Published: Jan 31, 2026 by Liam | Last Updated: Jan 31, 2026 by Liam
Liam has been reporting & analyzing wrestling news for over eight years, and is currently the Managing Editor at WrestleTalk.com. Immersed in wrestling for 18 years, he has over 11,000 published articles in addition to leading and overseeing WrestleTalk.com's coverage.
WWE
A return that was planned for the 2026 WWE Royal Rumble has reportedly been canceled ahead of the event taking place today.
22 entrants in the men’s Rumble have already been announced, which leaves eight spots for potential surprises.
One of the names who has been off WWE TV for a little while and many expected could return as part of the Rumble was Aleister Black.
Black did travel to Saudi Arabia and is there this weekend, and was originally planned to make his return in the men’s Rumble match.
However, as reported by PWInsider Elite, WWE has decided to hold Black’s return back for another time.
WWE has opted to “bring him back in a different way on Smackdown programming.”
Black has been away from TV since he lost an Ambulance match against Damian Priest at the start of January.
Black’s wife Zelina hasn’t been officially announced for the women’s Royal Rumble match ahead of time, so it remains to be seen whether she’ll make a return or if she’ll also remain absent until Black’s return.
A full list of the officially confirmed Rumble match entrants can be found at this link.
Stay tuned for all the news throughout and surrounding the WWE Royal Rumble event today.
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