‘WWE Raw’ Preview: Reigns Vs. Undertaker Update — When Will Finn Balor Return?

Without The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar or Goldberg being advertised for this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, it will be up to guys like Roman Reigns, Kevin Owens, and Triple H to deliver ratings just three weeks before WrestleMania 33. While WWE is hyping the No. 1 contenders tag team match featuring Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady vs. Cesaro and Sheamus, the WWE Universe will also expect an update on The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns and whether or not Finn Balor will return to WWE programming before WrestleMania on April 2.

Last week, WWE all but confirmed the fact that The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns would be a part of WrestleMania 33. For possibly the first time in WrestleMania history, The Undertaker could be going into his match as the underdog, as the latest WWE rumors suggest Reigns will get the victory over Taker, signaling the end of the Dead Man’s career. Even if that were the case, it’s unclear whether WWE would want this move to be part of a Roman Reigns heel turn, making him the on-screen responsibility for the end of The Undertaker’s career. Conversely, it’s possible they believe giving Reigns a clean victory over the living legend would somehow endear him to the fans who have so far refused to cheer for Roman Reigns. Either way, The Rock’s cousin is sure to address The Undertaker on this week’s Monday Night Raw.

Meanwhile, without Universal Champion Goldberg or his WrestleMania opponent Brock Lesnar advertised for Monday night’s card, fans will almost certainly be subjected to the latest video package that WWE has for the Lesnar/Goldberg bout, along with an appearance by Paul Heyman or prerecorded comments from one of the wrestlers.

WWE hasn’t been shy about the fact that Finn Balor has returned to in-ring action, and his “see you soon” message to the WWE Universe at a live show in Buffalo would seem to indicate that he will be back on WWE programming sooner rather than later. There are a number of ways Finn could be written back into the Raw script before Mania, whether he shows up this week on Monday night or they wait until April 2 in Orlando.

If Seth Rollins isn’t cleared for any sort of in-ring physicality at Mania, perhaps he could call on Balor to be his proxy. Samoa Joe still doesn’t have an opponent for the biggest card of the year, and there’s no question that Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe is a match that could steal the show, even on a stacked card at WrestleMania. Or, if the WWE wants to go a completely different direction, the match between Neville and Austin Aries hasn’t been set in stone. Finn Balor is listed as weighing just 190 pounds, and a Triple Threat Match for the Cruiserweight Championship between Neville, Austin Aries, and Finn Balor could be the greatest Cruiserweight Division match in WWE history.

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• WWE SmackDown LIVE & 205 Live Results: John Cena Cuts Epic Promo

Updated WWE WrestleMania 33 Card

• Goldberg (c) vs. Brock Lesnar — Universal Championship Match
• Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Randy Orton — WWE Championship Match
• Bayley (c) vs. Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair — Raw Women’s Championship Triple Threat Match
• Alexa Bliss (c) vs. all available SmackDown Women — SmackDown Women’s Championship Match
• Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (c) vs. Enzo & Big Cass/Sheamus & Cesaro — Raw Tag Team Championship Match
• Chris Jericho (c) vs. Kevin Owens — United States Championship Match
• Mojo Rawley, Apollo Crews + TBD — Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
• American Alpha (c) vs. The Usos — SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match (unconfirmed)
• Neville (c) vs. Austin Aries — Cruiserweight Championship Match (unconfirmed)
• Dean Ambrose (c) vs. Baron Corbin — Intercontinental Championship Match (unconfirmed)
• The Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns (unconfirmed)
• John Cena & Nikki Bella vs. The Miz & Maryse (unconfirmed)
• AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon (unconfirmed)

With less than a month before WWE WrestleMania 33, several rumored matches have yet to be confirmed. This year’s event is scheduled to be hosted by The New Day, just as it was hosted by The Rock at WrestleMania 27 and Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 30 in 2014. WWE WrestleMania 33 will air live on Sunday, April 2, from the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. As more information is confirmed, it will be updated at WWE’s official WrestleMania 33 preview page.

Where To Watch WWE Raw

WWE WrestleMania 33 will air live on the WWE Network on Sunday, April 2, at 7/6c. The WWE WrestleMania 33 Kickoff will begin at 5/4c and can be streamed live on all of WWE’s digital platforms, including the WWE Network, YouTube, WWE.com and the WWE App.

Episodes of WWE Monday Night Raw air live on the USA Network at 8/7c. Replays of WWE Raw aren’t made available on the WWE Network until several weeks after the original air date. However, a 90-minute version of Monday Night Raw is available to stream on-demand the following day with a Hulu subscription.

[Featured Image by WWE]