WWE Royal Rumble 2026 start time revealed
WWE has locked in a start time for its Royal Rumble 2026 PLE.
The event is taking place in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, January 31. When the official poster was revealed last week, there was no start time listed. WrestleVotes has now reported that — after some back and forth internally — WWE has settled on 2 p.m. Eastern as the start time for the PLE broadcast. It’s the first time the Rumble has ever been held outside of North America, with the time zone difference being the reason for the afternoon start in the United States.
The Rumble will air live on the ESPN app in the U.S. and on Netflix internationally.
Men’s and women’s Rumble will both take place as the road to WrestleMania 42 begins. Among the advertised talent for the Rumble PLE are Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Stephanie Vaquer, Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair, CM Punk, Becky Lynch, Tiffany Stratton, Drew McIntyre, Penta, Jade Cargill Dominik Mysterio, Jey Uso, and IYO SKY.
WrestleMania 42 is set to be held in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19.
In 2027, WrestleMania will head to Saudi Arabia for the first time ever as WWE’s controversial relationship with the Saudi government continues to grow.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.