Roman Reigns‘ victory in the 2026 Men’s Royal Rumble was reportedly not WWE’s original plan.
The latest season of WWE Unreal has revealed that Bron Breakker had been pencilled in to win the 2026 Royal Rumble before the company ultimately changed direction and gave the victory to Roman Reigns. According to the Netflix series, WWE altered its plans over concerns that crowning Breakker too early could have resulted in a negative fan reaction similar to the backlash Reigns received after winning the 2015 Royal Rumble.
The documentary also confirms reports previously published by Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, which stated that Breakker had originally been slated for a major push. The initial plan reportedly called for Breakker to lose to CM Punk on the Raw Netflix anniversary special before winning the Royal Rumble and defeating Punk for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 42.
Seth Rollins Injury Forced WWE To Pivot To Roman Reigns Winning The 2026 Royal Rumble
However, those plans changed after Seth Rollins suffered a shoulder injury, forcing WWE to significantly alter its WrestleMania plans. With the top of the card reshuffled, the company reportedly narrowed the Royal Rumble winner down to either Roman Reigns or Cody Rhodes before ultimately choosing Reigns, who later selected CM Punk as his WrestleMania opponent.
WWE Unreal also notes that the company was mindful of the fan response Reigns received after his 2015 Royal Rumble victory. WWE reportedly wanted to avoid placing Bron Breakker in a similar position, fearing that a heavily promoted win could have caused fans to reject him rather than embrace him as the company’s next breakout star.
Instead, Breakker’s Royal Rumble appearance lasted only moments. Entering at number two, he was attacked by a masked assailant before the match officially got underway, allowing Oba Femi to eliminate him almost immediately. The incident has since led to Breakker’s ongoing rivalry with the returning Rollins.
