Bron Breakker was originally slated to win the 2026 Royal Rumble and headline WrestleMania 42, according to a new report from Dave Meltzer. However, a series of injuries and high-level creative decisions ultimately reshaped WWE’s plans and removed Breakker from that position.
In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Meltzer detailed how WWE initially pivoted following Seth Rollins suffering a legitimate injury at Crown Jewel. With Rollins sidelined, the company put together a long-term storyline designed to elevate Breakker into a top-tier star through a multi-stage arc involving CM Punk.
“The injury to Rollins caused changes, as they went with Punk as champion with the idea of a three step program with Bron Breakker getting a title match on the Raw Netflix anniversary show and losing, coming back and winning the Rumble and then facing and beating Punk for the title at Mania,” Meltzer wrote.
Under that plan, Breakker would lose an early title opportunity to Punk, rebound by winning the Royal Rumble, and then defeat Punk at WrestleMania to capture the World Heavyweight Championship—effectively anointing him as the company’s next full-time top star.
That direction changed once again due to developments surrounding the WWE Championship picture. Drew McIntyre reportedly pushed for a title win over Cody Rhodes in their Three Stages of Hell match, citing his previous losses to Rhodes. Meltzer noted that Rhodes agreed with McIntyre’s position.
“Enter McIntyre, who pushed the idea that since he had lost multiple times to Rhodes, that it would be better for him to win the title in the already announced Three Stages of Hell match,” Meltzer continued. “Rhodes was on board with that idea.”
Once McIntyre captured the WWE Championship and creative focus shifted toward marquee matches involving Roman Reigns, the company was forced to reevaluate the Royal Rumble outcome and WrestleMania main event structure. As a result, Breakker’s planned Rumble victory was scrapped.
“When the decision was made, they had to scrap Breakker winning the Rumble and the choices were either Rhodes or Reigns,” Meltzer concluded.
With WWE’s biggest stars and title pictures realigned, Breakker’s coronation was postponed—illustrating just how fluid WrestleMania plans can be when injuries, talent input, and long-term strategy collide.
