Royal Rumble Touches Down in Riyadh for Its First-Ever Run Outside North America

The Royal Rumble. The event that marks the road to WrestleMania. This prestigious WWE event has always started the year and set WWE Superstars on their paths for the rest. Converging storylines, an insight to the pinnacle of WWE, and a match packed to the brim with talent. Once in a lifetime meetings, the hopes and dreams of fans, superstars, and a longing for a grand show. 

This 39th edition of the Royal Rumble takes place on Saturday the 31st January at a new stage – Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at a specially constructed venue in the King Abdullah Financial District as a part of Riyadh Season. Announced by the General Entertainment Authority in cooperation with WWE, under the leadership of HE Turki Alalshikh, the event marks the first time the Royal Rumble is staged outside North America. It is an epic occasion, one that further cements WWE’s expanding relationship with Saudi Arabia and stands as the biggest WWE show yet held in the country.

The Royal Rumble, Explained

The Royal Rumble remains one of the most recognisable matches within the WWE, a 30-person over-the-top elimination match usually featuring a spread of current stars, upcoming talent, and entries like celebrities and legends of the game. The match begins with the first two WWE Superstars in the ring, entrants 1 and 2, while the remaining 28 join at timed intervals. Each Superstar battles to eliminate the other, knocking each other out of the ring and ensuring both feet of their opponents touch the ringside ground. The last standing Superstar in the ring is victorious, gaining the opportunity to challenge for either brand’s top title of their choice.

Each Superstar steps into a blaze of glory, a crowd enthused by who is about to come out, and gets their moment to shine. This new stage of Saudi Arabia brings the festivity to an audience that adores wrestling, and shows how cherished WWE is within the region. Over the last year, the shows in Riyadh have drawn in majestic crowds — fans of Wrestling who have been waiting since childhood to experience an immense live show.

Last year’s Royal Rumble was recognised for being the legend John Cena’s final one, a last honest chance at a title run in his final WWE year before total retirement, but in a dramatic end, fan-fave Jey Uso bested Cena as the final two remaining. It was a shocking defeat, one most fans never expected, but Jey deserved it — going on to challenge and win the World Heavyweight Championship against the Ring General Gunther at Wrestlemania. 

Speaking of retirement, another legend faces his last chance to salvage a stunning career as AJ Styles faces off against Gunther in a match for his career. If he loses, AJ must retire. Similarly, the Ring General Gunther forced John Cena to submit and leave it all behind in the ring as Gunther embraced all the heat he got for his pride in ending an illustrious career.

Meanwhile, in the 2025 Royal Rumble, a returning Charlotte Flair, the legendary 14-time winning WWE Women’s World Champion, blitzed through opponents to become the first woman to win the Royal Rumble twice. Instead of reigniting a feud with Rhea Rhipley, she opted to challenge a young starlet, Tiffany Stratton, who held the WWE Women’s Championship. A fiery feud, showcasing the old vs the new, ended at Wrestlemania, where Tiffany retained her title that she eventually dropped to a dominant Jade Cargill. 

The women’s division is stacked, teeming with prestigious talent. Most WWE fans recognise the women Superstars are better wrestlers than the men in terms of sheer skill. On Saturday, fans can expect to see the greatest gathering of a women’s roster ever put together – featuring Rhea Rhipley, Iyo Sky, Asuka, Alexa Bliss, Liv Morgan, Bayley, Lyra Valkyria, Becky Lynch, Roxane Perez, Chelsea Green, Guilia, and many more. Fans wonder who will be victorious, and who will challenge the powerful Jade Cargill or the illuminating Stephanie Vaquer for a title shot. They also wonder if Saturday marks the return of Tiffany Stratton, a Bianca Belair, and a legend like AJ Lee. 

New Generations, Defining Moments 

This year’s Royal Rumble is an illuminating affair for a few reasons. This will be a first for the new wave of talent in NXT that have joined the main rosters of SmackDown and RAW or are still making ways to the top, such as Je’Von Evans, Trick Williams, Ricky Saints, Kendal Grey, and Blake Monroe. On the flipside, Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton have the opportunity to make their 15th appearances in the Royal Rumble, only second to Kane. The retirement match between a legendary veteran, AJ Styles, and a new, fresher veteran, Gunther. 

It also marks another kind of significant moment for Sami Zayn, whose journey to this Royal Rumble reflects one of the most distinctive careers in modern WWE. A Canadian performer with Syrian roots, Zayn has built his reputation on longevity, adaptability, and an ability to connect across audiences without relying on caricature or gimmickry.

Over the years, he has carved out space through consistency rather than gimmicks, earning trust as both a technical performer and a compelling storyteller in the ring. That grounding has made moments like this resonate more deeply, especially as WWE stages one of its biggest events yet in Riyadh.

Zayn enters the weekend with momentum firmly on his side. He faces Undisputed WWE Champion Drew McIntyre in a singles match for the title, just one week after defeating Trick Williams, Damian Priest, and Randy Orton in a fatal four-way to secure the number one contender spot. It is a defining opportunity, one that places Zayn at the centre of the conversation on one of the grandest stages WWE has ever built. 

There is no doubt that the Saudi fans, the travelling WWE faithful, will make this a grand occasion of pure appreciation, as this terrific event will showcase how cherished WWE is beyond its homeland at one of the highest levels of Wrestling Entertainment.

WWE SmackDown will also emanate from KAFD in Riyadh ahead of Royal Rumble on Friday, January 30, 2026. Royal Rumble streams live on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, exclusively on ESPN in the United States and Netflix internationally.