5 WWE Superstars who are set to miss the Royal Rumble 2018 due to injury

The Pro Wrestling industry is not the easiest one to be in. The toughest part about the sport (or 'Sports Entertainment', if you're Vince McMahon) is the toll it takes on the physical health of the athletes.

There are innumerable example of entire careers being cut short due to injury - Bret Hart, Stone Cold, Corey Graves, just to name a few. Less severe injuries which sideline wrestlers for months or even years together are terrible as well, especially if they occur when the wrestler is in the midst of a huge push by the WWE.

Injuries significantly affect their momentum and might even end up changing the course of their careers forever. Speaking of which, let's take a look at five such top wrestlers who are set to miss out on this year's Royal Rumble.

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#5 Big Cass

Cass will be a future monster heel in WWE for sure

Enzo Amore and Big Cass had a great run on NXT as well as on the main roster for quite some time. WWE later decided that the time was ripe to give each of them a shot at a singles run and broke them up. Cass turned heel by attacking his partner and was set to become a monster heel in the company.

However, in August last year, in the middle of a Street Fight against Enzo, Cass suffered an injury to his knee which was later diagnosed to be a torn ACL. He was expected to be out for the next nine months.

This effectively means that Cass will not be fit in time for the Royal Rumble. This is a pity since he would definitely have been a top competitor in the marquee match, if not for the unfortunate injury. At least, if he can pull off a Cena-like recovery, he might be ready just in time for WrestleMania 34.

#4 Jeff Hardy

Will he return this Sunday?

Jeff and Matt Hardy returned to WWE at WrestleMania 33 to one of the loudest pops of 2017 and they even went on to win the WWE tag team titles on the same night. After their wildly popular 'Broken' gimmick at Impact Wrestling, it was only a matter of time until they would bring the gimmick over to WWE.

Jeff Hardy was set to be pushed as a singles competitor in the mid-card scene after winning a 15-man Battle Royal for a shot at the Intercontinental Title, though he went on to lose the match.

Later in September, Jeff was revealed to have suffered a torn rotator cuff and a torn labrum. This would sideline him for a long time, giving Matt a chance to kick off his 'Broken' gimmick.

However, earlier today Matt Hardy tweeted about 'Brother Nero' appearing at a backstage segment at Raw 25. This might be a hint that Jeff is ready to return soon. Though his estimated recovery time is not until April, there is a remote possibility that he might return at the Rumble. But as of this writing, he is still undergoing rehab for his injury.

#BrotherNero.. I KNEW YOU'D COME! @WWE #RAW25 pic.twitter.com/UdxOwzMBWv

— #WOKEN Matt Hardy (@MATTHARDYBRAND) January 25, 2018

#3 Dean Ambrose

The Lunatic Fringe is estimated to return only in September

In October last year, the Shield reunited on an episode of Raw giving rise to one of the biggest pops in the last few years. However, even before they could start having a dominant run, it came to an abrupt end.

Though unclear exactly when, Dean Ambrose suffered a serious injury to his triceps. On screen, the injury was explained as the result of a backstage attack by Samoa Joe. This would explain Dean's prolonged absence from TV as well as garner heat for Joe.

Diagnosed as high-grade triceps tendon injury, Dean Ambrose is expected to be off TV for a major part of 2018, including WrestleMania. He is currently estimated to return around September 2018.

#2 Samoa Joe

The Samoan Submission Machine has made quite an impact in WWE already

Beating up Dean Ambrose and putting him on the shelf did garner quite a bit of heat for Joe. He went on to wrestle Roman Reigns in an amazing match on Raw and was set to be one of the top heels heading into the Royal Rumble.

Joe was actually set to start a feud with none other than John Cena heading into the pay-per-view. This shows that WWE was set to push the big man into the main event picture.

Unfortunately for Joe, the injury bug bit him for the second time since debuting on the main roster. The 38-year-old suffered a foot injury during a match against Rhyno on Raw and as of this writing is ruled out of the Royal Rumble, which is a pity because he was primed to be one of the top competitors.

Hopefully he will be able to make a comeback before WrestleMania.

#1 Paige

Will she ever return to the ring?

After a tumultuous couple of years, Paige made a triumphant return to WWE as part of the dominant faction 'Absolution', along with two NXT stars, Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville.

Not even a month into their run, the 25-year-old suffered a serious neck injury at a live event after an unanticipated kick by Sasha Banks. What is even more depressing about this is that Paige might well be done with her in-ring career.

As they say, 'never say never' when it comes to WWE, but it looks like Paige will have no option but to retire as of now, for her own well being.

This effectively rules her out for the historic first-ever Women's Royal Rumble match this year, which is a pity because Paige might have made history as the first-ever winner of the Women's Rumble match.