The final edition of WWE Monday Night Raw for 2016 was criticized for lacking any real storyline development. The WWE Universe was happy with the quality of wrestling, but many felt that the storylines had become stale. The WWE was also concerned to discover find that for the first time ever, viewing figures for SmackDown Live surpassed those of Monday Night Raw . As was predicted by the Inquisitr last week, the WWE attempted to boost Monday Night Raw’s viewing figures by having The Undertaker appear on Raw to announce that he will enter the 2017 edition of the em>Royal Rumble.
The Deadman duly announced that he would appear at Royal Rumble 2017, but many were disappointed that The Undertaker did not take to the ring. There is no doubt that The Undertaker is still a massive draw, and many are hoping that he will win the Royal Rumble. It was widely predicted that The Undertaker would lay down a challenge, to the winner of John Cena’s world championship match against AJ Styles, and that would lay out the path to this year’s WrestleMania 33 event in April.
A matchup between Cena and The Undertaker is viewed as a dream bout for the WWE Universe, especially as the 2017 WrestleMania event may prove to be The Deadman’s last. The WWE Universe may want to see Cena and The Undertaker battle it out at WrestleMania , but the latest Wrestling Observer newsletter suggests that Vince McMahon may have changed his mind.
According to WrestleZone , there has been a lot of speculation that Cena would beat AJ Styles for the championship at the Royal Rumble . The Undertaker would win Royal Rumble and then challenge Cena at WrestleMania 33 . It now seems that The Deadman will not get a title bout after all. WWE teased that something was set to happen between the Undertaker and Braun Strowman.
The Abominable Strowman is fast becoming Monday Night Raw’s favorite heel. Fans saw Strowman chase Sami Zayn around the arena before beating him in a match a couple of weeks back. Strowman then knocked Zayn off a stretcher as he was being carried from the arena. This may suggest that Strowman’s role will be increasingly important as the year progresses.
Are Triple H And Brock Lesnar Returning To Monday Night Raw ?
Brock Lesnar has been licking his wounds since his 86-second defeat to Goldberg. The official WWE website reveals that Lesnar returns to Monday Night Raw this evening and says that The Anomaly will “be in a particularly foul mood,” as he prepares for the Royal Rumble PPV. At this stage, fans don’t know if Lesnar will be in the ring or just showing up on Raw to increase the Royal Rumble hype.
…but for now.
Blackpool to London back to the USA for #Raw . #NoRestForTheWicked pic.twitter.com/Gkfi6ChTNs
— Triple H (@TripleH) January 15, 2017
According to Sportskeeda , another returning star could feature on tonight’s Monday Night Raw . Triple H has been absent from Raw since last August, but speculation arose that he could be set to return after he posted a message on Twitter. Triple H said that he was flying from London to the U.S. for Raw . Interestingly, the official WWE website does not mention Triple H’s return. As a result, there is no clear information on whether Triple H is set to participate in this week’s Monday Night Raw . The likelihood is that he will announce that he will compete in the Royal Rumble .
This week’s Monday Night Raw will feature yet another bout between rising star Bayley and current women’s champion Charlotte Flair. Matches between Charlotte and Bayley have become a weekly feature on Raw as they build towards their title match at the Royal Rumble . This week’s Monday Night Raw will see the pair face-off again, this time in a tag-team match.
With less than two-weeks until the first big WWE PPV event of 2017, it seems that tonight’s Monday Night Raw will give some more clues about the Royal Rumble and the road to WrestleMania 33 .
[Featured Image by Don Feria/AP Images]