John Cena's Best Booking Options for WWE Royal Rumble 2016

Had 2015 not played out the way it did, the return of John Cena just weeks before the Royal Rumble would surely suggest he would've been among the front-runners to come out on top in the event's traditional Battle Royal main event.

However, last year demonstrated Cena is no longer the perennial main event attraction he once was. There's clearly an attempt being made to build a new crop of top-tier competitors, and it remains to be seen whether the 15-time world champion still holds a position at the top of the card.

Despite all this, Cena will unquestionably play a major role at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view on Jan. 24—whether he's in contention for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship or not. Here are the best booking options for Cena going into the event.

Challenging Alberto Del Rio For the United States Championship

Back at Hell in a Cell 2015 in October, Cena was undone by a returning Alberto Del Rio and lost his prized United States Championship. In his contractually mandated rematch on Dec. 28's Raw, the nefarious League of Nations made sure he couldn't reclaim the gold.

There's still life to the feud between Del Rio and Cena, and a match between the two could certainly flesh out the Royal Rumble card. If Cena is to be kept out of the Royal Rumble match itself, this is the most likely bout for him to appear in on the night.

Credit: WWE.com

Why would WWE want to keep him out of the Rumble? To avoid a situation where he's made to look weak by being dumped out of the ring during the Battle Royal—a showdown with the Undertaker in Texas still seems to be a likely bout for this year's WrestleMania card.

Of course, he couldn't come out on top in his match with Del Rio, as it seems unlikely the United States title would be introduced into a feud with Undertaker. It's likely the League of Nations would once again get involved, being fed to Cena post-match to make up for his failure to win the strap.

Entering the Royal Rumble and Failing to Go the Distance

On Monday night, we learned this year's Royal Rumble winner will go home with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. With that stipulation—not to mention high-profile entrants such as Chris Jericho—it seems the match will be particularly well stocked with star power.

Cena would be a great addition to the bout, but at present it seems Roman Reigns will successfully defend his title given he's only held the championship for a matter of weeks. This might offer up an opportunity to build the Doctor of Thuganomics' WrestleMania program.

Outside of the long-rumoured match with Undertaker, it's difficult to home in on a particular opponent for Cena to square off with at the biggest show of the year. The man who eliminates Cena from the Rumble will immediately have a reason to face him when WrestleMania takes over the AT&T Stadium on April 3.

Cena should be put in a marquee position for the Showcase of the Immortals—but there's a limit to the amount of fresh matches available to him. Perhaps the most exciting outcome would be to see him enter into a feud with a new Superstar, perhaps one of the rumoured signings making headlines.

A Record-Equalling 3rd Royal Rumble Win

There's a real possibility the Royal Rumble will see John Cena equal Stone Cold Steve Austin's record of three Royal Rumble victories. Winning the 2016 edition of the match would likely set up a compelling WrestleMania main event against Roman Reigns, as is being speculated by many.

If Reigns is to be "the guy" for the foreseeable future, a big-time feud with Cena is all but mandatory. The poster boy for the last decade is the ultimate scalp for an up-and-comer eager to establish their own spot at the very top of the card.

With Seth Rollins' injury erasing the possibility of a Shield Triple Threat, challenging John Cena is the best way of working Reigns into a WrestleMania main event that doesn't retread old ground. While some fans might be disappointed to see Cena reintroduced to the top of the card, he certainly earned the spot over the course of 2015.

This year's WrestleMania is particularly unpredictable, with a whole host of moving parts obscuring the way the card is coming together. However, Cena has long been WWE's go-to guy for a main event program—and this might be the final time he's called upon before Roman's reign begins in earnest.

How do you think John Cena will spend the night of the Royal Rumble? State your predictions ahead of the blockbuster pay-per-view in the comments section below.