IWC Scum — My Top Five Frontrunners to Win The 2026 Men’s Royal Rumble (Notice I Didn’t Use The Term ‘Favorites’)
Welcome back to the column that puts the incessant whining and complaining in IWC. I’m SkitZ – a perpetual dumpster fire of a writer who lives for littering this site with his garbage takes.
There’s this weird dichotomy that exists within pro wrestling where fans crave the shock and awe approach on a regular basis, but we also wanna know any and everything at all times. Thus making it practically impossible to keep us happy for longer than a couple days at a pop, but boy oh boy does the IWC love to rejoice in the immediate afterglow of a huge development.
The latest one being Drew McIntyre defeating Cody Rhodes on Friday night to capture the Undisputed WWE Championship. It only took four attempts in as many months and some timely interference from a returning Jacob Fatu, but here we finally are. Both men were in desperate need of a change in direction, and the title swap essentially killed two birds with one stone. The question now becomes what happens to the bitter rivals moving forward? Is Triple H willing to roll the dice and let Drew carry the belt for the foreseeable future? Can a company that’s so Cody-centric keep him away from the World Title for that long of a period? Who the hell knows, but what I am sure of is how refreshing it feels to not have the slightest clue heading into this WrestleMania season.
A year ago, it became painfully obvious that Cody and Gunther would coast into WM41 as our respective World Champions. Rhodes was destined to hold the gold for a minimum of 365 days after such a landmark victory over The Tribal Chief. Meanwhile, you also knew the mere idea of somebody dethroning The Ring General before Mania was completely off the table. 2026 however has already bucked that trend and made the road back to Allegiant Stadium a lot more uncertain, and I for one love it. The field heading into the men’s Royal Rumble match feels as wide open as the NFL Playoffs this season. Care to hear who my top five frontrunners are to win this year’s 30-man marathon? Yeah well shut up and sit tight, because I’m sharing them regardless.
1. Bron Breakker
Despite a tough loss to CM Punk last Monday, he looked every bit a future World Champion in defeat. Not only does it strengthen Bron’s case for why he should be the odds-on favorite to win this year’s Rumble, but his feud with the reigning champ appears far from over. Breakker might very well end up receiving a rematch for the title on the 31st in Riyadh, which would ultimately render this pick of mine meaningless. Is that the move here though? Mmmmm me thinks not.
I’d actually like Bron’s chances of winning the Rumble better if Seth had never gotten hurt and kicked out of The Vision. Your boy SkitZ believes that match still happens when Rollins returns at the Elimination Chamber to cost Breakker his title opportunity, but in a WrestleMania showdown which doesn’t include any championships. As far as the Royal Rumble is concerned, I think it’s far more plausible that Bron is the last man eliminated while Punk defends his belt at said event against another Vision member; either Bronson Reed or Logan Paul.
2. LA Knight
Is there anyone on the roster who WWE’s dickteased us with but fucked over more times than this guy? For the love of my brittle sanity, pull the trigger already. LA Knight’s been off TV for going on five weeks thanks to a vehicular assault at the hands of Bronson Reed, but The Megastar is bound to resurface with a bang in the men’s Royal Rumble match. I daresay Knight winning makes the most sense in terms of his own story arc, as there’s unfinished business with Punk following their respective pursuits of the World Heavyweight Title on RAW, as well as SmackDown history with McIntyre stemming from last year’s Rumble event.
Given that CM and LA are both strong babyface characters, I’d prefer The Megastar go after Drew’s championship instead. Either match works though, and the only logical conclusion is Knight finally winning the big one. It truly feels like now or never for him. Plenty of people will argue that The Megastar is nothing more than an overachieving midcarder, but he’s earned the right to at least try and prove the haters wrong.
3. AJ Styles
Based on how Jey Uso’s 2025 panned out, I can’t help but feel as if this first ballot Hall of Famer should’ve been the one chosen to win last year’s Royal Rumble and dethrone Gunther at WrestleMania. WWE has a golden opportunity to right that wrong in 2026, especially with AJ’s retirement looming. Styles is likely to call it quits sometime between WM42 and SummerSlam, and what better way for him to go out than by winning the very event he debuted at a decade ago and headlining Night 1 or 2 in Las Vegas? Sounds like the perfect storybook ending if you ask me.
While a title match with Drew presents an interesting scenario for AJ, I’d much rather Styles face Punk simply due to the story they could tell on the stick and in the ring at WrestleMania. Whether you wanna blame it on injuries or just plain bad booking, the company hasn’t done a whole lot with The Phenomenal One throughout these last few years, which is a goddamn travesty. Even the tag team stuff with Dragon Lee, whilst entertaining, pretty much sums up the value upper management places on AJ’s overall worth at this stage of his career. Do right by this legend and give him the proper sendoff.
4. Roman Reigns
Please understand that I’m not advocating for or trying to manifest this in any way, shape or form. If it were me writing these scripts, The Tribal Chief wouldn’t come anywhere near either World Title for the remainder of his active career. Not only does another championship reign do very little to enhance Roman’s legacy, but it would pale in comparison to his historic 1,316 day run.
As much as I’d prefer The Tribal Chief spend his final years working exclusively with younger talent and staying the fuck away from Seth Rollins or Brock Lesnar, Roman is always going to be a strong contender to win any Royal Rumble match he competes in. Less so now that Cody seems to be heading into Mania without a title, but I can’t deny that championship clashes with McIntyre and Punk make as much storyline sense as they would money. Plus, Reigns somehow only has one Royal Rumble victory to his credit, and you know how much WWE loves to pad those stats. I’m hoping Seth vacating the title threw enough of a wrench in the company’s creative plans that Roman lands a slot on the Mania card wrestling Breakker or Rhodes in a match void of any hardware.
5. Sami Zayn OR Cody Rhodes
This of course hinges on whether or not Sami becomes number one contender and challenges Drew for the gold in Saudi. If Zayn falls short and has to settle for the Royal Rumble match itself, then he rounds out my top five. And if not, I’ll begrudgingly go with Cody.
With the next Saturday Night’s Main Event being held in Montreal, smart money is on Sami winning the Fatal Four Way. Would Hunter actually book McIntyre to drop his newly won championship just three weeks later? Normally I’d say there’s no chance whatsoever, but we’re talking about Drew here. Anything is possible, and the fact that so many of us are skeptical of McIntyre even making it to WrestleMania with the title is indicative of how shitty the company has treated him. Is it time for them to finally put all their chips on Zayn and let it ride in his home away from home? Does Sami win the belt outright from Drew, or does he fail to gain entry into said match and punches his ticket to WrestleMania by winning the Royal Rumble instead? Decisions decisions…
For the past several months, I’ve been under the assumption that WWE is intentionally delaying Zayn’s big moment until Riyadh hosts WrestleMania in 2027. However the more I’ve mulled it over, the less likely it seems that Triple H & Co. can keep fans invested in Sami finishing his story for another 12 months. After Zayn made such a big deal about capturing that elusive World Championship last year, only to fall further and further out of said title picture as the months rolled on, I believe the streaky fan favorite has to act now or risk losing this moment forever. And yet Sami heading into Mania as WWE Champion feels like a long shot. Who would he face? Drew again? Randy? Roman? Heel Cody? It’s a crapshoot.
Rhodes has had his overprivileged mitts on the title for the better part of the last 21 months (83.3% of it according to my shoddy math), so tell me why he seems like far more of a betting favorite to win his third Royal Rumble in four years over a beloved underdog who’s failed to win a single one? Is it so Cody can stay on pace with John Cena’s domination in World Title matches at consecutive WrestleManias? Or so the peroxide kingpin can seek redemption on McIntyre in a rematch which nobody wishes to see? Or so the golden boy can jump back to RAW and steal the World Heavyweight Championship away from Punk? Yeahhhhhh hard pass on every one of those options. Cody shouldn’t even be in consideration, but you can’t put it past the company shoehorning him into one of those coveted main event spots at WM42. Therefore I’m sending prayers that Rhodes and Reigns cancel each other out; clearing a path for someone new to win the 2026 Royal Rumble.
Who’s your pick to outlast 29 other losers on the final night of January? Does Hunter and his goon squad have bigger plans for midlife crisis Jericho than I’m anticipating? Did I screw up by snubbing Gunther the legend slayer? My girlfriend’s convinced it’s gonna be Jacob Fatu, and I had to break the news to her gently.