Jeff Hardy, League of Nations, WWE SmackDown and More from Mailbag Eve

As I open gift-wrapped questions from this week's holiday edition of the WWE mailbag, it seems WWE is getting its stuff together at the right time. Things will only become more interesting with the inevitable returns of Triple H and Brock Lesnar, but until then, we're stuck with The League of Nations. The foursome smothered Raw until fizzling out in the main event.

Is this a foreshadowing of sorts?

League of Rations?

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@ThisIsNasty should Alberto Del Rio be the leader of the League of Nations instead of Sheamus?

— Tom Johnson (@tjohn224) December 24, 2015"

I admire WWE for remaining committed to The League of Nations. I still consider it somewhat of a lame-duck stable now that Sheamus has lost the world title with no signs of getting it back. But if WWE protects the group, it can serve as the looming threat that keeps Roman Reigns over as a valiant babyface.

There's no need to change around leadership roles. With the exception of all-time talents like The Rock, who took over The Nation—although it was a watered-down version of the militant group it once was by then—and Triple H, who took over Degeneration-X, stables are rarely bolstered by a new leader. New leaders just symbolize the beginning of the end.

WWE simply needs to ride this League of Nations gimmick out until it finds intriguing exit plans for each member. Perhaps the group will dominate the Royal Rumble before having a disagreement as to who should win. Hopefully, there are feuds or potential tag teams that spin off from this stable. Either way, the faction is filled with too much talent to spend the next several months putting Reigns over.

USA Net Worth?

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@ThisIsNasty do you actually think smackdown on USA will change anything about the show in the long term?

— Christian Landsverk (@c_landsverk) December 23, 2015"

It better. SmackDown on the USA Network does not have the luxury of starting off hot only to settle into its standard B-show rhythm. If SmackDown does not deliver strong ratings in prime time for USA, which prides itself as the annual No. 1 cable network, USA will have no qualms about dropping the show the same way it dropped the Steve Austin iteration of Tough Enough despite impressive ratings.

With a new announcer in Mauro Ranallo, whose style is far different from any of WWE's overtrained in-house broadcasters, WWE is clearly committed to making SmackDown have a different feel. Vince McMahon has always valued the role of commentary (he once played one himself), and making such a bold move to kick off SmackDown certainly demonstrates the show is suddenly a priority.

WWE does not need to give away pay-per-view quality matches on SmackDown every week similar to Raw, but it should highlight less-heralded talents while featuring major storyline developments from top stars.

Question of the Week: Royal Returns?

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@ThisIsNasty Will we see big names return for the Royal Rumble or just guys we've seen in NXT? (James Storm, Rhyno, The Brian Kendrick)

— Jordan Smith (@JSmith_FOX6) December 22, 2015"

I think we'll see both. With WWE's current plague of injuries, which I discussed at length on PodNasty, there will be plenty of room for NXT stars and high-profile surprise returns.

Both Matt and Jeff Hardy have expressed interest in returning to WWE with designs on rekindling their legendary feud against The Dudley Boyz. Jeff recently told Ric Flair's Wooooo! Nation podcast (h/t WrestlingInc.com): "It would be super great to be able to have a few more good ones with The Dudley Boyz."

Jeff Hardy is on the short list of most meaningful returns from former WWE Superstars. If his music hit at the Royal Rumble, it could be the biggest highlight of the match. A Hardys reunion doesn't have to be a one-off.

There's a lot of fun to be had with a New Day-Hardy confrontation. The duo could also have great matches against The Usos or The Lucha Dragons.

With the Dudleys on the roster and a budding tag team division, a WrestleMania tag team match that also included the Hardys would be the stamp of approval that will further transcend this division.

WWE Presents...

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@ThisIsNasty what's the better Christmas present for the Smarks: Daniel Bryan or CM Punk make returns?

— T.J. McAloon (@tjmcaloon) December 23, 2015"

Speaking strictly as a hypothetical Christmas gift, a CM Punk return would be the biggest story of the year, so impossible as it sounds, I have to go with that.

Daniel Bryan returning to the ring seems far-fetched at this point, but I wouldn't rule out some type of farewell tour that featured him wrestling in a limited capacity.

Bryan recently told Sharon Lee of the Straits Times he's working on a compromise with WWE regarding his in-ring future, so there may be hope yet.

Bryan's return match is the type of major storyline that could be used on SmackDown when it moves to the USA Network. Had Bryan been a healthy intercontinental champion, he would have been a great choice to carry the SmackDown brand and help build that championship the way Cena helped add credibility to the United States Championship.

Alfred Konuwa is a featured columnist and an on-air host for Bleacher Report. Like him on Facebook and subscribe to his weekly wrestling podcast, PodNasty.