2026 WWE Royal Rumble was best of Triple H era, but there was also 1 big problem

The 2026 WWE Royal Rumble was, in many ways, the best of the Triple H era since “The Game” took over as chief content officer, but there were still glaring issues with the annual battle royals.

Roman Reigns and Liv Morgan won the Men’s and Women’s Royal Rumbles in 2026, respectively, and while they were the correct choices, both matches were missing something.

Somehow, they were simultaneously the best and worst of Triple H’s tenure as WWE COO. The pacing of the action and entrants were mostly the best of Triple H’s time as COO, but then there were mind-boggling decisions that really left viewers scratching their heads.

Brock Lesnar and Oba Femi were a missed opportunity for WWE

When Oba Femi entered the 2026 Royal Rumble first, it was clear WWE was positioning for a Brock Lesnar circa 2020-like role where he eliminated most of the field in the first half of the battle royal.

Femi effectively ran through the first few entrants, from Bron Breakker to Matt Carodna, but was unceremoniously thrown over the top rope by Lesnar nearly 40 minutes later.

After a while, it became clear WWE was waiting for a Lesnar-Femi showdown. Lesnar entered the match at No. 22, and he almost immediately went after Femi.

Their stare-down lasted until The Miz’s entrance a few moments later. It was very reminiscent of what WWE did with Lesnar and Gunther during the 2023 Royal Rumble (which they have yet to pay off).

The wiser and more experienced Lesnar getting the upper hand on Femi was not the problem. In fact, his elimination of Femi is completely fine, so long as WWE intends to give Femi his win back later.

Why didn’t it work?

The problem was how unceremonious it all felt. Femi didn’t get overpowered by Lesnar, the “Beast Incarnate,” but rather, outsmarted. He turned his back on Lesnar, opening the door for him to simply dump him over the top rope.

Femi was gone, and the WWE announcers barely gave him his flowers. He ran roughshod through the early goings, and he barely got a proper exit. Someone that powerful deserves to be eliminated in dominant fashion. Lesnar overpowering him would have made so much more sense instead of outsmarting him.

When has Lesnar ever won a match in this fashion? Sure, he’s got a high in-ring IQ, but both men are known for their power. Even when they finally charged each other, it resembled bullfighting — with Lesnar side-stepping Femi — more than a wrestling match. If nothing else, this sequence felt out of character for Lesnar.

Again, having Lesnar be the wise veteran and Femi being the young upstart anxious to make a name for himself is a tale as old as time. WWE just fumbled when it came time for it to crescendo.

Brock Lesnar’s elimination was a bigger problem

Lesnar gloated for a moment. However, he would get thrown over the top rope minutes later by Cody Rhodes and LA Knight. Again, who eliminated him was not the problem.

It happened during Jey Uso’s eternal entrance. Uso, a fan favorite, “Yeeted” his way through the crowd. Fans should have expected nothing less, though Lesnar’s elimination during it was unexpected.

He got clotheslined over the top rope by Rhodes and Knight. There was no story or moment for either of them. Rhodes has already gotten his wins over Lesnar during their 2023 feud, but giving the attention to one of them would’ve made sense.

Eliminating Lesnar should be a big deal. It single-handedly solidified Drew McIntyre as a main-event star in 2020. Giving Femi, Gunther (whom Lesnar didn’t even meet in the match), or even Knight the rub here would’ve gone a long way.

Overall, Lesnar’s participation felt like it was done out of obligation. Even his entrance with Paul Heyman after Breakker was attacked and eliminated was barely touched on.

The match’s limited scope

It felt like WWE had a very limited scope when it came to its Superstars in the Royal Rumble matches in 2026. The beauty of these matches is the ability for Superstars to interact in ways they may never have otherwise. For example, will Lesnar and Ilja Dragunov ever have a singles match? Probably not, especially seeing how Lesnar no-sold Dragunov’s offense. But seeing them trade blows is interesting nonetheless.

However, for some of the part-timers like Lesnar and especially Reigns, their interactions were mostly limited to those they’ve fought before. It’s honestly surprising Lesnar and Reigns didn’t have another face-off to tease yet another chapter in their storied rivalry.

Reigns only had notable moments with Uso, his cousin, Jacob Fatu, another one of his cousins, and Rhodes, with whom he’s already had several high-profile matches.

This is a vast difference from a year ago, which saw Reigns and Penta team up for brief periods in the Royal Rumble match, if you can believe that.

The magic was gone in 2026. It felt very straight-to-business, and Reigns lacked a memorable moment leading up to his victory. Even his final encounter with Gunther — which should lead to a match someday, if WWE is smart — felt flat in comparison to what Morgan, Tiffany Stratton, and Sol Ruca pulled off in the final moments of the women’s battle royal.

LA Knight may never get his moment

Since 2023, WWE fans have waited to see Knight get his moment. While he got a big pop from the Riyadh crowd upon his return at the 2026 Royal Rumble, his impact on the match otherwise was minimal.

Sure, he eliminated two members of the Vision, but is it too harsh to call out the fact that it was the two lowest-ranking members of the faction (Austin Theory and then Bronson Reed)?

Logan Paul, the fourth member of the Vision, was not eliminated by Knight. Instead, he lasted until the final four. Is it written into Paul’s contract that he has to be in the final four?

In his three Royal Rumbles, Paul has finished in third place twice and in fourth place in 2026. At least in past Rumbles, Paul earned his spot with viral moments. He did nothing spectacular in the 2026 Royal Rumble besides make it to the final four, only to be thrown over the top rope by Reigns.

Back to Knight, who continues to be a good soldier despite WWE’s continuous attempt to axe the character’s popularity, 2026 was the make-or-break moment for him. Sure, he could still win Money in the Bank or King of the Ring, but if it hasn’t happened yet, why would it in 2026? All it took for him to be eliminated from the Rumble was a disaster kick from Rhodes. It was such a flat way to go out after eliminating three Superstars.

The Women’s Royal Rumble had similar issues

The Women’s Royal Rumble was substantially better. The men’s match appeared to have a chance to top the women’s one. However. it blew it in the latter half.

Triple H placed a heavy emphasis on the split of tag teams like Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss, the Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane), and Bayley and Lyra Valkyria.

Unlike the men’s match, it gave the women’s mini-stories that meant something. Even the return of Brie Bella could be a preview of what’s to come in the women’s tag team division.

Some stars, like Flair, got underwhelming eliminations like Lesnar and Femi. Eliminating Flair is a big deal, especially because she lasted nearly an hour in the match.

Even Rhea Ripley, who is a clear favorite of Triple H, was eliminated without much significance. Yes, Raquel Rodriguez delivered a devastating Tejana Bomb onto the ring apron, but Ripley deserved better.

Lash Legend had a dominant showing, eliminating five women, including Flair, but commentary didn’t give Flair her flowers after finally being eliminated. WWE also didn’t give Flair nearly enough time with Stratton, whom she feuded with heading into WrestleMania 41.

The good

Triple H was right with one thing. He placed a heavy emphasis on younger stars. From NXT members like Lola Vice, Ruca, and Femi, all of whom made the most of their moments, to recent call-ups like Je’Von Evans, to new debuts like Royce Keys (formerly Powerhouse Hobbs in AEW).

Plus, he didn’t overthink it when it came to picking winners. Morgan has been a runner-up twice and is almost guaranteed to go far in any Rumble she takes part in.

She was due a Royal Rumble win after several close losses. It was a deserved win, and the final sequence was riveting. It really looked like Tiffany Stratton — who had returned from a hiatus since November 2025 — could have won it. Even Ruca, who finished in third place, appeared to have a chance until she attempted a Sol Snatcher while on the ring apron.

For the Men’s match, it’s clear WWE wanted to right the wrongs of Reigns’ past. He was booed out of Philadelphia after winning the 2015 Royal Rumble during his controversial initial rise.

Eleven years later, he is the “Tribal Chief,” one of the most popular characters in the company. Reigns was the odds-on favorite to win, especially when Gunther entered at #30 after a grueling match, during which he retired AJ Styles.

The final sequence wasn’t nearly as good as the ending of the women’s battle royal. However, it was the right move to have Reigns win if it wasn’t going to be Knight.

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