10 Potentially Explosive WWE Storylines We Should Watch out for

In 2011, we saw a ton of great storylines in the WWE.

CM Punk winning the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank and then bolting the company and Christian turning heel during his feud with Randy Orton are just a couple of excellent angles that made 2011 a fantastic year.

Now it's 2012, and the WWE is hoping to have just as much success over the next 12 months. And it looks like that could very well happen.

There are plenty of things going on in the WWE at the moment that may be leading to a fantastic start for the new year.

Here are 10 potentially explosive WWE storylines we should pay very close attention to over the next few months.

10. Alberto Del Rio's Injury and Return

Alberto Del Rio is suffering from a legitimate torn groin, and according to WWE.com, he is expected to miss "four to six weeks."

Theoretically, he could be a surprise entrant in the 30-Man Royal Rumble, but it seems more likely that he'll come back in time for Elimination Chamber in February.

It'll be interesting to see what's in store for Del Rio when he does return, though.

Vince McMahon reportedly wants ADR to show more "ruthless aggression" in the ring after he largely flopped during his first two runs as WWE Champion, but it might take a brief return to the mid-card for Del Rio to do just that.

Then again, with a six-man Elimination Chamber match likely taking place next month and Raw lacking a ton of options to put into that match, it seems almost inevitable that Del Rio will be a part of that bout.

What's not known is if Del Rio is going to be pushed as a more aggressive top heel upon his return or just be used as filler during that match.

Regardless, I'll be keeping an eye on Del Rio when he does come back, presumably within the next month or so.

9. The Debut of Brodus Clay

The return of Brodus Clay has been pushed back what seems like 15 times by now, likely because he spoiled his return plans on Twitter by hinting that he'd be taking out John Morrison.

But John Laurinaitis revealed on last week's episode of Monday Night Raw that Clay will re-debut on tonight's Raw. Finally.

Given how many times Clay's return has been pushed back already, there's obviously a chance those plans could change again. But I have a feeling we'll actually see Clay on Raw tonight.

And he could play a huge part in the storylines on Raw going forward.

With the absence of Alberto Del Rio, Raw needs another top heel, so Clay could very well get a main event level push immediately upon his return.

No one seems to know exactly what's in store for Clay when he comes back, but that's precisely what makes his return so interesting.

Guys like Zack Ryder or even CM Punk should be on the lookout for Clay tonight.

8. John Laurinaitis vs. CM Punk

John Laurinaitis started off as one of the most boring Raw general managers ever, but he's quickly turned that around and developed into an interesting authority figure.

He may not be "Mr. Excitement" as he calls himself, but he's taken his dry, mundane style and made it his own, and surprisingly, it's worked very well.

Laurinaitis now seems to be involved in a bit of a feud with WWE Champion CM Punk, and it remains to be seen where exactly the creative team has this headed.

Laurinaitis vs. Punk will never rival the feud of Vince McMahon vs. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, but it could be a poor man's version of that feud, with Punk constantly mocking Laurinaitis and Laurinaitis trying to make Punk's life miserable.

That's fine by me.

Feuds between authority figures and top stars can work really well if they're done right and do not overshadow legitimate feuds between two wrestlers.

I would expect the feud between Laurinaitis and Punk to continue, especially with no clear-cut wrestling rivalry for Punk at the moment.

7. The Return of Kharma

That video you're looking at it was recently posted on YouTube by Kharma, and in it, the absent WWE Diva hints that she could be coming back in time for WrestleMania 28.

That would be huge for the Divas division.

As everyone knows, the Divas have really struggled over the last several years, and Kharma breathed a ton of life into the division when she made her WWE debut back in April 2011.

Unfortunately, she turned up pregnant shortly thereafter and never really got a chance to do much before having to take a hiatus from the WWE.

Now, however, it appears as if the return of Kharma could be right around the corner, and this could be just what the WWE needs to get the Divas division back on track.

If both Layla and Kharma come back soon, the ever-so-boring Divas division could get very interesting very quickly.

6. Undertaker vs. Triple H: Part 2

Whether we want to see The Undertaker vs. Triple H again or not, it definitely appears to be in the cards for WrestleMania 28.

When Triple H returned to the WWE last month, he cut a promo directed at Kevin Nash, but it also featured a couple of shots at The Undertaker.

It's not a given that we'll see a Taker/Triple H rematch on the grandest stage of them all, but it's a definite possibility.

Much like we saw on "2 21 11," both The Undertaker and Triple H could return in the near future, setting up yet another WrestleMania match between the two.

I'd personally rather see the WWE go in a different direction with both guys, but it is what is. It's an easy setup for a WrestleMania rematch, and one that a lot of fans will want to see.

Though I wouldn't write it down with a Sharpie, I'd pencil Taker vs. Triple H: Part Two in, and I'd expect the build to it to start relatively soon.

5. The Big Show, Daniel Bryan and a Possible Heel Turn

For several weeks on Smackdown, Daniel Bryan teased cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase, but most of us thought he would do it on Mark Henry.

After The Big Show beat Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship at WWE TLC, though, Bryan surprised everybody by cashing in on Big Show to win his first World title in the WWE.

Now, judging by the recent interaction between Show and Bryan on Smackdown, it looks like one of the two could be headed for a huge heel turn.

I'd rather see Big Show turn heel because he makes a much more believable heel than Bryan, and Show could use a change in his character to freshen it up a bit. Plus, I think Bryan works perfectly in that Rey Mysterio type of underdog role.

Of course, it's possible that neither guy turns heel, but you have to think that the way they've been acting toward each other is leading to one of them moving to the dark side.

This will be interesting for Smackdown because whatever happens with Bryan and Show will have a domino effect that could change plans for a number of top stars on the blue brand.

4. The Injury to Randy Orton

According to WWE.com, Randy Orton is expected to be out of action for a few weeks due to a back injury.

Like with the possible heel turn for The Big Show or Daniel Bryan, the effect of Orton's injury has the potential to trickle down and alter plans for a number of Smackdown's top stars.

Presumably, Wade Barrett will move on to another feud (or brag about injuring Orton to keep that feud going), and Sheamus appears to be the one who will step up into Orton's role as the top baby face on Smackdown.

But given that Orton will likely be back in time for the Royal Rumble, you have to wonder what that means for all parties involved.

I'm of the belief that Orton will be a "surprise" entrant in the 30-Man Royal Rumble match and win it because it's taking place in his hometown of St. Louis. But that may be too obvious, and the creative team may go a different route.

What that route is, I'm really not sure.

3. Who Will Win the Royal Rumble?

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that the outcome of the 30-Man Royal Rumble match will play a major role in storylines going forward.

Depending on who wins the match, we could see new feuds starting, championships switching hands and guys turning heel or face.

The 30-Man Rumble is probably the single most important event on the road to WrestleMania, setting the stage for one of the main events for this year's show in Miami.

There seems to be mixed feelings on how the Royal Rumble should be used, meaning whether it should serve as a way to elevate an up-and-coming talent or a means of getting an established main-eventer in a World title match at WrestleMania.

Regardless of what happens at the Royal Rumble, though, the outcome should be interesting, to say the least, and we should get a much clearer picture of the potential WrestleMania card once the pay-per-view is finished.

2. Kane's Attempts to Get John Cena to Embrace the Boos

When Kane returned on Raw a few weeks back and attacked John Cena, no one seemed to be sure exactly why Kane targeted "The Champ."

But on last week's Raw, The Big Red Monster made that abundantly clear: He is trying to get Cena to embrace the boos, or in layman's terms, turn heel.

Obviously, we fans have serious doubts about that happening, but I do have to admit that there is at least some potential in this storyline.

Whether Cena goes full-fledged heel or not, this storyline with Kane almost guarantees that he will at least have some sort of character change.

We can't be sure what that change means or what's in store for Cena down the road, but we can try to give this storyline a chance.

After all, the only way it will be a complete failure is if Cena overcomes all odds like usual, "rises above hate" and essentially buries Kane.

1. "It Begins"

No one can stop talking about "It Begins."

The series of cryptic YouTube videos is undoubtedly pointing to the return of a superstar—or possibly multiple WWE performers—with Chris Jericho seemingly the most likely option to come back on tonight's Raw.

Unless the creative team really drops the ball and brings back someone no one cares about, then whoever is behind the "It Begins" video is sure to rock the foundation of the WWE.

There's honestly no telling what's going to happen on Raw tonight, but regardless, it should have a monumental effect on the WWE going forward.

I can't wait until the end of Raw tonight when all the speculation will finally be over, and "It Begins" will become a part of WWE history.