10 Outside Bets To Win WWE Royal Rumble 2018

7. Bill Goldberg

Daniel Bryan Shawn Michaels
WWE.com

It was at the very end of Bill Goldberg's WWE '24' documentary that the former WCW Champion had a glint in his eye that implied more short visits to the squared circle might still be a part of his future, rather than just his legendary past.

He'd stressed nonstop about being up to the task physically, despite said task containing less than ten minutes actual match time. Built on bluster, Big Bill's return was everything his original WWE tenure wasn't, and highlighted perhaps how untenable it might have been in the shark-infested 2003 waters. It did emphasise a new willingness from the organisation to actually protect the legacy of characters they hadn't created, and suggested additional contrition should Goldberg fancy another major payday down the line.

Surprise Royal Rumble appearances have mostly been the preserve of the novelty act in recent years, but the possibility of Bill stepping out and spearing his way to victory without so much as a prior announcement from WWE would be another unique way to deploy the short sharp shock of his act. Particularly if it triggered a third WrestleMania tussle with the man that supplanted him as Universal Champion a year earlier.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett