Stephen Amell did not hold back when sharing his opinion on the 2026 WWE Royal Rumble.
Speaking to iHeartRadio Canada’s Myles Galloway, Amell admitted that the event simply didn’t land for him. “I thought the Rumble was bad,” Amell said bluntly. “Listen, not every show can be great.”
He contrasted it with WrestleMania from the previous year, which he attended in person. “I thought that night two of WrestleMania last year… was like an A+ night of wrestling. Top to bottom, tip to tail, it was great.”
However, when it came to the 2026 Royal Rumble — held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — Amell felt something was off, particularly in presentation and atmosphere. “I just didn’t think it was great,” he continued. “The atmosphere seemed weird. Like the arena was kind of empty, or was it? It was just optically — the way that it looks and presents is important — and I thought that it looked and presented poorly relative to previous Rumbles.”
Amell noted that he had attended recent Royal Rumbles in San Antonio, Tampa, and Indianapolis, all of which he described as having strong crowd energy and a more vibrant atmosphere. In comparison, he felt this year’s event lacked that same visual and emotional punch.
As someone with legitimate ties to the business — including competing at WWE SummerSlam — Amell’s critique carries weight among fans who value presentation and crowd engagement as part of the overall Rumble experience.
While opinions on the show remain divided, Amell’s comments highlight a recurring talking point coming out of the event: not necessarily match quality, but how the spectacle translated on screen.
