Royal Rumble 2012: Why January Pay-Per-View Is WWE's Best

Unpredictability. That's the main reason next weekend's Royal Rumble pay-per-view is the best event of the WWE calendar.

There's nothing that matches the excitement of watching the clock tick down until the next entrant is revealed. Once their music hits, it's like opening up a birthday present, and you get to do it 30 times in one night.

From stars such as Chris Jericho and Randy Orton to legends like Mick Foley attempting to relive their glory years, you never know who's coming out next.

It's also tough to handicap the Rumble. Most of the WWE Universe is assuming Jericho's return will be boosted by winning the 30-man battle royale, but don't be so sure. There are plenty of rising stars in the locker room who could use the extra push a lot more than him.

Since Vince McMahon likes to shake things up to keep fans on their toes at PPVs, I would actually be surprised if Jericho is the last man standing next Sunday. Somebody like Dolph Ziggler or Cody Rhodes, who is on the brink of something big, would make a lot more sense for the company.

And that's just the main event. There have already been two matches announced for the undercard as well.

The aforementioned Ziggler will challenge CM Punk for the WWE Championship. In a normal match, you fully expect Punk to retain his title, but adding John Laurinaitis to the fray as a special guest referee adds a little bit of doubt to the scenario.

Not to mention, Ziggler and Punk are two of the top workers in the WWE. They are going to put on a tremendous match that should get the fans pumped up and ready for the Rumble. Punk will keep the belt in my opinion, but the feud between the two is just beginning.

Then there's the match between John Cena and Kane. Cena has been made to look weak throughout most of the ongoing storyline, but he started to turn the tide on RAW when he took out his frustrations on Jack Swagger.

Cena's struggles can't last for much longer because the road to WrestleMania officially gets under way at the Rumble. With his hyped match with The Rock on the horizon, Cena will need to start regaining momentum soon so the epic battle can live up to its billing.

Due to that, I expect Cena defeat Kane by embracing the hate. That's the key phrase that Kane has been using for the past month or so, and once Cena does that to beat him, it can be considered mission accomplished and everything will be in motion with just over two months until the big day in Miami.

In addition to all of that, a couple more matches will likely be adding over the next week. It has all the makings of a card that's truly must-see TV.

When it's all said and done, nothing the WWE Universe sees over the next 11 months will be able to match it.