The 2026 Royal Rumble will likely be remembered as a night of missed opportunities and questionable pacing that was only salvaged by the sheer gravitational pull of the "Tribal Chief."
For nearly four hours, the Riyadh crowd sat through a show that felt strangely hollow, burdened by a Women’s Rumble that prioritized a crowded ring over meaningful storytelling.
The decision to keep more than ten women in the ring for the vast majority of the match resulted in a cluttered, sluggish affair where high-stakes eliminations felt like an afterthought.
While Liv Morgan’s eventual victory provides a tidy conclusion to her three-year odyssey of "almosts," the journey to get there felt like a chore rather than a thrill, leaving the audience exhausted before the midway point of the night.
The emotional core of the undercard was supposed to be the retirement of AJ Styles, but even this felt mishandled.
Seeing a legend of Styles’ caliber hang up the boots on a January secondary show, rather than under the grandest lights of WrestleMania, felt like a disservice to one of the greatest careers in industry history.
Gunther was the expected victor, and while the match was technically sound, the "Career vs. Career" stipulation felt like a hollow plot device to bridge the gap to the main event. It left a bitter taste in the mouths of fans who expected a more prestigious send-off for the "Phenomenal One," contributing to a sense of malaise that hung over the stadium as the Men’s Rumble began.
The Men’s Royal Rumble match itself threatened to follow the same predictable trajectory, leaning heavily on the "Cody Rhodes vs. CM Punk" narrative that has been telegraphed for months.
The action was standard, and for a while, it seemed WWE was content to play it safe with a "paint-by-numbers" finish that would have left the WrestleMania main event feeling like a repetitive foregone conclusion. The energy in the building was dipping as the realization set in that we were headed for a safe, uninspired path to April.
Everything changed the moment Roman Reigns exerted his will. By injecting himself into the finish and ultimately securing the win, Reigns didn't just play the villain; he acted as a much-needed creative reset button. His victory shattered the predictable Cody-centric orbit and reminded the audience that the "Head of the Table" is the only truly indispensable force in the company.
In one move, he transformed a lackluster, frustrating event into a compelling mystery. Roman Reigns didn't just win a match tonight; he rescued a flat WrestleMania season from its own predictability, proving once again that the Bloodline is the only thing keeping the lights on.
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