Royal Rumble time is among the most exciting periods to tune into WWE. The event kickstarts WrestleMania season and solidifies the title picture. With so much at stake, viewers are always left with baited breath waiting to see who the last man standing will be.
With more than two months until the Rumble, predicting a winner is always tough, as so many things can change. Who could have predicted Seth Rollins' injury or Logan Paul getting involved with The Vision? Exactly.
That said, it's difficult to resist the fun of guessing who will get the esteemed title of 2026 Royal Rumble winner. So, who's it going to be?
Well, how about Sami Zayn?
Why Sami Zayn?
For a couple of reasons, actually!
First, although he's been on and off the screen throughout much of 2025, Sami has built quite a solid career for himself since separating from the orbits of Kevin Owens and The Bloodline (or what's left of it). He had a respectable Intercontinental Championship run, a decent run as tag champs with Owens, and an attention-grabbing US Title reign that didn't wear out its welcome.
Zayn can put on a clinic with mid-carders and main eventers alike, and he naturally fits into the main event scene. He could easily go toe-to-toe with CM Punk or Cody Rhodes and potentially come away with the victory. Besides, it would be long overdue.
It kind of feels like a major championship reign for Zayn is now or never at this point. After all, in February, it will be three years since his prestigious match for the Undisputed Championship against Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber. This would be a good time for WWE to finally make something happen for Zayn.
Other potential winners
Of course, just because the above factors are in play doesn't mean that Sami is guaranteed to pull off the Rumble victory. There are plenty of other Superstars who are deserving of the opportunity as well.
LA Knight, like Zayn, is on the cusp of stardom, but WWE creative seems reluctant to pull the trigger for one reason or another. Having Knight win the Rumble would cement his spot in the main event picture at WrestleMania, which is the boost his career needs at this point.
There have also been rumblings that Chris Jericho might make a return to the WWE. If so, a Rumble win would put him on track to the title picture immediately. Since Jericho was pretty much always a main eventer in his time with WWE, it wouldn't be a surprise to have him jump up so fast. Of course, Jericho doesn't need a Rumble win to earn himself a main event spot at WrestleMania, so we'll see.
Hopefully, WWE creative leans more toward awarding the Royal Rumble distinction to someone whose career could benefit from the victory and the subsequent Mania title match!