Happy New Year, WWE Universe - and with the calendar turning to January 2026, that can only mean one thing.
It’s a mere 30 days until the Road to WrestleMania kicks off with the annual men’s and women’s Royal Rumble, taking place this year in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
For the first time in nearly 40 years, one of the "Big Five" events is heading outside of North America for its winter spectacular. As the show moves to the King Abdullah Financial District, the stakes have never felt higher.
The Rumble is the ultimate reset button; it’s where a year of planning can be upended by a single "over-the-top-rope" moment, and where the hierarchy of the locker room is decided in a 60-minute war of attrition.
Such is the intrigue of who will come out on top, that Oddschecker are one of the first to round up the current betting odds, casting their eyes over the markets to determine who, alognside the old tales from those dirtsheets out there, could be the person to be crowned the men’s Royal Rumble winner - and book their place at the Showcase of the Immortals later this year, Wrestlemania in Las Vegas.
7. Gunther (14/1)
'The Ring General' is never far from the top of the oddsmakers' lists. After his historic dominance as World Heavyweight Champion, Gunther remains the most feared technician in the company. At 14/1, he represents incredible value for a man who famously broke the record for the longest time spent in a single Rumble match. | Elsa/Getty Images
8. Sami Zayn (10/1)
The emotional heartbeat of the WWE roster remains a strong dark horse. Given that the event takes place in Saudi Arabia, where Sami is a massive hero, the narrative of "the underdog finally winning the big one" carries significant weight. A Rumble win for Zayn would be the ultimate feel-good moment of the decade. | WWE
9. Bron Breakker (5/2)
Breakker is the "powerhouse" favourite. Labeled the "whiteboard favourite" by internal creative leaks, Bron has been on a tear since the Netflix era began. Even with a scheduled title match against CM Punk in early January, the odds suggest that win or lose, Breakker is destined for a massive showing in the Rumble to solidify his status as the new face of WWE. | Getty Images for Netflix
10. Roman Reigns (10/11)
'The Original Tribal Chief' enters as the heavy odds-on favourite. Storylines at the end of 2025 have seen Reigns increasingly vocal about reclaiming the gold he lost at WrestleMania 40. The smart money is on Roman winning his second Rumble to choose his own destiny in 2026. | Ethan Miller/Getty Images