Wrestling Ratings- WWE Royal Rumble 2026

 

Location- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Venue- Riyadh Season Stadium, King Abdullah Financial District

Commentary- Michael Cole & Wade Barrett

Women’s Royal Rumble Match

Winner- Liv Morgan

Rating- 7/10

AJ Styles VS Gunther- If AJ Loses, He Must Retire

Winner- Gunther

Rating- 8/10

Sami Zayn VS Drew McIntyre (Champion)- WWE Undisputed Championship

Winner- Drew McIntyre 

Rating-6/10

Men’s Royal Rumble Match

Winner- Roman Reigns 

Rating- 5/10

Overall Thoughts- Sami VS Drew really picked up towards the end. Loved the trash talking from Drew, the hard slaps across the face, and a clearly exhausted Sami fighting back. I never believed Sami had a real shot at winning the belt, because we’re too close to Wrestlemania, so maybe there’s a chance they’re saving Zayn’s big moment for Vegas. Still, a solid match, and I’m glad they’re giving Drew a real sustained run as champion. 

Styles VS Gunther is my pick for the best match at the Rumble. AJ emptied the tank. Styles threw everything he had at Gunther to keep his career alive, but The Ring General was just too much for him. Too relentless, too nasty, and too physical. AJ tried to make that one last push to win, but Gunther shut down all of his comeback attempts.

Gunther is reaching a point, where he doesn’t necessarily need a world title. Goldberg, Cena, and now Styles. Gunther has retired a number of big legends, but sometimes I get the feeling Gunther’s character is becoming a bit too comical and hokey. Staying in the realm of “Legend Killers,” Randy Orton was far more sadistic and mean-spirited, when he bullied and went up against Mick Foley and other veteran wrestlers, who were either retired or still active. A really good match, and AJ strikes me as one of those guys, who’ll be serious about staying retired.

The women had the better Royal Rumble match. The best friends forever stuff between Alexa Bliss and Charlotte was good for a few laughs. The comedy spots were well-placed, and the overall match had a better flow to it. The women’s Rumble did an excellent job of pushing and showcasing the women from NXT and new, or newer faces on the main roster, including Lash Legend, Jacy Jayne, Lola Vice, Sol Ruca, and Giulia. Also, Liv finally winning the big one works as a feel good story.

The Men’s Royal Rumble wasn’t terrible, but it was painfully obvious Reigns was winning this one. Cody winning three years in a row would’ve been overkill. Yes, the Rumble had numerous main event or main event ready guys. But looking at the landscape for WWE’s world title picture across Raw and Smackdown, Reigns was really the only guy, who made sense to win the whole thing.

If I had to pick out a few positives from the Men’s Rumble, I’d have to go with Oba Femi and Je’Von Evans. Femi made a strong impression with a dominant run before his elimination. Evans showed off his endurance. He had a number of impressive high spots, and Evans’ close calls for escaping eliminations really worked.   

Show Highlights-

-Liv Morgan wins Women’s Royal Rumble 

-Brie Bella returns during Women’s Royal Rumble

-Tiffany Stratton returns as the 30th entrant in the Rumble

-Gunther retires AJ Styles, Styles seemingly puts an end to his in-ring career during post-match farewell 

-Drew McIntyre retains WWE Undisputed Championship

-Mysterious hooded man attacks Bron Breakker before entering the Rumble, Breakker is instantly eliminated by Oba Femi

-Royce Keys/Powerhouse Hobbs debuts in Men’s Royal Rumble match

-Roman Reigns wins Men’s Royal Rumble

Overall Rating- 6/10

Wrestling Ratings-WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event- January 24, 2026

 

Location- Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Venue- Bell Centre

Host- Stephanie McMahon

Commentary- Wade Barrett & Michael Cole

Jacob Fatu VS Cody Rhodes

Winner- No match after Jacob attacked Cody during his entrance

Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky (Champions) VS Roxanne Perez & Liv Morgan- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships

Winners- Rhea Ripley & Iyo Sky

Rating- 8/10

AJ Styles VS Shinsuke Nakamura

Winner- AJ Styles

Rating- 8/10

Trick Williams VS Randy Orton VS Damian Preist VS Sami Zayn- Number One Contender’s Match For WWE Undisputed Championship

Winner- Sami Zayn

Rating- 6/10

Overall Thoughts- A definitive winner for Fatu VS Rhodes would’ve killed the loser’s momentum. Cody would’ve recovered soon enough, but I’m not so sure about Jacob, and we’re too close to Wrestlemania now. The brawling angle works as an emergency exit escape route, and Drew stands tall at the end.

Rhea and Iyo have excellent chemistry as a tag team. Roxanne always does a good job of playing the bratty and obnoxious heel. She forms a perfect pairing with Liv, and there’s no real reason to take the titles off Rhyio now. A really good match, with some nice near falls, and Rhyio continues their dominance as the champs. 

AJ Styles and Nakamura had a hard hitting, physical, and grueling match. The simple story of two respected veterans beating the piss out of each other surpassed my expectations for this one. Nakamura proved he can still rise to the challenge. AJ? Yes, we’re in the middle of his farewell run, but there’s no denying he can still bring it a high level.

Sami Zayn was the right choice to win the Fatal Four-Way, but I still believe WWE should’ve put the title on Sami at Elimination Chamber 2023. It was a perfect storm scenario. That crowd was white hot, Sami had a ton of momentum during the Bloodline drama, playing the scrappy babyface, who was sick and tired of dealing with Roman Reigns being a manipulative bully. Sure, if Sami wins the title at Wrestlemania (if that’s the plan), he’ll get a nice reception, but WWE really missed a big opportunity in 2023.

The match itself was fine. Just about what’d you expect from a Fatal Four-Way: lots of near falls, everyone scrambling for a quick pin cover, and Trick Williams had a few moments. Not a bad match at all, but Sami winning was pretty much a foregone conclusion. 

Show Highlights-

-Jacob Fatu and Cody Rhodes brawl throughout the arena, Drew McIntyre gets involved 

-Rhyio retains, Raquel interferes, but Stephanie Vaquer intervenes

-AJ Styles defeats Shinsuke Nakamura 

-Sami Zayn becomes the number one contender to face Drew McIntyre for the WWE Undisputed Championship 

-Zayn thwarts McIntyre’s post-match attack

Overall Rating- 7/10

Wrestling Ratings- WWE Survivor Series: War Games (2025)

 

Location- San Diego, California

Venue- Petco Park

Commentary- Michael Cole & Wade Barrett

Team Rhea (Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, AJ Lee) VS Team Asuka (Asuka, Nia Jax, Kairi Sane, Lash Legend, Becky Lynch)- Women’s War Games Match

Winners- Team Rhea

Rating- 7/10

Dominik Mysterio VS John Cena (Champion)- Intercontinental Championship

Winner & New Intercontinental Champion- Dominik Mysterio

Rating- 8/10

Stephanie Vaquer (Champion) VS Nikki Bella- Women’s World Championship

Winner- Stephanie Vaquer

Rating- 5/10

Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, Logan Paul, Bron Breakker, & Bronson Reed VS Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, & The Usos- Men’s War Games Match

Winners- Brock Lesnar, Drew McIntyre, Logan Paul, Bron Breakker, & Bronson Reed

Rating- 6/10

Overall Thoughts- I never believed Stephanie Vaquer was in any danger of losing the title. Of course, a lot of the big names in the women’s division were busy with War Games. Nikki Bella is a veteran with a good amount of name value, so she’s more than capable of filling the role of a credible challenger. Nothing extraordinary overall, but the match was just fine, and Stephanie retaining was the right move.

Cena VS Dirty Dom easily takes the spot for the best match on the card. An electric crowd, some good sneaky heel tactics from Mysterio, and all the shenanigans from Raquel, Dom, and Roxanne added to the insanity throughout the match. Predicting a winner wasn’t so easy, because I genuinely believed there was a real chance Cena walked into his final match with Gunther as the IC Champion. A fun match overall, capped off by Liv Morgan’s big return, and Dom stealing the championship away from Cena.

The women delivered the best War Games match. I’m kind of burnt out on Iyo’s annual trash can spot, but there’s no denying it still looks cool, and the live crowds want to see her jump off the top of the cage. The women’s match had a better flow to it, AJ got the best of Becky again, and I got good laugh out of AJ needing help from Rhea to pass the garbage can to Iyo. 

The men’s War Games match? Yes, the match was loaded with star power. Legitimate main event wrestlers, Wrestlemania main eventers, former world champions, and guys, who were apart of WWE’s biggest feuds for years. But this match never kicked into the high gears that I was hoping for. A lot of big names in the cage, but the match just didn’t live up to the hype.

I kind of wish WWE would move past War Games matches being a staple for Survivor Series. On the flip side of that, I guess going back to the Raw VS Smackdown matches would be the alternative. I could never get into the brand supremacy stuff, because it’s just too silly. I have a hard time buying into Raw wrestlers hating Smackdown wrestlers or vice versa. Everyone on both teams works for WWE, when it’s all said and done, so it’s hard to flip the suspension of disbelief switch. 

Show Highlights-

-Liv Morgan returns

-Dominik Mysterio wins the Intercontinental Championship

-Team Rhea wins Women’s War Games match

-Mysterious masked man attacks CM Punk, Bron Breakker scores pinfall victory over Punk to pick up the win for his team

Overall Rating- 6/10

Wrestling Ratings- AEW World’s End (2025)

Location- Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Venue- Now Arena

Commentary- Bryan Danielson, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, & Excalibur

Sisters Of Sin (Julia Hart & Skye Blue) VS Hyan & Maya World 

Winners- Sisters Of Sin

Rating- 5/10

Eddie Kingston VS Zack Gibson (With James Drake)

Winner- Eddie Kingston

Rating- 5/10

Mascara Dorada & Bandido VS Don Callis Family (Mark Davis  & Rocky Romero

Winners- Mascara Dorada & Bandido

Rating- 7/10

JetSpeed (Kevin Knight & Mike Bailey) & Jurassic Express (Jack Perry & Luchasaurus) VS Josh Alexander & The Demand (Ricochet, Bishop Kaun, & Toa Liona)

Winners- JetSpeed & Jurassic Express

Rating- 5/10

Kazuchika Okada (AEW Continental Champion & AEW Unified Champion) VS Konosuke Takeshita- Continental Classic Semifinal 

Winner- Kazuchika Okada

Rating- 8/10

Jon Moxley VS Kyle Fletcher- Continental Classic Semifinal

Winner- Jon Moxley

Rating- 8/10

FTR VS Bang Bang Gang (Juice Robinson & Austin Gunn)- Chicago Street Fight- AEW World Tag Team Championships

Winners- FTR

Rating- 3/10

The Babes Of Wrath (Harley Cameron & Willow Nightingale)(Champions) VS Mercedes Mone & Athena- AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championships

Winners- The Babes Of Wrath

Rating- 6/10

Darby Allin VS Gabe Kidd

Winner- Darby Allin

Rating- 7/10

Toni Storm, Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong, Mark Briscoe VS Death Riders- Mixed Nuts Mayhem 

Winners- Toni Storm, Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong, & Mark Briscoe

Rating-7/10

Kris Statlander (Champion) VS Jamie  Hayter- AEW Women’s World Champion

Winner- Kris Statlander

Rating- 6/10

Jon Moxley VS Kazuchika Okada (Champion)- Continental Classic Final

Winner & New AEW Continental Champion- Jon Moxley 

Rating- 6/10

MJF VS Swerve Strickland VS Hangman Adam Page VS Samoa Joe (Champion)- Four-Way Match- AEW World Championship

Winner & New AEW World Champion- MJF

Rating- 7/10

Overall Thoughts- Okada and Takeshita opened the show with a bang. An excellent hard hitting match between both men, followed by another good match with Moxley and Fletcher. The Chicago Street Fight was the worst match of the night for me. The “HOLY SHIT!” moments fell flat. Too many misfires, and overall, the entire match just felt like a clunky mess.

I had a lot fun with Mixed Nuts Mayhem. Just a completely wild and bonkers match, where the comedy actually worked without feeling too forced. They did a wonderful job of playing out the battle between the mean and nasty Death Riders going up against a bunch of unhinged nutcases (mainly Toni Storm and Mark Briscoe), and Toni Storm is genuinely hilarious.

MJF winning the world title was the right move. The guy is a legit total package all around. Putting the title back on Hangman so soon wouldn’t have made any sense. Swerve needs more time to work his way back into things, so when he eventually wins, it’ll really mean something. Samoa Joe? He was a good veteran heel champion. Joe brings credibility as a main event guy, the tough and mean ass-kicker, who can still get the job done inside the ring. 

I’m not a fan of tournaments in wrestling, but World’s End was a solid show. I never believed Statlander was in any real danger of losing, but the match with Hayter still worked as a tough and competitive contest, where both women beat the snot of out each other. 

Show Highlights-

-Ortiz returns, saves Kingston from post match beatdown from Gibson and Drake

-Jon Moxley wins Continental Classic, cuts fiery post-match promo

-Mercedes Mone’s downward spiral continues

-MJF wins the world title 

Overall Rating- 7/10

Coming Attractions- We Bury The Dead

 

Release Date- January 2, 2026

There’s no denying the post-apocalyptic landscape for We Bury The Dead looks great in the trailer. Usually, I prefer zombie films with a more serious tone. Daisy Ridley’s Ava searching for her husband? It’s a simple and effective storyline. Of course, I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I’m already hoping she’ll find him alive and well, knowing Ava will have to fight through a mess of vicious attacks from zombies and other dangerous obstacles. 

The story will obviously go one of two ways: Ava finds her husband, alert (or alert enough) and normal, and the movie concludes with a triumphant and teary reunion. The second possible route? Ava’s husband is infected, and she’ll be the one, who’s forced to murder him, saving herself, while also delivering a gut-wrenching mercy killing. Either way, I’m looking forward to We Bury The Dead, and there’s a chance it could be one of the early sleeper hits for horror movies next year.

Coming Attractions- Psycho Killer

 

Release Date- February 20, 2026

A creepy and unnerving trailer for Psycho Killer. Georgina Campbell’s Jane is obviously way in over her head. She’s chasing a sadistic killer, but she’s motivated by vengeance to catch the man, who murdered her husband in front of her.

The big question is, how far is Jane willing to go to stop the killer? She’ll have to go down a rabbit hole filled with evil and satanism, and I’m wondering if Jane has some kind of personal connection to the killer. Maybe there’s a specific reason why he chose her? Psycho Killer’s first trailer is fantastic. If we’re comparing vibes and similarities, it’s easy to point to Longlegs and Se7en for this one, and Gavin Polone’s directorial debut has all the makings of being something special. 

Coming Attractions- Cold Storage

 

Release Date- February 6, 2026

Lots of nasty gore, exploding bodies, AND a good cast? I’m all in for Cold Storage. It’s a completely bonkers trailer, loaded with tons of silly and over the top carnage, and some good laughs. The teaser also shows signs of a fun and energetic horror comedy, featuring a grisly and morbid sense of humor.

I’ve always been a big fan of David Koepp. He’s the author of the Cold Storage novel, and he wrote the screenplay, so you have to believe it’ll be a faithful adaptation of the source material. I’m going to put the book on my must-read list, because Cold Storage has all the right ingredients for a memorable film.

Coming Attractions- Send Help

 

Release Date- January 30, 2026 

I’ll watch anything with Sam Raimi’s name attached to it. The trailer for Send Help is absolutely nuts. During the opening moments, you might get the impression it’s a trailer for some kind of quirky comedy about a nerdy and shy employee fighting back against her asshole boss, but the chaos and the madness hits at the right moment.

Some good laughs for a more aggressive and demented version of Rachel McAdams turning the tables on her boss, the egotistical bully with a god complex. Linda Liddle is a fitting name for McAdams’ character, the mousy employee, who’s in a position to toy with and punish O’Brien’s Bradley. The dark humor in the trailer is hilarious, and I’m almost sure the hand sticking out of the sand is a nod to the original Evil Dead’s poster.