Will the Inaugural WWE Universal Champion Enter the 2026 Royal Rumble?
On the Monday, January 26th episode of Monday Night Raw, general manager Adam Pearce informed Finn Bálor that the 2026 Men’s Royal Rumble match is full, something most of the WWE Universe have never heard before. This gives the inaugural WWE Universal Champion two options: have one of the other members of The Judgement Day give Bálor their spot, or take out another competitor before they enter the match and claim their spot. With his most recent push, Bálor had an amazing main event match for the World Heavyweight Championship against CM Punk in front of Bálor’s home country of Ireland. The next week, the inaugural WWE Universal Champion interrupted AJ Styles opportunity at Punk’s championship, causing a disqualification. Pearce denying Bálor a spot in the Rumble makes us wonder what are the lengths he’ll go to in order to be in contention for a World Championship. Perhaps, this is where we’ll see the return of Bálor’s alter-ego ‘The Demon’.
Many are wondering if WWE will allow Bálor to get away from The Judgement Day, turn babyface, and compete for World Championships. A return of ‘The Demon’ would certainly cement a babyface turn; however, it certainly matters how WWE pulls it off and whether they’re able to sustain the hype. Both of his Judgement Day brothers, JD McDonagh and Dominik Mysterio, have been out dealing with injuries. Having the inaugural WWE Universal Champion attack either one at the Royal Rumble would surprise the fans in a big way and allow Bálor to be pushed on his own. Even if he remains a heel and part of The Judgement Day, Bálor attacking a babyface at the Rumble just to get a spot in the match would get the WWE Universe’s attention, which would allow the character to be taken more seriously, which then means he could stay a little while longer in the main event picture. Allowing him to actually be a threat to the World title means more interesting storylines, feuding with the top guys, and becoming a bigger superstar. Either way, WWE decides to go, there’s only one thing everyone’s wondering in 2026, and that’s if Bálor will become a World Champion again.
At SummerSlam 2016, Bálor became the inaugural WWE Universal Champion after defeating Seth Rollins. A day later, he had to relinquish the title due to injury. Since then, he’s never held a World Championship, and many fans have waited desperately and fathom the anticipation of Bálor winning gold. He’s a former six-time Tag Team Champion, two-time Intercontinental Champion, two-time NXT Champion, and United States Champion. It’s time we see another Bálor world title reign. Not only would the 44-year-old entering the Rumble be surprising, but Bálor potentially winning it all would be something no one had on their 2026 Royal Rumble bingo card.
