WWE Royal Rumble 2018: Who makes the most sense at No. 30?
For the 2018 Royal Rumble match, who makes the most sense to enter at No. 30?
On Sunday night, the 2018 Royal Rumble pay-per-view will take place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. It’s only three years after this venue hosted a Royal Rumble, which saw Roman Reigns’ controversial win and advancement to the WrestleMania 31 main event.
In that match, due to the crowd’s overwhelming hatred for Reigns and the anger over Daniel Bryan’s early elimination, it booed almost anyone that entered the match. That included Rey Mysterio who entered at No. 30.
The last entrant in the Royal Rumble can vary, whether it’s to feature a surprise return or a big name. Sometimes it’s an insignificant participant with no hope of winning the match, but that didn’t apply in 2017 when Reigns entered the Rumble at No. 30 and drew a comical response from the fans.
As for the 2018 match, fans will await the final countdown for the last entrant. Who could it be? Which superstars make the mose sense for it? Let’s take a look.
5. Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns and Philadelphia don’t have the greatest history.
It was only three years ago when the 2015 Royal Rumble took place at the same Wells Fargo Center that will host Sunday’s event. This saw Reigns, the projected favorite by many amidst speculation of him entering the WrestleMania 31 main event, enter midway through the over-the-top-rope match to an onslaught of boos unlike anything ever heard on a WWE program.
Minutes later, Reigns won the Royal Rumble by throwing Big Show and Kane over the ropes (simultaneously), along with a last-second return from Rusev, who saw the same fate. This only made matters worse.
The icing on the cake? Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson ran to the ring to save his cousin, Reigns, from Big Show and Kane’s attempted revenge. The Rock gets cheers wherever he goes, but not this time.
What does that mean for Sunday? Expect WWE to toy with the Philadelphia fans, who will likely negatively react to Reigns in a similar fashion. Whether that’s letting him enter at No. 1 and lasting for most of the match, or entering at No. 30, just when fans think he may not be involved.
Remember when the “Big Dog” entered the 2017 match at No. 30? Everyone at the Alamodome gave an eye-roll reaction, expecting something grander than a superstar they already saw in a championship match. He was even one of the final men remaining until Randy Orton got the final elimination to win.
Will WWE reuse Reigns at No. 30? There’s every reason to if it wants to mess with Philadelphia. But with this happening just one year prior, maybe WWE switches it up.