grace 2)
3	Kiana James	Ivy Nile (Grace 3)
4	Nia Jax	Nia Jax (Flair)
5	Ivy Nile	Alexa Bliss (Flair 2)
6	Lola Vice	Maxxine Dupri (Lynch)
7	Candice LeRae	Becky Lynch (Nattie)
8	Jordynne Grace	Jordynne Grace (Legend)
9	Becky Lynch	Kiana James (Rodriguez)
10	Sol Ruca	Zelina (Giulia)
11	Roxanne Perez	Chelsea Green (Ripley)
12	Maxxine Dupri	Roxanne Perez (Ripley 2)
13	Nattie	Nattie (Morgan)
14	Liv Morgan	Giulia (Valkyria)
15	Lash Legend	Asuka (Sane)
16	Zelina	Kairi Sane (SKY)
17	Raquel Rodriguez	Lyra Valkyria (B. Bella)
18	Chelsea Green	Bayley (N. Bella)
19	Giulia	Kelani Jordan (Jayne)
20	IYO SKY	Jacy Jayne (Ruca)
21	Asuka	Nikki Bella (Legend 2)
22	Rhea Ripley	Brie Bella (Legend 3)
23	Bayley	Charlotte Flair (Legend 4)
24	Jacy Jayne	IYO SKY (Legend 5)
25	Nikki Bella	Lash Legend (Ripley 3)
26	Lyra Valkyria	Rhea Ripley (Rodriguez 2)
27	Kelani Jordan	Raquel Rodriguez (Morgan 2)
28	Kairi Sane	Sol Ruca (Stratton)
29	Brie Bella	Tiffany Stratton (Morgan 3)
30	Tiffany Stratton	WINNER: Liv Morgan

Gunther retires AJ Styles, finishing a 'Phenomenal' career

Gunther had nearly every physical advantage over Styles. "The Ring General" had size and youth, with comparable technical skill and speed. But Styles is still "Phenomenal." His signature repertoire remained potent, forcing Gunther to be hyperaware. Throughout the match, Gunther observantly and hastily avoided getting caught in the Styles Clash and calf slicer. He stopped Styles from building momentum in transitions, then wore down the older star with control moves. 

With retirement on the line, Styles relied on resolve and experience. He kicked out of two powerbombs, the second of which came after a groin strike beyond the referee's purview. Styles poured out everything he had, powerbombing his large foe, hitting a 450 splash, and Styles Clash. Gunther, offended by Styles' defiance, chopped him mercifully until the living legend's legs gave out. Styles, sporting a beet-red chest, spurred to life after a third serving of chops, pummeling Gunther into the corner. Gunther countered a phenomenal forearm, catching Styles vertically on his shoulders and dropping him into a sleeper hold. Styles desperately fought out of the choke. He appeared to be working his way out of the choke before Gunther reapplied it and put Styles to sleep, ending his WWE career. 

Post-match, Styles received a heartfelt standing ovation. He teased, dropping his gloves, but put them back on after multiple objections from the audience. Styles raised his hands defiantly before waving goodbye to the fans through restrained tears. Styles' exit left suspense about whether he really retired from wrestling, leaving WWE for TNA, or if something entirely different. A very good match between two of the very best. They told a concise story with Styles as the determined, veteran underdog. The finish, while dramatically abrupt, felt like it could've been built up to a little more.  Gunther def. Styles via submission. Grade: B+

Drew McIntyre slays Sami Zayn's dreams

Here are two unfortunate truths: Zayn has never won a WWE world title or beaten McIntyre. Zayn came close to erasing both truths at the Royal Rumble, but ultimately fell short to the undisputed WWE champion. McIntyre and Zayn put forth the best match of the night until that point. McIntyre and Zayn excelled in familiar roles as the cocky brute and plucky underdog, respectively. The match started hot with the challenger hitting a Tope con Giro to the floor. The action swung back and forth with both men hitting their signature moves. Helluva and Claymore kicks were aplenty, as were exploder suplexes and future shock DDTs.

McIntyre started snuffing out Zayn's fire towards the end of the match. A powerbomb onto the announcers' table took most, but not everything, of what Zayn had left. Zayn's final burst of energy was an exploder suplex into the corner to set up the Helluva Kick. Zayn launched towards McIntyre but was intercepted by a Claymore. Instead of covering the challenger, McIntyre lined up Zayn for a second and final Claymore. 

A fantastic match that earned its "this is awesome" chants. The superstars shared great chemistry and played their roles perfectly. The pace and momentum swings made it an enjoyable watch. There were reasons to suspect either man could win, adding to the drama. McIntyre def. Zayn via pinfall to retain the undisputed WWE title. Grade: A

Reigns punches ticket to WrestleMania with Rumble victory

Surprises are expected at the Royal Rumble, but no one predicted the surprise that kicked it off. Bron Breakker was CBS Sports' expert pick to win the men's Rumble match. Our experts could not have been more wrong. Breakker, entering at No. 2, was assaulted by a masked assailant with a moveset conveniently mirroring Seth Rollins, whom The Vision betrayed in October. Breakker stumbled into the ring after eating a curb stomp and was eliminated by Oba Femi (No. 1) within seconds.

Very few WWE superstars thrive in the Royal Rumble like Rey Mysterio (No. 4) does, but the WWE Hall of Famer had his work cut out for him with a monstrous opening field. The legendary underdog shared the ring with Femi, Solo Sikoa, and Rusev. Mysterio handled himself well early, but was soon eliminated by Femi. The former two-time NXT champion singlehandedly eliminated the first five superstars in the match: the aforementioned names and Matt Cardona. Damian Priest was the first to push back against "The Destroyer" Femi, as was Je'Von Evans and his catlike reflexes. A special shoutout to AAA's Mr. Igauna, who Tricky Williams promptly eliminated.

Cody Rhodes, one of four back-to-back Rumble winners, joined the fray at No. 11. This year, he sought to become the only person other than "Stone Cold" Steve Austin to win the match three times. The next surprise was the first encounter between two El Grande Americanos, who entered successively. The brewing rivalry boiled over, with the original American eliminating the imposter. The surprises rolled on with the WWE debut of Royce Keys, formerly AEW's Powerhouse Hobbs. Keys immediately eliminated Priest before facing off with his friend and former ally, Rhodes. 

Entrant No. 20 set the stage for The Vision, even absent Breakker, to feast on the field. Paul entered at the two-thirds mark, joining allies Bronson Reed and Austin Theory. Paul made the mistake of jaw-jacking Keys, who flattened him with a World's Strongest Slam. WWE teased a meaty encounter between Keys and Reed, but The Vision swooped in like vultures and eliminated the debutant.

LA Knight came back with a vengeance. "The Megastar" returned for the first time since Reed hit him with a tsunami onto an SUV last month. Knight immediately eliminated Theory and Reed, blurring The Vision's WrestleMania plans. Fortunately for Paul, the group's sole remaining winner, Heyman had a contingency plan. Lesnar entered at No. 22 to cause complete carnage. A gargantuan confrontation between Lesnar and Femi was teased, but they twice stood around awkwardly waiting for the next entrant. Rey Fenix was one of the poor souls, quickly eliminated without ever seeing his brother, Penta. Lesnar and Femi's eventual collision was brief. Lesnar suplexed his fellow giant, Femi dropped him in return, and was eliminated shortly after. It was an underwhelming delivery for the big build-up.

Heyman's allegiance might be in question with what happened next. Lesnar hit Paul with a German suplex, then was eliminated by the influencer for his transgression. Last year's winner, Jey Uso, entered at No. 24. WWE commentator Michael Cole talked up Uso's chances to win consecutive Rumbles, but he was largely reduced to a comedy act. He called for a theme song encore mid-match, which was interrupted by Roman Reigns. Uso tried to rewind it, but was greeted by his cousin's fist. Their cousin Jacob Fatu (No. 27) was the antithesis of Uso, entering with intensity and getting to business. Randy Orton and Gunther were the final two entrants, increasing the percentage of former world champions in the fray. 

Orton enjoyed a few compelling encounters during the match: intercepting Evans' springboard cutter with an RKO, and facing off with former pupil Rhodes. "The American Nightmare" started strong, but his WrestleMania dreams crashed after undisputed WWE champion McIntyre eliminated him with a Claymore kick. McIntyre's presence also distracted Fatu long enough for Reigns to eliminate him. 

Reigns, Orton, Gunther and Paul were the final four. Orton and Paul were eliminated by Gunther and Reigns, respectively, leaving the two powerhouses to duke it out. The finalists exchanged big moves before Reigns took out Gunther, who beat AJ Styles earlier in the evening, with a spear. The match started hot with the Breakker pivot and Femi's early dominance, but puzzling booking dragged it down. Femi and Lesnar fizzled, Uso looked like a chump, the surprises fell flat, and the final four sorely lacked drama. Reigns wins the Royal Rumble. Grade: B

Men's Royal Rumble entrants, results

Number	Entrant order	Elimination order
1	Oba Femi	Bron Breakker (Femi)
2	Bron Breakker	Rusev (Femi 2)
3	Solo Sikoa	Solo Sikoa (Femi 3)
4	Rey Mysterio	Rey Mysterio (Femi 4)
5	Rusev	Matt Cardona (Femi 5)
6	Matt Cardona	Mr. Iguana (Williams)
7	Damian Priest	El Grande Americano (Original)
8	Je'Von Evans	Original Americano (Williams 2)
9	Mr. Iguana	Trick Williams (Rhodes)
10	Trick Williams	Damian Priest (Keys)
11	Cody Rhodes	Royce Keys (Reed)
12	El Grande Americano	La Parka (Theory)
13	Original El Grande Americano	Dragon Lee (Reed 2)
14	Royce Keys	Austin Theory (Knight)
15	Austin Theory	Bronson Reed (Knight 2)
16	Bronson Reed	Ilja Dragunov (Lesnar)
17	Ilja Dragunov	Rey Fenix (Lesnar 2)
18	La Parka	Oba Femi (Lesnar 3)
19	Dragon Lee	Brock Lesnar (Rhodes 2 & Knight 3)
20	Logan Paul	The Miz (Reigns)
21	LA Knight	LA Knight (Rhodes 3)
22	Brock Lesnar	Je'Von Evans (Orton)
23	The Miz	Penta (GUNTHER)
24	Rey Fenix	Cody Rhodes (Fatu)
25	Jey Uso	Jacob Fatu (Reigns 2)
26	Roman Reigns	Jey Uso (Reigns 3)
27	Jacob Fatu	Logan Paul (Reigns 4)
28	Penta	Randy Orton (GUNTHER 2)
29	Randy Orton	GUNTHER (Regins 5)
30	GUNTHER	WINNER: Roman Reigns

[Jan 31, 2026 at 5:57 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

LA Knight came back with a vengeance. "The Megastar" returned for the first time since Reed tsuanmied him onto an SUV last month. Knight immediately eliminated Theory and Reed, blurring The Vision's WrestleMania plans. Fortunately for Paul, the group's sole remaining winner, Heyman had a contingency plan. Lesnar entered at No. 22 to cause complete carnage. A gargantuan confrontation between Lesnar and Femi was teased, but they twice stood around awkwardly waiting for the next entrant. Rey Fenix was one of the poor souls, quickly eliminated without ever seeing his brother, Penta. Lesnar and Femi's eventual collision was brief. Lesnar suplexed his fellow giant, Femi dropped him in return, and was eliminated shortly after. It was an underwhelming delivery for the big build-up.

Heyman's allegiance might be in question with what happened next. Lesnar hit Paul with a German suplex, then was eliminated by the influencer for his transgression. Last year's winning, Jey Uso, entered at No. 24. WWE commentator Michael Cole talked up Uso's chances to win consecutive Rumbles, but he was largely reduced to a comedy act. He called for a theme song encore mid-match, which was interrupted by Roman Reigns. Uso tried to rewind it, but was greeted by his cousin's fist. Their cousin Jacob Fatu (No. 27) was the antithesis of Uso, entering with intensity and getting to business. Randy Orton and Gunther were the final two entrants, increasing the percentage of former world champions in the fray. 

Orton enjoyed a few compelling encounters during the match: intercepting Evans' springboard cutter with an RKO, and facing off with former pupil Rhodes. "The American Nightmare" started strong, but his WrestleMania dreams crashed after undisputed WWE champion McIntyre eliminated him with a Claymore kick. McIntyre's presence also distracted Fatu long enough for Reigns to eliminate him. 

Reigns, Orton, Gunther, and Paul were the final four. Orton and Paul were eliminated by Gunther and Reigns, respectively, leaving the two powerhouses to duke it out. The finalists exchanged big moves before Reigns took out Gunther, who beat AJ Styles earlier in the evening, with a spear. The match started hot with the Breakker pivot and Femi's early dominance, but puzzling booking dragged it down. Femi and Lesnar fizzled, Uso looked like a chump, the surprises fell flat, and the final four sorely lacked drama. Reigns wins the Royal Rumble. Grade: B

[Jan 31, 2026 at 5:30 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Cody Rhodes, one of four back-to-back Rumble winners, joined the fray at No. 11. This year, he sought to become the only person other than "Stone Cold" Steve Austin to win the match three times. The next surprise was the first encounter between two El Grande Americanos, who entered successively. The brewing rivalry boiled over, with the original American eliminating the imposter. The surprises rolled on with the WWE debut of Royce Keys, formerly AEW's Powerhouse Hobbs. Keys immediately eliminated Priest before facing off with his friend and former ally, Rhodes. 

Entrant No. 20 set the stage for The Vision, even absent Breakker, to feast on the field. Paul entered at the two-thirds mark, joining allies Bronson Reed and Austin Theory. Paul made the mistake of jaw-jacking Keys, who flattened him with a World's Strongest Slam. WWE teased a meaty encounter between Keys and Reed, but The Vision swooped in like vultures and eliminated the debutant.

[Jan 31, 2026 at 5:12 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Surprises are expected at the Royal Rumble, but no one predicted the surprise that kicked it off. Bron Breakker was CBS Sports' expert pick to win the men's Rumble match. Our expert could not have been more wrong. Breakker, entering at No. 2, was assaulted by a masked assailant with a moveset conveniently mirroring Seth Rollins, whom The Vision betrayed in October. Breakker stumbled into the ring after eating a curb stomp and was eliminated by Oba Femi (No. 1) within seconds.

Very few WWE superstars thrive in the Royal Rumble like Rey Mysterio (No. 4) does, but the WWE Hall of Famer had his work cut out for him with a monstrous opening field. The legendary underdog shared the ring with Femi, Solo Sikoa, and Rusev. Mysterio handled himself well early, but was soon eliminated by Femi. The former two-time NXT champion singlehandedly eliminated the first five superstars in the match: the aforementioned names and Matt Cardona. Damian Priest was the first to push back against "The Destroyer" Femi, as was Je'Von Evans and his catlike reflexes. A special shoutout to AAA's Mr. Igauna, who Tricky Williams promptly eliminated.

[Jan 31, 2026 at 4:53 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Saturday's fight match begins. Powerhouses Oba Femi and Bron Breakker start the men's Royal Rumble. One of the 30 participants will earn a world title match of their choosing at WrestleMania 42.

[Jan 31, 2026 at 4:48 pm ET · Shakiel Mahjouri]

Here are two unfortunate truths: Zayn has never won a WWE world title or beaten McIntyre. Zayn came close to erasing both truths at the Royal Rumble, but ultimately fell short to the undisputed WWE champion. McIntyre and Zayn put forth the best match of the night until that point. McIntyre and Zayn excelled in familiar roles as the cocky brute and plucky underdog, respectively. The match started hot with the challenger hitting a Tope con Giro to the floor. The action swung back and forth with both men hitting their signature moves. Helluva and Claymore kicks were aplenty, as were exploder suplexes and future shock DDTs.

McIntyre started snuffing out Zayn's fire towards the end of the match. A powerbomb onto the announcers' table took most, but not everything, of what Zayn had left. Zayn's final burst of energy was an exploder suplex into the corner to set up the Helluva Kick. Zayn launched towards McIntyre but was intercepted by a Claymore. Instead of covering the challenger, McIntyre lined up Zayn for a second and final Claymore. 

A fantastic match that earned its "this is awesome" chants. The superstars shared great chemistry and played their roles perfectly. The pace and momentum swings made it an enjoyable watch. There were reasons to suspect either man could win, adding to the drama. McIntyre def. Zayn via pinfall to retain the undisputed WWE title. Grade: A