Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER has officially confirmed that he will be pulling double duty at the Royal Rumble this weekend in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In addition to his match against AJ Styles, “The Ring General” revealed that he will also be entering the 30-man Royal Rumble match later in the night. This clarification comes after some confusion regarding his status. While GUNTHER declared for the match on the January 19th episode of Monday Night Raw, that announcement was made before his match with Styles was finalized. CM Punk had also stated during the kickoff show today that GUNTHER wasn’t in the Rumble, but Michael Cole later stated GUNTHER would be.
Speaking in a new interview with Gulf News, GUNTHER shared his excitement about returning to Saudi Arabia, a location that holds fond memories for him. He specifically cited his battle with Randy Orton in the King of the Ring tournament as a career highlight.
“My favorite match I’ve had in Saudi is definitely the King in the Ring final with Randy (Orton). It was a very big match for my career. Now we’re back here and it’s another great chance for myself to retire another legend and I’m also participating in the Royal Rumble, so I look forward to it.”
AJ Styles has agreed to put his legendary career on the line for a shot at GUNTHER’s World Heavyweight Championship. If GUNTHER is successful in retiring “The Phenomenal One,” he will then have to shift his focus immediately to outlasting 29 other superstars. He holds the record for the longest time spent in a traditional Royal Rumble match in WWE history.
“As someone who has spent the longest time in the Royal Rumble in WWE history, I’m looking forward to the challenge of fighting twice in one night. It’s another very special challenge for myself and I feel like I thrive in these situations so I’m very excited.”
GUNTHER joins a loaded field of competitors for the men’s Royal Rumble match. The advertised list of participants includes former world champions such as Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and Brock Lesnar.
Gunther joined Michael Cole to speak about his only goal at Royal Rumble…
Ending AJ Styles’ career 😳 pic.twitter.com/UkUMisSAUx
— ESPN (@espn) January 30, 2026
Michael Cole announces that Gunther will be in the Royal Rumble, proving CM Punk wrong. Gunther tells the crowd they’re dumb if they think he won’t make Styles tap out and retire tomorrow.
The conference ends on that note.#RoyalRumble kick off. pic.twitter.com/f39qSFbaXe
— 𝑫𝑹𝑨𝑮𝑶𝑶𝑶𝑺 (@therealalii_) January 30, 2026
