WWE Royal Rumble 2012: Why John Cena vs. Kane Will Steal the Show

WWE fans will be treated to a whopping four main event-caliber matches at the Royal Rumble 2012 pay-per-view, but John Cena vs. Kane will be the most exciting match of the night.

People will still be talking non-stop about the winner of the Rumble (so clearly obvious it's Chris Jericho that we should pray it doesn't happen) the next morning, yet the next words out of everybody's mouths will be about the path of destruction Kane and Cena left behind in St. Louis. 

Call their month-long feud childish or unbelievable all you want, but it's been the best storyline going since it began. The feud is a nice throwback to the '90s when we let our imaginations run wild as The Undertaker would come back from the dead after being resurrected from a bolt of lightning. It's the supernatural that adults may scoff at, but it's also what makes wrestling fun. 

Sure, Kane trying to drag Cena and Zack Ryder to "hell" beneath the ring is dedicated to the "Little Jimmys," but WWE has done a great job making Cena's potential heel turn or edgy renaissance the forefront of the feud.

Kane wants Cena to "embrace the hate," which we all know is just a ploy to sell t-shirts and further cement Cena as the clear-cut babyface of the WWE. Yet we've already seen Cena snap on Jack Swagger last week in an enthralling segment. That's the Cena we want and that's the one we're going to get at the Rumble.

For anybody who dares to believe this match will be lackluster, boring or suck, think again. This is the top feud in the company and the booking/creative team will do everything in their power to make sure this match leaves a lasting impression in several ways.

This is a big test for all involved, but even more so for both performers. Kane is finally back at the top of the card after being an afterthought for years. Say what you want about previous title runs, but Kane has been a mess ever since the summer of 2003 when he unmasked himself. Now back as the executioner with his mask, Kane could legitimately continue at this rate for years to come. He is enjoying a career renaissance of his own.

Cena is also looking for a huge year. He was uncharacteristically given the TLC pay-per-view off. He's going to be coming in with a full head of steam, ready to steal the show. He already puts on the most emotional matchups of any night, given his crowd reactions, charisma and in-ring abilities, but on Sunday he'll show everybody what we missed last month.

More importantly for Cena, he's looking to make a statement on the Road to WrestleMania in preparation for his main event match with The Rock. He needs all of the momentum he can get, in-ring-wise and from a storyline standpoint. This is a huge opportunity for the company to really make Cena look like a threat against The Rock, because let's face it, he's looked like a complete wash the entire feud. 

That's why this storyline is going down: to make Cena look like a legit threat again. He doesn't need to change who he is, but he desperately needs to provide some sort of edge for when he goes up against Rocky, and WWE knows this. 

After Kane took out Ryder on RAW by sending him straight through the steel stage, Cena will be looking for Kane's blood. We saw a taste of the aggression that's been building in Cena when he refused to talk to Josh Matthews. 

At the Rumble, we're going to see two veterans with a lot on the line tear down an arena. Their similar brawling styles and perfection of the WWE in-ring psychology will create one of the top matches of this young year. Expect an emotionally-driven match with several memorable moments.

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