WWE Royal Rumble 2013: 10 Reasons This Will Be WWE's Best Event of the Year

This Sunday's Royal Rumble pay-per-view is the WWE's first big event of 2013 and, unfortunately for the rest of 2013's pay-per-view schedule, it's going to be the best. 

The Royal Rumble has become one of the WWE's most anticipated events for good reason. The Royal Rumble match is incredibly exciting and has WrestleMania implications and always holds a few surprises. 

The WWE Universe is in for a great show this Sunday as the WWE packs its bags and departs on the Road to WrestleMania. 

Here are 10 reasons that the Royal Rumble pay-per-view will be the best of 2013. 

1. The Royal Rumble Match

Honestly, who doesn't like a Royal Rumble match?

You get to see almost the entire WWE roster in fast-paced action with a few surprises tossed in for good measure.

These matches have it all. The matches usually start out with a few major players, like Dolph Ziggler this year, and start bringing in some of the midcard talent. As the lesser-known stars enter, we usually see a few funny moments (Cobra vs. Socko) and get a few veterans making their one-time returns (Hacksaw).

Not only does the Royal Rumble match bring great action in the ring, it can also make Superstars go from nobodies to big names, can turn people heel or face and can even introduce new Superstars or, as we've seen for the last few years, act as the perfect opportunity for Superstars to make their return to the company. 

The Royal Rumble is one of the best matches all year, and with all of the rumored returns on Sunday, this one will live up to the hype. 

2. The Tag Team Championships

Throughout the last year, the WWE has done wonders with the tag team division. We've seen a ton of new teams and much better competition for the titles than we did before. Yes, it appears the days of Primo and Epico winning the belts at house shows are over. 

Now, two of the teams that have benefited the most from the tag team division's revival, Team Hell No and Team Rhodes Scholars, will face off at the Royal Rumble for the championships.

Both of these teams are made up of great characters and very talented in-ring performers, which gives this matchup all the makings for a great title match at Royal Rumble. 

3. The World Heavyweight Championship

The World Heavyweight Championship hasn't been the most exciting or easy-to-follow title in the WWE in recent history.

The same two or three Superstars have been passing it back and forth and we went from seeing Del Rio and Sheamus every week to seeing Sheamus and Big Show every week and now, logically, we've been getting a healthy helping of Big Show and Del Rio. 

While the World Heavyweight Championship hasn't been the most exciting, the Royal Rumble has the opportunity to change all of that. The Last Man Standing stipulation can very well take this matchup from boring to one of the best matches on the card. 

Big Show vs ADR with the possibility of a Dolph Ziggler cash-in is one of the first times in a long while that the World Heavyweight picture isn't completely clear-cut and obvious. 

4. The WWE Championship

The WWE Championship between CM Punk and the Rock is obviously one of the most exciting things about the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. 

This match has been a dream of many since Punk's encounter with The Great One on Raw 1000. 

Whether you're a fan of Punk or not, you can't argue that the guy can go in the ring. He's one of the most unique Superstars in the WWE and has one of the best move sets in the business. 

Put him up against The Rock, arguably the best professional wrestler ever, and this year's Royal Rumble is a must-see.  

5. The Surprises

One simple reason the Royal Rumble is great: the surprises. Obviously, ever WWE pay-per-view usually has a few shocking moments that the Universe didn't see coming, but this year's Rumble could bring even more. 

During the Royal Rumble, the WWE Universe has seen everything from current Superstars to young guys making their debuts, and even announcers, legends and WWE Hall of Famers. 

This year's Rumble field is wide open. With all of the new talent popping up recently with The Shield and Big E Langston, will the WWE introduce us to a few more stars on Sunday? 

We'll find out during the match, but whether new stars show up or not, this year's Rumble is sure to have a few big surprises, which is something every WWE fan loves. 

6. Great YouTube Pre-Show

FINALLY...The WWE has booked a half-way decent match for the YouTube pre-show. In the past we've seen such exciting matchups as a "Santa's Helper" Diva Battle Royale, a few other awful battle royales and a TON of Santino. 

Not this time. The WWE will be giving the Universe a pre-show worth logging on to YouTube for. The Miz and Antonio Cesaro will continue their building feud during the pre-show as they compete for the US Championship. 

WWE is pulling out all the stops with Royal Rumble. The card is full of great matches and a pre-show match of this caliber will set the tone for a great event. 

7. The Rock Returns

Duh. 

By the looks of it, WWE fans will be getting their fill of the Great One for Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania. 

His first match back will be his best. The Rock will take on the current WWE Champion CM Punk in one of the best returning Superstar storylines we've ever seen. Rock and Punk are both masters on the mic which is making the build-up to the actual match awesome.

It's not like the Lesnar return, where we didn't see him for weeks. The Rock returning to regular appearances has done wonders for this feud, which, on paper, is already a candidate for Match of the Year. 

The Most Electrifying Man in ALLLLLLLL of Entertainment will lace up his boots again at the Royal Rumble and, whether you like the Rock or not (does anybody seriously dislike the Rock?), it's going to be a great moment for the WWE. 

8. Storylines Are Moderately Interesting

One big thing the WWE has going right now is its storylines. While I realize that some stories are still strange, like Alberto Del Rio and Big Show, but other than that, the WWE is moving in the right direction. 

The Shield is still a huge question mark. Their motives have become clear, but the WWE is obviously still hinting to fans that they may be in cahoots with WWE Champ CM Punk.

The WWE has a great chance to make more sense of the Shield at the Royal Rumble, and if they do, it'll just add to an already great event.

The tag team title race and the WWE Championship match both are great feuds that have been building up for a few weeks, which is more than the WWE can say about most feuds. 

The actual Royal Rumble match can do a lot for the current WWE feuds. Returning Superstars can get back into the mix or former teammates can turn on each other.

Anything can happen at the Royal Rumble, and adding in the fact that the WWE actually has interesting storylines going makes it that much better. 

9. Starts the Road to WrestleMania

The Royal Rumble is always one of the best pay-per-views of the year and considering the great matches and stories of Royal Rumble 2013, it appears that this year's Rumble won't disappoint. 

Every Royal Rumble pay-per-view is exciting because it's the first step on the road to WrestleMania. The feuds that fans will be watching at the grandaddy of them all usually begin to take place during or around the Royal Rumble. 

The fact that this year's Rumble is not only beginning the Road to WrestleMania, but also has a lot of substance on its own, means that this year's Rumble will be one of the best. 

10. It's the Rumble!

The main reason that this weekend's Royal Rumble will be the best event of the year: it's the Royal Rumble! 

The Rumble is one of the greatest pay-per-views every year. The WWE Universe is treated to Championship matches and one of the best match types in the entire WWE Universe, the Royal Rumble match. 

The 2013 Rumble has all of that, with the added bonus of great stories, great championship matches and an exciting Royal Rumble field. 

2013's first pay-per-view is going to be remembered as the year's best.