WWE: Kane and Top Candidates To Win WWE Royal Rumble 2012

With the Royal Rumble just a month away it is certainly appropriate to begin speculating who could earn the chance to main event WrestleMania. It would seem as though heels have the most to gain by winning the Rumble this year, with Kane being chief among them.

Kane returned a couple weeks ago and attacked John Cena. With Cena facing The Rock at WrestleMania however, this particular feud can't last that long. All signs point to the creative team booking Kane like the dominant monster he used to be, so it wouldn't be shocking to see him win the Rumble.

Over the years Kane has had some great performances in the Rumble match, including the most eliminations in a single Rumble, but he has never been victorious. That could change as it looks like there are big things in store for this repackaged, all-business Kane.

There has been some speculation that the winner of the Rumble might choose a match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania rather than a title shot. I'm not sure if the creative team would do that type of thing, but if it would work for anybody it would be Kane, as he has already won every conceivable title and would benefit much more from ending his brother's streak.

Here are a couple more candidates, in no particular order, that could outlast 30 other superstars in the Royal Rumble.

Dolph Ziggler

As great as he was as United States Champion, the best thing that could have ever happened to Dolph Ziggler was losing the title to Zack Ryder. Ziggler is now free to enter the main-event scene and it appears as though that is precisely what will happen after he defeated CM Punk in a gauntlet match and is scheduled to receive a shot at his WWE Championship next week.

Ziggler won't win the title right away, but putting over Punk—albeit with help from John Laurinaitis—shows that the company has a lot of faith in him. As well they should since Ziggler has incredible athletic ability and underrated mic skills. With all the pushing of young talent that has been going on lately, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the #Heel win the Rumble.

Chris Jericho

This is, of course, completely contingent upon him returning, but I believe Chris Jericho has a great chance of winning the Royal Rumble.

All of the talks surrounding the cryptic "It Begins" promos have targeted Jericho as the possible returnee, and I think it makes sense. Jericho could very well be planning to take back what he believes is rightfully his, that being the WWE Championship and the title of best in the world.

Current WWE Champion CM Punk has called himself the best in the world in Jericho's absence and it could easily be written that Jericho wants to prove that he is truly the best. The return date of Jan. 2 is perfect in terms of getting Y2J ready for the Rumble and if he wins, it would set up a Jericho vs. Pink dream match at WrestleMania.

Jericho returning is far from a guarantee, but if he does then I have no doubt that he will win the Rumble.