Royal Rumble 2012: John Cena and Stars That Must Shine at the Rumble

With the Royal Rumble just two weeks away, the build toward the second-biggest pay-per-view of the year is in full swing. Seeing as the Rumble is the first stop on the road to WrestleMania, it is of the utmost importance that several stars acquit themselves well at the event.

There is nothing worse than halting a key superstar's momentum heading toward WrestleMania, so the Rumble needs to set the tone. That isn't to say that winning a match or winning the Rumble itself is absolutely necessary for every wrestler, but looking like a legitimate threat is.

Here are three superstars who absolutely must shine at WWE's January PPV stalwart.

Kane

It certainly didn't come as a surprise when it was announced on RAW last night that Kane would take on John Cena in a singles match at the Royal Rumble. The two have been feuding over the past few weeks as Kane has made an effort to get Cena to "embrace the hate" that he receives from the audience at any given event.

Kane has rightly been made to look strong thus far, but that has to continue at the pay-per-view.

I believe that anything other than a "No contest" of some sort between Kane and Cena would be a big mistake. Both men need to look good in the match, especially Kane. A loss to Cena could quickly reverse the monster heel push he has gotten since his return.

After fighting Cena to a tough draw, I suspect Kane will enter the Rumble. He'll need to particularly shine in the Rumble itself, eliminating several superstars. If he can do all that, then his image will be safe.

Dolph Ziggler

With the CM Punk vs. John Laurinaitis feud taking center stage, many would probably say that Dolph Ziggler is the forgotten man in the WWE Championship picture. That may be true, but he will serve as the challenger to Punk's title at the Royal Rumble and it's integral that he looks good in victory or defeat. I think the expectation is that Laurinaitis, as the special guest referee, will find a way to screw Punk out of the title.

That seems a bit too obvious to me, though, so I see Punk beating the odds and retaining. An excellent 15- to 20-minute match is an absolute must as Ziggler has to come out looking like he is at least close to being Punk's equal.

Nobody else has suggested this to my knowledge, but after losing the match I see Ziggler finding his way into the Rumble match somehow.

I think he will enter the Rumble No. 1, last all the way until the end and find a way to win. I think that would be the perfect way to build him up to main-event status as he will have put on an excellent match with the WWE Champion and won the Rumble in the same night.

While far from a guarantee, I think it's a very real possibility.

John Cena

It may sound strange that John Cena needs to come out of a pay-per-view looking strong as he almost always does, but Cena needs to continue to "embrace the hate."

I think that his transformation toward a heel turn or at least a character transformation took a big step on RAW as he pummeled Jack Swagger after Swagger beat Zack Ryder for the United States Championship.

Cena has to advance that persona against Kane, and it shouldn't be too difficult to accomplish that. Cena has been trying to get his hands on Kane for the past few weeks, so he'll be raring to go at the Rumble.

As I mentioned previously I think his match with Kane should end in a "No Contest," perhaps with both men incapacitated. I don't think Cena will be in the Rumble match since he is facing The Rock at WrestleMania, but getting involved in the Rumble by eliminating Kane could help his development as well.