The Road to WrestleMania officially runs through Saudi Arabia this year. WWE’s 2026 Royal Rumble is set for January 31, and the Women’s Royal Rumble match is already beginning to take shape with the first wave of declarations.
On the January 19 episode of WWE Raw, Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY both announced their entry into the 30-woman over-the-top-rope battle. Their confirmations mark the opening moves in what will be a weeks-long rollout of entrants across television and digital platforms as WWE builds toward one of its most consequential matches of the year.
The Women’s Royal Rumble has become a launchpad for WrestleMania main-event narratives, and every early name signals strategy, status, and intent. Ripley and SKY bring contrasting styles and championship-level credibility, setting a high competitive bar for the field.
Ripley’s declaration carries immediate implications. A dominant presence in recent years, she has a track record of imposing her physicality in multi-competitor environments and has historically performed at a level that forces other entrants to adjust. Her entry instantly raises the elimination stakes for anyone drawing an early number and puts a spotlight on who, if anyone, can match her pacing and endurance over a long Rumble stretch.
SKY’s announcement adds a different dimension. One of WWE’s most dynamic aerial threats, she introduces high-risk offense that can change momentum quickly in a crowded ring. The Rumble often rewards opportunists who can adapt to chaos, and SKY has the timing and ring IQ to exploit openings—especially late in the match when fatigue and ring traffic create mistakes to capitalize on.
Staging the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia underscores WWE’s expanding international footprint for premium live events. The company has steadily taken stadium-scale shows to global markets, and positioning a tentpole like the Rumble abroad places significant worldwide attention on the women’s division at the start of WrestleMania season. It also means the final stretch of declarations will play out with a compressed travel window, heightening the importance of when and where remaining entrants make their intentions known on Raw, SmackDown, and NXT.
For newer fans, the Women’s Royal Rumble follows the classic format: 30 competitors enter at staggered intervals, eliminations occur when a wrestler goes over the top rope and both feet touch the floor, and the last woman standing earns a championship match opportunity at WrestleMania. That prize transforms the match from spectacle into opportunity—one that can redefine a career overnight or cement a legacy for established stars.
From a roster-construction standpoint, the Rumble typically blends headliners, rising contenders, and talent from across brands. NXT call-ups, surprise returns, and late-breaking announcements often add unpredictability in the final week. While those are long-standing traditions rather than guarantees, they’re part of what makes early declarations like Ripley’s and SKY’s meaningful—they set the competitive tone and invite questions about who will counterbalance their strengths as the lineup grows.
Another storyline layer to watch is how established rivalries migrate into the Rumble environment. Existing grudges can spill into the match and produce quick eliminations or unlikely alliances. Conversely, a standout performance—long survival time, high elimination count, or a clutch near-miss—can reposition a contender for the post-Rumble television cycle even without a victory. That’s why the earliest confirmed names matter: they frame the match’s potential pacing, physicality, and risk profile.
As of now, these are the confirmed entrants for the 2026 Women’s Royal Rumble:
- Rhea Ripley – declared on WWE Raw (January 19)
- IYO SKY – declared on WWE Raw (January 19)
Expect the field to expand quickly over the next several broadcasts. WWE typically spaces out announcements to anchor weekly programming, with some declarations happening on-air and others arriving via social media in the final days before the event. The timing of those reveals can be telling; late entrants sometimes signal strategic positioning or an effort to keep certain matchups under wraps.
The broader takeaway is clear: the Women’s Royal Rumble will again serve as a narrative accelerator for WrestleMania season. Ripley and SKY entering early provides clarity about who intends to set the standard, and it adds urgency for other top names to stake their claim. With a global spotlight on January 31 in Saudi Arabia, the evolving field will shape not only the Rumble’s internal story but also the championship landscape that follows.
This article will be updated as additional participants are confirmed.
