With the Royal Rumble right around the corner, Dave Meltzer has speculated what tricks WWE might pull off this weekend.
It is that time of year again, the time where 30 men and 30 women all compete in a match to determine who gets a world title shot at WrestleMania, the Royal Rumble is finally here.
The 2026 Royal Rumble Premium Live Event takes place on January 31 in Saudi Arabia, and both the men's and women's Rumble matches are shaping up to be some of the most unpredictable in recent years. As usual, the full field for both matches haven't been announced to allow room for surprises, debuts, and returns, and in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer speculated on who fans might see in the Rumble matches this Saturday.
Starting with the ladies, a total of 17 women have officially been confirmed for the Rumble match at the time of writing, with more set to be announced on the January 30 episode of "WWE SmackDown." Last year's winner Charlotte Flair, the first-ever women's Rumble winner Asuka, and previous winners like Bayley, Rhea Ripley, and Becky Lynch are amongst the participants, but one previous winner that hasn't been confirmed just yet is the 2021 winner, Bianca Belair. Meltzer noted that Belair has been out of action since WrestleMania 41, but should be ready to come back by now and is rumored to be involved in this weekend's Rumble.
Someone who has never been in a Rumble match is AJ Lee, who made her return to WWE in September 2025 and has since competed in the women's WarGames match at Survivor Series. Meltzer stated that Lee has got a WWE Women's Intercontinental Championship match planned against Becky Lynch, something that was penciled in when Lee returned to wrestling, and that the Rumble match this weekend could be used to start that program which is likely to conclude at WrestleMania 42. There's also the possibility of some involvement from the "WWE NXT" roster as both Kelani Jordan and Sol Ruca are reportedly in Saudi Arabia, while Lola Vice and Jacy Jayne are rumored to be there as well, with Meltzer noting that Jayne wasn't at the January 27 episode of "WWE NXT" and was pulled from this weekend's house show loop.
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The Men's Rumble Could Have A Number Of Surprises
Much like the women's Royal Rumble match, 17 men have been confirmed to be involved in the men's Rumble match, including the winners of the previous four Rumble bouts, Jey Uso, Cody Rhodes, and Brock Lesnar.
One man who was confirmed to be in the match was Rey Mysterio, but his position in the match is in doubt due to an injury he suffered on the January 26 episode of "WWE Raw." Meltzer believes that Rey could be replaced depending on how serious the injury is, but that the Rumble match is easy to protect someone in, and that WWE could run an angle to keep him in the match. Rey's son Dominik Mysterio has also been out of action with an injury, but while Meltzer has not received an update on Dominik's condition, he was told that he would likely be ready to come back for the Rumble match. While the AAA Mega Champion could be back in time, AAA is likely to have some representation in the Rumble match as Mr. Iguana is reportedly in Saudi Arabia.
Meltzer stated that there are a number of roster members that should be expected to be in the match, including LA Knight who was reportedly planned to return at the event after doing an injury angle at the end of 2025. Aleister Black is another name fans could see as the broken tailbone he suffered at the start of 2026 isn't serious enough to keep him out of Saudi Arabia, and Chad Gable is also rumored to be ready for a return after his own spell on the sidelines with an injury. Meltzer noted that Grayson Waller was pulled from the same "NXT" house show loop that Jacy Jayne was, but that he could just be used for "SmackDown," which is the same situation for Fraxiom and The Motor City Machine Guns, who are slated to be in the country.
Then there is the case of potential new signings. Meltzer didn't say anything about former AEW TNT Champion Powerhouse Hobbs, or WWE's newest Saudi signing Fahd Tuwaiq, but he did say that there is a possibility of Chris Jericho finally making his WWE return. Jericho has been expected in the company for all of January but has yet to appear, and is still on the AEW roster page at the time of writing. However, Jericho is expected in WWE very soon, and Meltzer believes that the Rumble match is the natural landing place for him.
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Category: General Sports
