Roman Reigns wins Royal Rumble, quietly pulled from WWE show
roman reigns won the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia on January 31 (ET), securing a guaranteed main-event title shot at WrestleMania 42 and setting up a major spring storyline. The win arrived as he was quietly pulled from a WWE show, a development that sharpens attention on his immediate schedule and choices heading into April.
Royal Rumble win and stakes
The Royal Rumble victory returned Reigns to the match for the first time in 11 years and marked his second overall Royal Rumble triumph; his first came in 2015. He dominated the field throughout the night, confronting several challengers, including Jey Uso and Jacob Fatu. That win guarantees a headline spot at WrestleMania 42 and the ability to choose which top championship to challenge: the Undisputed Championship or the World Heavyweight Championship. The decision carries clear match-making consequences because each title represents a separate main-event path.
Roman Reigns title decision ahead
Reigns must decide whether to challenge for the Undisputed Championship or the World Heavyweight Championship. The two current titleholders named in post-event coverage are Drew McIntyre for the Undisputed crown and Gunther for the World Heavyweight title; that choice will determine the opponent he faces at WrestleMania 42, scheduled for April 18 and April 19 (ET) in Las Vegas. The timeline for that announcement is not publicly confirmed, and the promotion’s storytelling between now and WrestleMania will shape which title match reaches the main event slot. If he selects one champion over the other, that selection will define the primary build and opponent-focused angles in the lead-up to mid-April.
Liv Morgan breakthrough and in-ring retirements
The Royal Rumble night produced other headline outcomes. Liv Morgan won the women’s Royal Rumble after entering as competitor number 14 and eliminating Tiffany Stratton to claim the victory. That triumph ends a run of near-misses; it is Morgan’s first Royal Rumble win after finishing as runner-up three times previously. Her victory also guarantees a title shot at WrestleMania 42, with the choosing of a champion to challenge left open.
Shifts in the landscape and immediate fallout
Beyond the two Rumble winners, the card included a match in which Gunther defeated AJ Styles in what coverage described as a career-threatening bout; that loss resulted in Styles officially retiring from in-ring competition after decades. Several other champions retained their belts over the evening, leaving core title pictures largely intact even as the Rumble winners added fresh main-event stakes. Fans and talent reactions noted both the historic aspects of the winners’ moments and the new narrative directions that now head into WrestleMania.
- Key takeaways: Reigns secured a WrestleMania title choice; Morgan will also headline a WrestleMania title match.
- AJ Styles’ in-ring career concluded following a loss that forced retirement.
- WrestleMania 42 on April 18–19 (ET) is now set to feature both Rumble winners in main-event roles.
The Royal Rumble outcome makes the weeks before WrestleMania decisive: Reigns’ announced choice and the promotion’s booking will determine which championship match headlines each WrestleMania night and how the narratives for the Undisputed and World Heavyweight titles are framed. Several storyline confirmations remain unclear at this time and will emerge in the weekly programming leading to mid-April.
