The reason why WWE decided against booking Bron Breakker as the 2026 men’s WWE Royal Rumble winner
While Bron Breakker was reported to be the “whiteboard favorite” to win the 2026 Men’s Royal Rumble match in late 2025, Roman Reigns ultimately emerged as the winner.
During the third season of WWE Unreal on Netflix, behind-the-scenes footage showed WWE’s creative team discussing plans for the Royal Rumble. Here was the exchange regarding the possibility of Breakker winning…
Jonathan Baeckstrone, WWE Vice President of Creative Writing: “Heading into Mania, Breakker winning the Rumble and going into Mania as the challenger feels like a more organic build for him.”
Paul “Triple H” Levesque: “So the risk with Bron Breakker is everything from can he actually do it? Can he mentally handle it? Will fans accept it? So you have to really be sure.”
Ryan Ward, WWE Vice President of Creative Writing: “The Royal Rumble was a star-making moment for him to win and get where we need to go.”
Baeckstrone: “For whatever reason, him winning the title immediately feels to me like we’re just kind of [shoving him down your throat].”
Triple H: “Yeah, I think you can make a shocking moment out of it, but I still worry a little bit that it feels like you’re just shoving him down your throat.”
— BullsGotNext (@HARBURRITO) July 21, 2026