WWE Royal Rumble 2026 News & Notes – Talent Travel Schedule For Royal Rumble Week, Several Talents Not Set To Appear At Royal Rumble, One Big Surprise & One Potential Surprise Return Planned for Royal Rumble, WWE’s Plans to Keep Royal Rumble Surprises A Secret

WWE will be holding their annual Royal Rumble event this Saturday, January 31st at the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This will be the first time ever that WWE will be holding a Royal Rumble event outside of North America and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that his sources stated that the first group of WWE talents and staff began flying to Saudi Arabia following last night’s WWE RAW show in Toronto. Johnson reported that there will be several groups of talents and staff flying over across the next few days so that they can be available for promotional appearances ahead of this Friday’s SmackDown show and this Saturday’s Royal Rumble 2026 event in the country.

PWInsider’s Mike Johnson also reported that his sources stated that WWE RAW and WWE PLEs director Marty Miller will not be traveling with the company to Saudi Arabia for this weekend’s Royal Rumble 2026 event. Johnson reported that the reason for Miller’s abscense is due to he will be working as the director for TKO’s Zuffa Boxing event that is taking place in the United States this week. Johnson also reported that WWE SmackDown and WWE PLEs pre/post-shows director Lee Lipschutz will be Millers replacement for this weekend’s Royal Rumble event.

In regards to talents not scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia, PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported in a separate report that his sources stated that Grayson Waller and The Street Profits’ Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford will not be traveling to Saudi Arabia for this weekend’s Royal Rumble event. Johnson reported that Waller, Dawkins, and Ford are currently scheduled to work this weekend’s NXT house show events in the United States instead.

In regards to big surprise returns planned for the Royal Rumble, PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported in another separate report that his sources stated that there have been recent talks within WWE about Tiffany Stratton making her potential return back to WWE programming as early as this weekend and as a surprise entrant in the Women’s Royal Rumble match.

Johnson reported that those spoken to stated that Brock Lesnar is currently expected to make his return to WWE at this weekend’s Royal Rumble event.

In regards to WWE’s current plans to keep Royal Rumble surprise entrants a secret for this year’s event in Saudi Arabia, Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp reported that his sources stated that WWE’s current plans are for talents to fly out in multiple charter flights throughout this week that would also include planned surprises for the Men’s and Women’s Royal Rumble. Sapp reported that those spoken to within WWE currently believe it will actually be easier to keep the surprises a secret in Saudi Arabia than in years past for Royal Rumble events. Sapp also confirmed that the first group of talents flew out to Saudi Arabia following Monday’s WWE RAW show in Toronto.