Royal Rumble 2012: Brock Lesnar's Return at No. 30 Would Be Epic

Allow me to set the mood. The Royal Rumble match is getting down to the bitter end on Sunday with top stars like Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, Sheamus and Wade Barrett remaining in the ring. The buzzer goes off to signal the 30th entrant, and it just so happens to be three-time WWE Champion Brock Lesnar.

Love him or hate him, the crowd would undoubtedly go nuts for Lesnar's return to a WWE ring. Because of that, it would be in Vince McMahon's best interest to reach out to Lesnar and at least determine what it would cost to get "The Next Big Thing" in the Rumble.

Lesnar recently retired from UFC after an up-and-down tenure that saw a UFC Heavyweight Championship reign but also a few embarrassing defeats. While he ultimately became a laughingstock in mixed martial arts, an aura still surrounds Lesnar when it comes to the way wrestling fans view him.

He was never the best in terms of personality or mic skills, but few have ever been more talented in the ring than Lesnar, especially for a man his size. He was booked to perfection for the most part during his time with WWE, as he scored wins over some of the biggest stars of the time including The Rock and The Undertaker.

Because of his history with the company, the WWE is likely the only place where Lesnar will be treated like a star, so a reunion would make sense from his perspective as well. Clearly he has at least a little bit of interest in the company as he signed on to be included in the WWE 12 video game. That may have been driven by money, but he showed that he wasn't above the WWE any longer.

Whether it's simply a one-off appearance or a full-time return, Lesnar entering at No. 30 would turn the WWE landscape upside-down. Surprise entrants are always a great treat for the fans, but they usually come in the form of over-the-hill legends like "Rowdy" Roddy Piper and The Honky Tonk Man.

I'm not going to suggest that Lesnar is at the same level he was when he left the WWE in 2004, but he's only 34 years old, so he should be able to work at an impressive rate. If Lesnar were to make a full-time return, or at least come back for one more run toward WrestleMania 28, then the possibilities would be interesting.

I think it's quite obvious that a feud with The Undertaker would be the best course of action. It's probably a long shot, but if The Undertaker makes a surprise return and competes in the Rumble, it would be awesome to see Lesnar enter the ring and go right after the dead man.

The Undertaker has already exhausted his WrestleMania options for the most part as he has taken on Triple H and Kane multiple times and John Cena is tied up with The Rock. Because of that, it isn't inconceivable to think that the WWE could bring in an outside guy like Lesnar.

I know the odds likely aren't great, and I'm not predicting that it will happen, but Lesnar entering the Rumble as the final entrant will simply blow the roof off the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. If McMahon is looking for a high-impact surprise entrant, then I don't think he can possibly do better than Lesnar.