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The 2018 Royal Rumble is upon us and speculations are higher than ever, the best thing about the Royal Rumble is its unpredictability, you never know who is going to show up when the time stops counting. The upcoming rumble match is no different as the WWE universe is expecting surprise returns and debuts of their favourite superstars.
With that in mind, let's look at the five surprise entrants which we'd love to see in the 2018 Royal Rumble match.
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#5 Rockstar Spud
The former TNA X Division Champion was one of the hottest free agents in professional wrestling when the WWE signed him in October 2017. Spud was spotted backstage for both Raw and Smackdown shows last week but he did not debut in either of the shows nor in 205 Live.
If WWE is waiting for the right time for him to make his debut, there may be no better time than the Royal Rumble in January 2018. The WWE Universe was expecting Kenny Omega at last year's rumble but it didn't come to fruition but that place can be filled by the debut of Spud in the 2018 Rumble match.
#4 Big Cass
The 7 footer was all set to receive a decent singles push when he was turned heel earlier this year, but it was all halted when he got himself injured during a Brooklyn Street Fight against his former tag team partner Enzo Amore on the August 24 Episode of Monday Night Raw.
It was reported that Cass underwent a surgery for a torn ACL and it would take nine months for him to return to the ring. While this is the actual time frame mentioned by the WWE for his return, we all know WWE exaggerates the injuries of its top superstars so that they can pull off a surprise return.
So, we can expect Cass to make his return to the WWE at the 2018 Royal Rumble.
#3 Jeff Hardy / Brother Nero
Matt and Jeff Hardy's return was the most shocking moment of 2017 as per the WWE. After Matt and Jeff reinvented themselves through the Broken universe gimmick, they were the most over tag team in all of professional wrestling. When they parted ways with TNA, the fans were expecting them to return to the WWE and they got what they were expecting as the duo returned to the company at Wrestlemania 33 winning the Raw tag team championships in a tag team fatal four-way ladders match
Due to the legal dispute with Anthem sports over the Broken universe gimmick, Matt and Jeff returned to the WWE in their original "Team Extreme" personas and that was very disappointing for the fans to see. Now that Matt Hardy owns the right to the Broken universe gimmick, the door may be opened for the return of the notorious Brother Nero.
Jeff Hardy can fade away and classify himself as obsolete when he makes his return to the WWE at the 2018 Royal Rumble to reunite with his brother.
#2 Batista
It is being reported that Batista is interested in returning to the WWE for a full-time schedule which includes house shows, in 2018. This is not the same Batista we saw back in 2014, the animal is now an established star in Hollywood and his next movie "The Avengers-Infinity War" is set to hit the screens next year.
This could be Batista's final stint in professional wrestling as he is nearing his 50's and has a very busy schedule in Hollywood; he has nothing else to prove in the business as he is already one of the highly decorated stars in the WWE. It is also reported that Batista is interested in having a program with Triple H leading to a match at the grandest stage of them all.
As of this writing, all signs are pointing towards a potential Batista return, and the Royal Rumble can be a good platform for Batista to make his highly anticipated return to the WWE.
Ethan Carter III
The former NXT rookie known as Derrick Bateman did not enjoy any success in his first tenure with the WWE. After a disappointing run with the company, EC3 was released from his contract in 2013, but that came as a blessing in disguise for him as he went on to reinvent himself on the independent scenes before finding his way to TNA.
EC3 went on to become one of the most successful wrestlers in TNA as he went on to become the TNA World champion 2 times during his stay with the promotion. It is being reported that EC3 is set to leave TNA in 2018 and provided that he is granted his release in early January, it is highly possible for him to return to the WWE in the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
EC3 is now an established professional wrestler and the WWE will be waiting to receive him with open arms if he decides to return to the company, there may be no better way for him to make his return than the Royal Rumble match.
Who else would you like to see as a surprise entrant in the 2018 Royal Rumble? Sound off in the comments section.
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