Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar Set For 2026 WWE Royal Rumble

The official poster for next year's Royal Rumble has dropped and it features Reigns and Lesnar alongside many other top WWE stars. Others advertised for the event include Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk, Liv Morgan and Rhea Ripley.

Reigns is one of the favourites to win the Rumble match itself and go on to challenge for a world title at Mania. The OTC recently told Rhodes and Punk that one of their titles would "look better on my shoulder."

Recent reports suggest Reigns will be targeting Rhodes and the Undisputed WWE Championship, which he held for 1,316 days until losing to the American Nightmare at WrestleMania 40. But Punk's reported match against Bron Breakker is up in the air given WWE have booked them to clash for the gold on the RAW on Netflix anniversary show (January 5).

Lesnar will be appearing in his first Rumble match since 2023 if he is one of the 30 participants in Riyadh. The Beast Incarnate returned at SummerSlam and has since defeated John Cena at Wrestlepalooza and been on the winning team in Survivor Series: WarGames.

There has been no word on Lesnar's plans for Mania but he has been one of the four superstars to be used in a commercial for the event next April at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. This suggests he'll be used in a high-profile match and feud but that may come outside of both world title pictures.

Who Should Reigns and Lesnar Face at WrestleMania 42?

Reigns feels likely to be involved in a world title match at Mania and the current plan seems to be a third chapter in his iconic rivalry with Rhodes. He gave the reigning champion a frosty response after WarGames while he helped Punk to his feet, and that suggests his sights are set on the American Nightmare heading into 2026.

As for Lesnar, there has been much criticism over the decision to have him easily defeat Cena at Wrestlepalooza. But making him look strong and unstoppable could help make him a star at Mania with a memorable win over the former UFC heavyweight.

That man could well be Oba Femi, who looks destined to become the next monster in WWE and could soon be making his way to the main roster despite reclaiming the NXT Championship. He is already set to face one of the company's top stars when he battles Rhodes at Saturday Night's Main Event this Saturday (December 13th).