Roman Reigns won the WWE Royal Rumble match for the second time on January 31st as he outlasted 29 other superstars to punch his ticket to yet another WrestleMania main event. The Rumble is arguably WWE’s second biggest event on the calendar behind the aforementioned ‘Mania, and 2026 marked the first time in history that the storied event took place outside of North America as Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, played host. In the end, it was the OTC who had himself quite the Arabian night.
Rumble Somewhat Underwhelms
The match itself was nothing to write home about. The much-anticipated return of iconic veteran Chris Jericho never came to fruition, Brock Lesnar was unceremoniously dumped out midway through Jey Uso’s never-ending entrance, and workhorses such as Dominik Mysterio and Finn Balor didn’t even compete in the match. But Reigns will not care one bit, and he now has the opportunity to embark upon a record extending 11th WrestleMania main event.
2026’s installment of the Showcase of the Immortals will take place on the weekend of April 18th-19th inside Las Vegas’ stunning Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFL’s Raiders. When it does, a new upstart outlet will be covering the action every step of the way. Popular new betting site Ozoon sportsbook will launch by the time Mania rolls around, and the budding site will be following the combat sports world closely, with many of the biggest contests poised for unrivalled coverage. But what will the new site have to feature heading into the Sin City showcase, specifically surrounding Rumble winner Reigns? Let’s take a look.
Title Shot Beckons
The winner of the Royal Rumble match is guaranteed a title shot against a champion of their choosing in the main event of WrestleMania, hence the prestige of the 30-man over-the-top-rope extravaganza. Reigns now has that luxury, but who will he choose as his opponent? There are certainly plenty of options.
CM Punk is the current World Heavyweight Champion, and a clash between him and the Tribal Chief would undoubtedly be tantalizing. The two have crossed paths numerous times since the Second City Saint’s Return to WWE in November 2023, usually as allies. They squared off at WrestleMania last year in a triple-threat match with Seth Rollins also involved, and ultimately, Rollins emerged as the victor.
Could WWE head in the direction of Punk vs Reigns in a one-on-one match for the gold in Las Vegas? It makes sense. The two have both been managed by the slimy Paul Heyman at one point or another throughout their illustrious careers. As well as that, Reigns has never held the World Heavyweight Championship, usually instead competing for either the WWE or Universal titles, even going as far as to unify those two straps in Dallas four years ago. Could he now turn his attention to the “Big Gold Belt” for the first time?
As mentioned, it’s the WWE Championship that Reigns usually covets, a title which is currently held by Drew McIntyre. The two do have some history, with Reigns retaining the title against the Scottish Warrior at Clash in the Castle in 2022 in nefarious circumstances throughout his record-setting 1,316-day reign as champion. Could the two former rivals be about to run it back with the roles of champion and challenger reversed on the grandest stage of them all? It’s possible, but it seems like a long shot.
The Trilogy
The reason why Reigns vs McIntyre seems so far-fetched is that onlookers are nigh-on certain that Cody Rhodes will reclaim the WWE Championship before WrestleMania. The American Nightmare had reigned as champion since SummerSlam, where he dethroned John Cena and ended the iconic superstar’s record-breaking 17th world title reign. Having been seemingly locked on course for a third clash between Rhodes and Reigns on the Grandest Stage of Them All, WWE shockingly changed direction, opting for McIntyre to dethrone the champion on the February 9th edition of SmackDown.
Should Rhodes reclaim the gold before April, then a third clash between him and Reigns is surely the option that WWE will go for. The two rivals met in the main events of ‘Mania 39 and 40, with Reigns winning the first time around in Los Angeles, only for Rhodes to return the favor a year later in Philadelphia. Two years on, could the two bitter rivals be locked on a collision course once again? And if they are, will the ‘heel and ‘face’ dynamics be swapped?
In their two previous clashes, Reigns has been the resident bad guy – the heel – while Rhodes has been fighting the good fight – the face. However, the WWE Universe has seemingly turned on its once beloved champion in recent weeks, providing the perfect opportunity to turn Rhodes heel. With Reigns now firmly positioned as an adored “good guy,” seeing the two face off with roles reversed on the grandest stage would provide an interesting dynamic ahead of one of the most lucrative sagas WWE has ever created.