Thanks to Barry’s message from the future, we know that Rip gave him a message that Barry wants him to keep a secret, so maybe there’s a future version of the character involved.
Alternately, the show’s Season 2 connection to The Flash means it could be a Rip from a different universe.
If it won’t be the same Rip that we lost, that means there will likely be some time travel and/or universe jumping shenanigans at work.
Maybe the new Rip will be an evil version from a parallel Earth who wears a goatee and gets up to all manner of villainy.