• SmackDown Star No Longer Scheduled To Return Today At The Royal Rumble
Despite being physically present in Saudi Arabia, fans won’t see Aleister Black enter the 30-man Royal Rumble match today. According to PWInsider, WWE has made a tactical decision to keep Black out of the Rumble entirely, thus canceling the original plan for his return.
The logic is based on storytelling: Black’s last televised appearance saw him stuffed into the back of an ambulance following a brutal loss to Damian Priest in an Ambulance Match on the January 2 episode of SmackDown. Creative sources believe that having him simply pop up in a multi-man match would weaken the impact of that defeat.
Instead of a generic Rumble return, WWE is planning a more targeted comeback for Black on an upcoming episode of SmackDown.
• WWE Hall Of Famer Coming Out Of Retirement At Royal Rumble 2026
The Women’s Royal Rumble is about to get some Hall of Fame star power. After years away from the ring, Brie Bella is officially in Saudi Arabia and is set to come out of retirement today.
According to PWInsider, there was a massive internal push over the last few days to bring Brie back for the 30-woman match. To ensure her return remains a surprise, WWE reportedly “spirited” her into Riyadh under a veil of secrecy. This will mark her first match since the 2022 Women’s Royal Rumble, ending a four-year hiatus for the former Divas Champion.
While there were previous discussions about The Bella Twins reuniting at SummerSlam 2025, WWE creative ultimately moved in a different direction, leaving fans wondering when – or if – they would see the twins again.
With Brie now confirmed to be in the building for today’s global showcase, it appears the company has finally found the right moment to hit the “Brie Mode” button once again.
Nikki Bella previously confirmed her entry in today’s Women’s Royal Rumble match.
Also Read: Possible Spoiler On Big Royal Rumble Arrival
• Top WWE Star Wants To Eliminate Brock Lesnar From The Royal Rumble
During an interview on ESPN Get Up, Cody Rhodes said he’s not done with Brock Lesnar ahead of the Royal Rumble:
“I think I’d like to get Brock Lesnar if I could get anyone. I had his last match before he came back and wrestled John Cena.
I thought we ended this thing. Apparently, we did not. But I’d like to be the one to throw that guy out.”
• 2 Pre-Show Matches Added To Royal Rumble 2026
The Royal Rumble card in Riyadh just got a little bigger. According to PWInsider, WWE has quietly added two matches to Royal Rumble 2026:
– The New Day and Grayson Waller vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Motor City Machine Guns
– My Family Tree vs. The Wyatt Sicks
PWInsider noted that these two matches are internally listed as pre-show matches, and there’s no word yet on whether fans will be able to watch them on ESPN (United States), Netflix (outside the United States), or YouTube.
This explains why Waller was noticeably pulled from his scheduled appearances at NXT live events this weekend.
The following 4 matches are scheduled to take place on the main PLE card:
– Men’s Royal Rumble Match: Winner gets a world title match at WrestleMania 42
– Women’s Royal Rumble Match: Winner gets a world title match at WrestleMania 42
– Undisputed WWE Championship Match: Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Sami Zayn
– Career-Threatening Match (If AJ Styles loses, he’ll be forced to retire): AJ Styles vs. Gunther
