WWE Survivor Series 2011: 10 Huge Surprises We Could See at the Upcoming PPV

The WWE will invade Madison Square Garden in just six days when Survivor Series takes place in the "World's Most Famous Arena" for the first time since 2002.

The pay-per-view is shaping up to be a memorable one, with neither John Cena nor Randy Orton involved in World title matches and The Rock making his return to the ring after a seven-year hiatus.

But like always, Survivor Series could follow the WWE's path of the mundane and boring, and thus, end up being a total letdown.

Not if the WWE does the unthinkable and shocks us, though.

Here are 10 big surprises we could see this Sunday at the 25th anniversary of Survivor Series.

Note: I'm listing them in order from least likeliest to likeliest, in my opinion.

10. The Undertaker's Return

I'm beginning to think that The Undertaker himself is the only person who really knows when he's coming back.

One week you hear this, the next week you read this and finally, you read an article on WWE.com, in which the company teases that Taker could be returning soon.

Realistically speaking, I don't think we're going to see Undertaker return full time. Instead, we will probably see him wrestle just one more match (at WrestlemMania 28).

But what do I know?

The Undertaker could return at Survivor Series on Sunday and surprise us all.

9. A John Cena Heel Turn

Yeah, I'm definitely not banking on this.

But I've said (a.k.a. typed) it a thousand times before, and I'll say it again: There will never be a better time to turn John Cena heel than at some point during his feud with The Rock.

You could argue that his unwilling participating in The Nexus was a perfect opportunity for a Cena heel turn—and it was—but his rivalry with The Rock might be an even better opportunity.

No baby face currently on the WWE roster full time will get more love from the fans than The Rock, and when he's getting showered in cheers, Cena will be drowning in boos.

So, why not make those boos mean something? Why not do the unthinkable and turn Cena heel?

Because it's the WWE, that's why.

8. Alberto Del Rio Beats CM Punk Clean

Alberto Del Rio's last two pay-per-view wins both came in cheap fashion, and CM Punk has lost four consecutive PPV matches.

So, both men need a clean win at Survivor Series. But I think Del Rio needs it more.

Punk has lost some steam over the last couple of months, but he's still incredibly popular with the fans at the moment. Del Rio, on the other hand, has gotten boring, stale and repetitive, and his cowardly tactics are getting old, too.

If the WWE brass don't want us to get even sicker of Del Rio as WWE Champion, then they have to start building him as a legitimate champ who doesn't always have to cheat to win.

They can start with a win for Del Rio at Survivor Series, though, I wouldn't bet a ton of money on that actually happening.

7. Daniel Bryan Cashes in His Money in the Bank Briefcase

I've gone back and re-watched the last two episodes of Friday Night Smackdown, and one thought keeps popping into my head: The WWE seams to be teasing that Daniel Bryan could cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase soon.

Bryan's interactions with both The Big Show and Mark Henry as well as his involvement in the World Heavyweight Championship picture in general lead me to believe that a cash-in could be right around the corner.

It wouldn't make sense for Bryan to go back on his word, considering that he's a baby face, and I don't think the WWE wants to (or should) turn him heel anytime soon, so Bryan cashing in is probably a long shot.

But as many have said before, never say never when it comes to professional wrestling.

6. Another Major Heel or Face Turn

John Cena probably isn't going to turn heel at Survivor Series like most of us want him to, but that doesn't mean that another star won't.

Survivor Series is setup perfectly for a star to turn either face or heel.

Why? Because of the traditional 5-on-5 matches.

If you're heel who's going to turn face, then you just turn on your team and cause someone to get eliminated or even cost your squad the match. If you're a face who's going to turn heel, then you just do the same thing.

It's pretty simple, and I could see it working well for someone like Jack Swagger or Mason Ryan on Sunday.

5. Kane's Return

If The Undertaker doesn't return at Survivor Series, then his brother, Kane, probably will.

I realize that there's a rumor floating around that Kane will come back at the Royal Rumble, but if we believed everything we read on the Internet, then we would believe in a boatload of crap.

So, I'm thinking that Kane could make a surprise return at Survivor Series on Sunday.

After all, Mark Henry is the man who put him out of action, The Big Show is his former tag team partner and those two guys are facing off for the World Heavyweight Championship inside Madison Square Garden.

Sounds to me like the table is set for Kane to get involved in that match. 

4. An Appearance by Triple H

Triple H is supposed to be out for another three or four weeks because of the "fractured vertebrae" he suffered at the hands of Kevin Nash.

I'm not really buying that, though.

I don't think that the creative team would be putting so much TV time into this Nash/HHH feud if it wasn't the plan all along for something (although maybe not a singles match) to go down between these two at Survivor Series.

Why wait until WWE TLC in December when no one's going to watch that pay-per-view anyway?

I think that WWE officials realize that, and thus, they'll probably have some sort of confrontation—if not a full-blown match—between Nash and Triple H on Sunday.

3. Zack Ryder Wins His 1st Singles Title in WWE

Zack Ryder winning his first singles title inside Madison Square Garden?

Woo woo woo, you know it.

Though the WWE hasn't officially announced it yet, I think we can expect to see Ryder face Dolph Ziggler for the United States Championship at Survivor Series.

And Ryder will probably win it.

He's already gotten a bunch of wins over Ziggler, Ziggler seems poised to move up the card and Survivor Series takes place in Ryder's home state.

Combine all those factors together, and you have a recipe for Ryder winning the US title.

2. The Miz and R-Truth Defeat the Rock and John Cena

Given the way that John Cena has single-handedly destroyed The Miz and R-Truth in recent weeks, the widespread assumption is that he and The Rock will do the same to the Awesome Truth at Survivor Series.

I just don't see it that way.

If The Rock and Cena were to work together as a cohesive unit—or even if they didn't—and then get the victory over The Miz and R-Truth, it would accomplish little to nothing. 

If Cena and The Rock lose, however, it would setup a big showdown between the two after or perhaps even during their match. The Rock blames Cena, Cena blames Rock, the two start duking it out in the ring, etc.

It's a rather simple formula, but one that works a lot better if The Rock and Cena lose. 

1. Wade Barrett as the Lone Survivor of His 5-on-5 Match

Wade Barrett's fortunes sure have turned around rather quickly, haven't they?

After being buried down on the Smackdown roster for most of the year, Barrett now seems to have the creative team firmly behind him. While that's good news for Barrett, it's bad news for Randy Orton and his Survivor Series team.

Barrett got a win over Orton on last Friday's Smackdown, and he's pretty much run over anyone in his path over the last several weeks.

All of that appears to be leading to something big for Barrett, and that something big could be Barrett standing tall as the lone survivor of his 5-on-5 match at Survivor Series.

It would make sense given the recent booking of Barrett, and it would be a huge rub for one of the WWE's fastest-rising stars.