WWE Royal Rumble 2017: 10 Potential Dark Horses
9. Cesaro
The past few months have been kind to Cesaro. Sure, he’s not quite at the level his most ardent fans would like, but his tag team with Sheamus shows great potential. The duo had a fun Best of Seven series, and they’ve followed it up with a strong “odd couple” storyline that should see them become Raw Tag Team Champions someday. Cesaro is back in the big picture, and after years as an also-ran, that’s all that matters.
A Rumble victory would send Cesaro stratospheric. His flashy, exciting style of wrestling means he’ll always be over with the crowd, regardless of his apparent lack of charisma, and few would reject Cesaro if he was the last man standing in San Antonio. Wrestling-wise, he was born to star in some of the year’s biggest matches, and they don’t get bigger than a Universal Title shot at WrestleMania 33.
Cesaro’s long-term success as a singles wrestler depends not only on his tag team fortunes, but Vince McMahon’s ever-changing perception. Has the Swiss Superman done enough to reach out and grab the proverbial brass ring? Who knows, but here’s hoping he at least gets the opportunity to hit main event level before he eventually retires.