When looking through the WWE PPV calendar fans tend to glance straight towards the period between January and April, because they know that WrestleMania season is near.
There's something about those few months that feels even more special than the rest of the year, and it tends to bring with it a surge of casual fans who want to see what's going down heading into the showcase of the immortals.
But where does that road begin? The Royal Rumble, of course. The extravaganza that is the Rumble emanates from the Alamodome in San Antonio this year, proving just how big the event has become in the last few decades.
Many people are divided on the event this time round given the contrasting fortunes of both Raw and SmackDown, but WWE always seem to pull a few surprises out of the hat when it comes to the 30-man over the top battle royal itself.
You see, negativity is a big problem within the WWE Universe and when that attitude rolls over into one of the big four pay-per-views, it can create something of a ripple effect. A large portion of the fanbase can begin to turn on the company due to something they've read online or because it's 'cooler' to do so, but we're here to stop all that.
There's plenty of reasons to be positive heading into the 2017 edition of the Royal Rumble, and these are five of the big ones.
#5 Cena vs. Styles outcome
The much-anticipated rematch between John Cena and AJ Styles for the WWE Championship has been in the pipeline for months now. Ever since their absolute classic at SummerSlam, fans have been clamouring to see another entry in the rivalry, and in San Antonio, they'll get just that.
Now whilst some people will look directly towards the match quality itself as a reason to buy the WWE Network, there's much more at stake here. First off, the fate of the WWE Championship heading into WrestleMania 33 is on the line and the winner of this match could well find themselves in the main event in Orlando.
Also read: WWE News: WWE have contacted Kurt Angle to appear in the Royal Rumble 2017
Secondly, there's a Deadman looming. It seems to be common knowledge at this point that Cena vs Undertaker is the match that WWE are most interested in for WM33, and it seems likely that we'll see the seeds get planted either during or straight after this match.
Who knows, perhaps we'll hear the famous gong which will cost Big Match John the match.
From one potential surprise to a whole load of them.
#4 Surprise returns
We all know and love the Royal Rumble match for a variety of different reasons. There's fun spots, near misses, alliances formed and the classic Kofi Kingston moment that we're bound to see. However, this year above all others there appears to be a great deal of potential when it comes to one of the Rumble's trademarks - surprise returns.
Over the years we've seen many past superstars show up during the annual spectacle, with some of the biggest names in the industry sending the crowd wild.
As we continue to speculate as to who may take up that position this year, it would seem obvious that there will be at least one or two huge names involved in the match given the grand nature of the event.
It's all well and good to stock the match full of mid-carders, but in reality what the paying fans want to see are possibilities.
Perhaps there's a feud they didn't even know they wanted until they see it in the Rumble or just a moment that makes them feel like they're back in 1998. Whatever the case may be, something big is definitely coming.
Speaking of big, that brings us to our next point.
#3 Alamodome attendance
Two decades after the Rumble last visited San Antonio, the Alamodome will once again play host to the big four pay-per-view. It's been a long time since we've seen a non-WrestleMania event be held in a stadium, so you know this is a big deal.
The sheer magnitude of the situation and the crowd will instantly improve the quality of this event when people look back on it in the years to come.
After all, it just makes the road to Mania seem that much bigger. The Alamodome itself really is a historic place and given it's history, the WWE have struck gold by being able to secure the venue for the Rumble.
After all, just imagine 60,000 people counting down from ten to one whenever somebody is due to come out.
Even better, just picture the aforementioned returns being received by a thunderous ovation.
It definitely seems like one of those stadiums where the atmosphere will be enclosed, creating a cauldron-like situation where the wrestlers will look like modern day gladiators. That in itself is quite ironic given that that was the theme for the 2016 edition of the show, but we digress.
Onto the man who can steal the whole audience's attention with just a few catchphrases.
#2 Jericho in a cage
Drink it in, man. Over the last few months, Chris Jericho has consistently been one of the best things about Monday Night Raw - not that it's too difficult. The veteran has once again reinvented his character to the point where he has the entire audience in the palm of his hands - and WWE have noticed that.
The List of Jericho and his ongoing partnership with Kevin Owens have led to Mick Foley adding a certain stipulation to a certain match that nobody was really looking forward to.
Owens vs Reigns has already been done about 62 times, so inserting Jericho into a shark cage above the ring, in order to add to the suspense can only be a good thing.
There are so many great things that could come from this and it may be the only valuable highlight of this entire match. The likelihood is that the crowd will once again turn on Roman, which in turn will lead to some extremely entertaining work between The Big Dog and Jericho. Either way, it's pretty much guaranteed to be entertaining.
From one entertaining idea to another great one.
#1 Rumble sweepstakes
One of the great things about the Royal Rumble is that you don't have to watch the product from week to week in order to tune in.
Sure, it makes things more difficult for the WWE in the long run, but alongside WrestleMania, thousands upon thousands of former wrestling fans return to once again see what kind of names will pop up this year.
The best part about that is the endless games you can play with your pals, too. Whether you pick a number between 30 of you or you just have two people take either odds or evens, there's no limit to the potential scenarios that will make for a thoroughly entertaining evening.
Hell, you can even turn the whole thing into a drinking game if you're into that.
Whatever the case may be it adds that extra element of suspense whenever you hear the buzzer sound. Could it be Cena, Orton, or perhaps even a returning Hornswoggle? Wrestling is designed to be fun and the Royal Rumble is the definition of that, so we may as well take advantage of it.
Thirty men - one winner. What's not to love.
Send us news tips at [email protected]
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
