Brandi Rhodes has addressed growing speculation surrounding a possible in-ring return, specifically clarifying her status for the upcoming 2026 Royal Rumble.
With the premium live event scheduled for January 31 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, rumors have intensified regarding potential surprise appearances. As fans debate which legends or unexpected names might emerge on one of WWE’s biggest stages, Rhodes spoke candidly about the topic during a recent episode of her A Shot of Brandi cooking show.
While chatting with Maxxine Dupri, Rhodes revealed that she could envision herself making a brief Royal Rumble appearance at some point—but made clear that her motivation would be deeply personal rather than competitive.
“Well, if I ever were to come back and do anything, I would love to make an entrance at the Royal Rumble, and be out in, let’s see how fast. Maybe three seconds?” she told Dupri. “I literally would probably hit the ring and be like, ‘Please throw me out, please throw me out, somebody throw me out!’ It would really just be to make the entrance, one more time for Libby.”
Rhodes explained that the idea stems from wanting her daughter, Liberty, to witness her mother make a grand entrance on one of sports entertainment’s biggest stages—a “mom moment” rather than a full-fledged return to action.
However, any hopes of that moment happening at this year’s event were quickly shut down. When Dupri asked directly whether fans would see Brandi Rhodes appear at the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia, Rhodes offered a firm response: “No, no, no, we’re not.”
That answer effectively ends speculation surrounding the 2026 event, though it leaves open the possibility of a future cameo should the Royal Rumble return to domestic soil.
Rhodes has been away from televised competition for several years. Her most recent public match took place against KiLynn King at the January 31, 2022 taping of AEW Dark: Elevation. While reports later indicated that she participated in an untelevised “in-house live event” at the WWE Performance Center in August 2022 to work off ring rust, that appearance was not broadcast or open to fans.
Since Cody Rhodes returned to WWE and rose to the top of the company, Brandi has largely focused on her ventures outside the ring—making her openness to a symbolic Royal Rumble moment all the more noteworthy for longtime followers of her career.
