5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw 8/17/15

How's it going everybody? Welcome to this week's Raw preview article. It's the go-home show to the annual SummerSlam event. Tonight's Raw takes place from the home of "The Beast" Brock Lesnar, Minneapolis, Minnesota. For the first time since the Raw after WWE Battleground, both the Undertaker and Brock Lesnar will be in the same ring in the same arena. Last week we went from three matches to now eight matches on the SummerSlam card. I'll give you five things I'm paying attention to when it comes go-home show for SummerSlam and then after that I'll be giving my predictions for the PPV. Let's do this.

1.) John Cena/Seth Rollins Title vs. Title/ Face to Face 

Rollins has been doing a tremendous job building up this storyline with the absence of John Cena. Rollins as a heel champion gets better week by week which I think will play into Rollins favor once he loses the WWE Championship. Rollins had two WWE World Heavyweight Championship matches on the past two Raw's and he defeated Neville and thanks to Orton he survived Sheamus attempt at cashing in the Money in the Bank Briefcase. On Tough Enough last week Cena said that despite Triple H's expertise at odds making, he says that, he's ready to go and he'll accept Rollins challenge for SummerSlam. Cena was hosting the Today show if i'm not mistaken and I have this feeling Cena will be on Raw in Minneapolis tonight or we'll have a actual LIVE Via Satellite segment? Usually before big PPV's you have a good idea as to who will win based off of who stands over set rival on the Raw before PPV. If the Satellite segment does happen I can see Cena winning, if Cena comes to Raw and goes after Rollins and tries to seek some revenge then I see Rollins winning. Tonight is a big night for Rollins. Rollins has done the comedy shitck to bring in heat into his promos, but tonight is important for Rollins to take this match seriously and tell the people why you are the future and that your just not going to be every other guy on the roster who has a championship and then the moment you fight John Cena you lose the title. With a nice curveball would be interesting if Cena fought on Raw and he loses the United States Championship to either Cesaro or Owens. It kills two birds with one stone. You get out of this whacky scenairo with either Rollins or Cena having both the WWE and US Championship and putting the US Title on Cesaro or Owens will add major heat and interest into the Cesaro & Kevin Owens match at SummerSlam. 

2.) Family vs. Family 

You can tell that your in a microwave society when people say that Ambrose & Reigns vs. Wyatt Family at SummerSlam is a Raw or SmackDown main event match when directly 15 months ago before The Shield broke up people were perplexed that we didn't get a actual Wyatt Family & Shield feud. I get it Rollins is not in the mix and neither is Rowan, but you're going to tell me right now that this match won't steal the show on Sunday? With the bevy of Roman Reigns haters that are still out there the guy continues to put on stellar PPV matches and doesn't have the Cena esque characteristic that everybody brings up when it comes to Reigns. The Big Dog has the bad ass persona and he's just him and then of course you have Ambrose. What I like about this storyline is  not only the fact we'll be getting a massive war in Brooklyn, but at the same time during these backstage segments with Reigns & Ambrose you sense a little bit of tension with both former Shield members. Luke Harper has had alot of time to shine inside the ring with both guys since Harper rejoin the family at Battleground. We know the history of The Wyatts and Reigns & Ambrose, but what happens if Reigns & Ambrose losses again. Ambrose has been in a major slump this year and when will he reach his boiling point and snap. Reigns still trying avenge Wyatt getting in his head would a lose to his arch rival bring out a different side to Reigns? Tonight on Raw I think we'll see Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt. Hopefully they announce tonight that this match at SummerSlam will be a Brooklyn Street Fight. 

3.) The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar 

Both The Beast and The Deadman will be back on Raw which means ALL HELL IS GOING TO BREAK LOOSE. We know we're going to get another epic promo from Paul Heyman, but the question I have is. Is this match going to be just a regular wrestling match after that brawl we saw a few weeks ago? I expect to see all the WWE Superstars and Security guys out there in case we do have a brawl, but this storyline NEEDS TO CLOSE OUT THE SHOW TONIGHT. I'm already hooked for this match I'm just going to sit back and see what they have for us tonight. 

4.) Sheamus vs. Randy Orton? NXT? 

This match is happening at SummerSlam right? I think we'll probably see both Sheamus & Randy Orton on Miz TV tonight. NXT Takeover is this Saturday and usually before these massive specials we get some type of NXT pressence on Raw. Let me pose this question to the good people reading this piece. Who from NXT would you like to see on tonight's edition of Raw? 

5.) Raw Matches 

- Neville vs. Stardust

- Randy Orton vs. Rusev 

- The New Day vs. Lucha Dragons 

- Team PCB vs. Team Bad 

-  John Cena & Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins & Kevin Owens

- Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt 

- Ryback vs. King Barrett 

SummerSlam Predictions

- The New Day def. Lucha Dragons, Los Matadores and Prime Time Players to win the WWE Tag Team Championship 

- Team Bella def. Team PCB and Team BAD 

- Randy Orton def. Sheamus 

- Cesaro def. Kevin Owens by Countout 

- Neville & Stephen Amell def. Stardust & King Barrett 

- Ryback def. The Miz & Big Show to retain the IC Championship 

- Wyatt Family def. Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose 

- Seth Rollins def. John Cena to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship 

- The Undertaker def. Brock Lesnar 

I hope you guys enjoyed this piece, Raw and SummerSlam.

Make sure to check out my SummerSlam preview show this Wednesday from 11am-3pm ET on ChicagoLandSportsRadio.com 

Follow me on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR 

5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw 8/3/15

Welcome to this week's Raw preview article brought to you by Condo On The Moon. My name is Joshua Lopez and I'm the host of the Pro Wrestling Experience and I do TV Show Reports for Between The Ropes. Obviously it hasn't been the best time to be a wrestling fan over the past two months and surprisngly it has nothing to do with the product it has to do with the recent passings of Roddy Piper and Dusty Rhodes. Whether I'm writing a piece or doing a radio show my goal is to make someone's day better as a fan of wrestling and at the same time promote the good and history of the business instead of tearing it down. With that tonight's Raw is from the home of where Suplex City began. That's right the WWE is back in San Jose, California at the SAP Center (which is a great arena with good seats and AIR CONDITIONING) and watch out Michael Cole as Brock Lesnar will be back to the program. We're three weeks away from the 28th annual SummerSlam PPV and I will talk about what happen on last week's WWE Programming and what new matches can be made for SummerSlam in fact I will actually lay out a demo card for your liking and also I'll give you my thoughts on the passing of Roddy Piper.

Roddy Piper:

I wasn't born in the 1970's or 80's I'm a 90's kid and I really didn't get a full grasp of who Rowdy Roddy Piper was until I was like maybe 10 years old and I was starting full studying of the business. I always saw Piper on video packages and etc and the first time I saw Piper on TV was two occassions. The first one was of course when he got inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005 and the great Piper's Pit Segment with Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania 21. The second one was on the Legends of Wrestling Roundtable program that used to be on WWE Classics On Demand. What's their to say that hasn't already been said? Piper is the personification of what a true villan in pro wrestling is supposed to be. Piper was the man and doing my research over the years Piper did alot of amazing things that go under the radar at times especially his stuff in Portland and his feud with Greg Valentine in the NWA in the early 80's.  If there wasn't Piper in 85 there's no WrestleMania and with the rate the territories were going at that time I'm not sure if wrestling would still be here. Piper was a mainstream from the business and had a underrated career outside the ring in the movies and of course when he was in on the TV Show Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I love Piper's Mania matches with Bret Hart, Adonis and Goldust. Piper's run in WCW was really good from the standpoint that he reinvented himself in way when he was feuding with the nWo in the way he was cutting his promos. Obviously being born in this generation of wrestling I always enjoyed Piper's sproadic appearances on WWE programming and there's two moments that I always remember from the Piper we saw in today's wrestling. The first one was the segment with Piper and Cena where Piper was trying to bring out the inner anger in Cena and then second one is Old School Raw in 2014 where he closes off Raw with my personal favorite wrestler CM Punk who Piper was a major influence on Punk. Piper had a charm to him and what's more important that even though he went through alot in the wrestling business he always tried to find a way to be happy and be the best father out there. I send my colodences to the Toombs family and Roddy will be missed. I loved the guy I think to me he will always be the gold standard of what a true heel is and it's unfortunate that he was decided to be taken away from us that young. Love u Piper! Thank you for everything you've done for the business and setting example for what a good man and father is and you will never be forgotten even if your out of Bubblegum high above.

1.) John Cena vs. Seth Rollins at SummerSlam? 

The John Cena/Seth Rollins US Championship Match from last week's Raw was great. Cena broke his nose and continue to fight on for another 6-7 minutes and you have to give it up to a guy like that no matter how you feel about his subjective character. A couple weeks ago I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this program because obviously it's ironic that Cena is going back for the title when the ratings haven't been earth shattering. Rollins has gone through Reigns, Ambrose, Orton, and survived Brock and still is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion and for him to go all through that and then just lose like nothing in first encounter with Cena since last year's TLC would be a major spit in a face to everything this guy has done in the past year. With that being said and just going off what i've seen in the past couple of WWE shows is that Rollins getting a win against Cena on a big stage like SummerSlam would be a major rocket booster to a title reign which I already thought it was going really good. Cena could win the title and I wouldn't been surprised or upset because he's realy had a stellar year this year when it comes to matches and his promos have been good, so Cena hasn't had a bad feud this year. With Cena nose being shattern your not going to see Cena in the ring which is unfortunate because I would have love seeing some US Open Challenges before SummerSlam and now it looks like it will be champion vs. champion at SummerSlam. I'm sure Rollins will start the show and brag about Cena nose being broken and that Cena is not entitled to another World Title Match and he's not here, so Rollins is moving on. If Rollins was to wrestle tonight I think he would fight either Roman Reigns or Cesaro. It would be interesting to see if Cena would have a cut pre-recorded promo towards Rollins, but we'll see what happens.

2.) The Beast is Back  

Brock Lesnar is back on tonight's show and I'm really looking forward to that. We've all seen Heyman cut amazing promo's especially the ones before WrestleMania 30. There's always been one stat that I don't know why someone like Heyman would continue to overlook and not bring up. That stat is the fact that The Undertaker has never beated Brock Lesnar. I'm sure Heyman will cut a cool promo tonight and then it would be distrupted by Undertaker in a cool Taker esque video package if Taker is not at Raw tonight that's just a idea we haven't seen that in a while. I would also like to know if this will be a fight or another wrestling match like at Mania 30. This match NEEDS a stipulation to it. The fans in Brooklyn will boo the match out of the building if it's just another wrestling match with 20 suplexes. This is one of the major things I'm paying attention to for tonight's show especially coming off that amazing pull apart a couple weeks ago.

3.) Steve Austin Podcast with Paige + Divas Revolution

Tonight after RAW is the return of the infamous Stone Cold Podcast on the WWE Network with special guest former Divas Champion and Tough Enough Coach the beautiful Paige. I'm really looking forward to this. Obviously for me I know about Paige's upbrining with her legendary Knight family, but I'm also interested in learning more things about her and what type of question Austin would have for her since he has admitted over the past couple weeks on his podcast that he hasn't been watching the product due to his crazy schedule with filming the next Broken Skull Challenge season. Will Austin bring up AJ Lee? What's Austin thoughts on the Diva uprising in the WWE and will Austin ask Paige about her experience on Tough Enough this season. I love Paige, so it will be alot of fun covering this podcast tonight. As far as tonight is concern I think we would see Nikki Bella vs. Becky Lynch then later on that night we'll see Paige & Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks & Naomi.

4.) SummerSlam 2015 Match Card 

1.) No Holds Barred Match 
The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar w/Paul Heyman

2.) WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match 
Seth Rollins (c) vs. John Cena

3.) Fatal Four Way Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship 
Prime Time Players (c) vs. The New Day vs. Lucha Dragons vs. Los Matadores

4.) Triple Threat Match for the WWE Divas Championship 
Nikki Bella (c) vs. Paige vs. Sasha Banks

5.) Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro

6.) Randy Orton vs. Sheamus

7.) Triple Threat Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship 
Ryback (c) vs. The Miz vs. Big Show

8.) The Wyatt Family vs. Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose


I hope you guys enjoyed this week's Raw preview. It will be nice to see the WWE pay some type of tribute to Piper on tonight's show. It's going to be a good night to honor a legend and enjoy some good wrestling.

You can follow me on Twitter it's @JoshLopezCSR

Check out my radio show this Wednesday the Pro Wrestling Experience from 11am-2pm ET on Chicagolandsportsradio.com

5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw 7/27/15

Welcome to this week's Monday Night Raw preview brought to you by Condo On The Moon. We're on the road to SummerSlam and despite what's going on with Mr. Boella, we're going to take the high road on that topic and give you a clear perspective on what you can see on tonight's episode of Monday Night Raw from Oklahoma City. The Lesnar & Taker program has started on a high note and both stars gave you a great demo as to what you may see on August 23rd. Lot's to get to, so let's see the five things I expect to see on tonight's WWE Raw from the home of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

1.) The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar + Paul Heyman Promo's 

There was a bit of hesitation from the fans when it came to another round of a Lesnar and Taker program, but from what I saw with the pull apart on last week's Raw, everybody is hooked. Paul Heyman planted the seeds on the background behind this feud. Paul Heyman had another great line where he said that "You can sell your soul to the devil, but your ass belongs to Brock Lesnar." I don't think there's heel or face dynamic in this program cause it remnids me alot of Rock vs. Austin at WrestleMania 17 in the fact that it's a PERSONAL ISSUE and Taker is in Austin's position where he needs to get his revenge on Lesnar and take his yard back. Both guys are not advertised for tonight's Raw which I don't have a problem with. The video above was flimed at the WWE Headquarters at Stamford, Connecticut. So when Lesnar and Taker are not Raw you can expect Paul Heyman to basically continue to sell the match to you the fans. I think it will be live via Satellite, but who knows maybe Heyman shows up in OKC tonight. It would be nice to see Heyman bring up how The Undertaker has plowed through so many legends in the wrestling business, but he's never conquered Brock Lesnar.

2.) John Cena vs. Seth Rollins "Champ vs. Champ" ?

Coming off last week's Raw it seems like Seth Rollins will be defending his WWE World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam against WWE United States Champion John Cena. Rollins was basically rubbing in the fans face in one of his better heel promo's that you guys doubted me and I survived Suplex City and I'm still the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. For some reason Cena came out and pull out his heel tactics whenever he wants to get the WWE Championship back. When you see this on paper you see the behind the scenes coming into this storyline because it's known that ratings haven't been that high over the past couple of months and people may assume that the WWE is blaming Rollins for that, but you can't blame him because I think he's been one of the best heel champions since CM Punk. From this standpoint I think Cena has had one of the best year's of his career and I think he and Rollins can have a great match, but my thing is every since WrestleMania has talked about how the US Championship is the symbol of excellence. Now Cena want's the WWE Title? Yea I guess it's not a bad marketing idea to have a Champion vs. Champion match at SummerSlam, but would you want Rollins title reign to end in a span of a month to John Cena? I think tonight we may see another promo where Cena tries to act like he's above Rollins. As far as matches are concern I think we'll see Seth Rollins vs. Cesaro and John Cena will have another US Open Challenge.

3.) What's next for Kevin Owens? 

If you didn't see last week's SmackDown you missed a good one. Let me say this and I know there's alot of people who think that the WWE is going to bury Kevin Owens because he lost a feud to John Cena. I just don't see it that way. He's not a jobber and yea he'll do mid-card stuff for awhile, but I don't think Owens should be in the main event scene already. Owens is going to be there for a long time, so why would you want him to be in the main event of every show and WrestleMania in his first year on the main roster. On SmackDown the seeds were planted for the Kevin Owens/Cesaro match. Cesaro basically was talking about how he always deliver and Owens made fun of him and then Cesaro reminded everybody how basically Kevin walks out of all of his matches. Owens laid out Cesaro after his match with Seth Rollins. I think this feud is great for both guys and we'll need to see more character development with both guys, I mean we all know that Cesaro and Owens are great wrestlers, but what's their next for their characters? I do think Owens and Cesaro will brawl tonight and it will be official that Owens will take on Cesaro at SummerSlam.

4.) SummerSlam Mid-Card Matches 

I think we'll see the three way match for the Intercontinental Championship with Ryback, Big Show and Miz. I think we'll see one more match with The New Day and Prime Time Players and New Day will continue to interfere in the PTP matches until they get another opportunity at the tag straps. Even then maybe tonight we'll see New Day vs. Lucha Dragons in a Number One Contender's Match. Stardust vs. Neville is happening and I'm loving the comic book stuff they are doing with this storyline. I think we may see the mixed tag team match with Dolph Ziggler & Lana vs. Rusev & Summer Rae. Orton/Sheamus? Maybe? I think tonight could be a good implication on what other matches will be on SummerSlam besides Taker/Lesnar and Cena/Rollins. I mean hell we can see Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose vs. The Wyatt Family in a No DQ Match. Lot's of questions and excited to see what they bring to the table tonight.


5.) Divas Running Wild 

The Divas revolution segments have been dominating WWE programming over the past couple of weeks. I think for tonight it would be nice to see Paige vs. Sasha Banks and then later on the show if they want to do another divas match you can do The Bella Twins vs. Charlotte & Becky Lynch. I think it's also important to establish at least where we going as far as the Divas Championship is concern. I know that Nikki has been banged up for awhile, but we'll need to know if Nikki will be defending her championship at the second biggest show of the year.

Thanks for checking out this week's Raw preview. I hope you enjoyed it. Enjoy Raw

You can follow me on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR

Check out my radio show the Pro Wrestling Experience every Wednesdays from 11am-2pm ET on Chicagolandsportsradio.com.

5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw 7/13/15

Welcome to this week's WWE Raw preview article brought to you by Condo On The Moon. Last week's Raw took placed in the loudest city in the WWE Universe, Chicago, and this week's Raw takes place from one of the quietest crowds in the WWE Universe in Atlanta, Georgia.We're six days away from the WWE Battleground PPV! The Beast Brock Lesnar will be on tonight's show. There's alot to get to and in the fifth point in this piece I will reveal my full match card for the Battleground show.

1.) Team Bella vs. Paige 

I'm starting off with the divas this week because if nobody is going to pay any attention to it? I will. I feel that Nikki Bella has had a stellar Diva's title reign which came at the wrong time. What I mean by that is that Nikki won the Divas Championship from AJ Lee at Survivor Series and has held onto the title to the point AJ left the company and that left a bitter taste in the WWE fans mouth. Next the back and forth character changes between Nikki and her sister Brie. What side of the fence are they on? Are they really inspiring young women with they do in the ring? Or is this a spin off from their presentation on Total Divas when Nikki and Brie change moods in every other episode. I think this feud with Paige is really working with the current storyline on Total Divas with The Bellas supposedly leaving the WWE and the younger Divas on the roster are trying to position themselves into their spots once they leave. We have Team Bella which now includes Alicia Fox. Paige is all on her own and she lost to Brie Bella last week on Raw. Tonight on Raw I think Paige will take on Alicia Fox or she'll take on both Alicia and Brie in a Handicap Match in order to get an opportunity at Nikki's Divas Championship at Battleground. I think tonight the Tough Enough judge and Total Diva's gorgeous challenger will one up Team Bella.

2.) Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns

In this week's Michael Cole WWE.com interview ^^ he sat down with Roman Reigns and talked about the crazy year he's had in the WWE. Roman talked about he in a way conquers everything that comes his way and he talked about how he got to where he is today. In the mean time Cole was indirectly mentioning Bray Wyatt and what happen at Money in the Bank, but Reigns continue to ignore the subject. Cole finally brought up Wyatt and Reigns said that he's a weird cat and he honestly doesn't understand why Wyatt is attacking him and what does "Anyone but You" mean. Reigns continues to say that Wyatt is not in his head, but obviously that's not the case especially with the most recent matches Reigns has been having. I think this something out of the box and once again we got the I can't handle a long feud wrestling fan-base chiming already and saying "Oh I'm tired of this feud" and there's hasn't been one match yet. I think tonight Roman should come out and call out Bray Wyatt to the ring not the smoking backstage area call him out to the ring and they brawl tonight. If that doesn't happen I think we'll see Roman Reigns & Ryback vs. Big Show & Bray Wyatt.

3.) WWE United States Championship Title Scene

The feud with John Cena and Kevin Owens has been alot of fun for not only WWE programming, but also the WWE United States Championship. John Cena and Cesaro have engage in two fantastic bouts in the past two Raw's. I was there for last week's Cena/Cesaro main event match and that's one of the best Raw matches I've ever seen in person. Also after the show where Cena put over remember folks put over Cesaro in a very emotional and motivational speech. I don't know what's going to happen with Cesaro, but it would be cool to see him added to this US Championship Match at Battleground. I think tonight Kevin Owens will fight Cesaro. I think John Cena will have US Open Challenge and once again Owens will interrupt and then Cena will be on commentary during the Owens/Cesaro match. I think for tonight it's important for once again Cena getting the best of Owens sneak attacks or if like I mention earlier if Cesaro's added to this match he needs to lay out both Owens and Cena.

4.) The Beast Invades The Dirty South

The Beast comes to Atlanta for tonight's Raw. What final statement will the former WWE Champion make before Battleground? The match is already known, but you never know with the WWE they can have a Contract Signing in the final segment of the go-home show to add more steam to a big time match like this one. How will Triple H react to Lesnar causing chaos on last week's Raw? How will Rollins convince the WWE Universe that he can beat Brock Lesnar? I think tonight Seth Rollins will fight against Neville or we'll get a rematch between him and Ryback from last week's SmackDown which I thought it was good match. Would be upset if Rollins got the best of Lesnar tonight? Or you finish with Raw with Rollins taking a little tour in Suplex City? Lot's of questions, but I think they need to hit a home run with this feud tonight.

5.) WWE Battleground 2015 Official Match Card

1.) Battleground Kickoff Match
Neville vs. Rusev

2.) WWE Tag Team Championship Match
The Prime Time Players (c) vs. The New Day

3.) Triple Threat Match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Ryback (c) vs. The Miz vs. Big Show

4.) Dean Ambrose vs. Kane

5.) No DQ Match
Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt

6.) WWE United States Championship Match
John Cena (c) vs. Kevin Owens

7.) WWE Divas Championship Match
Nikki Bella (c) vs. Paige

8.) Randy Orton vs. Sheamus

9.) WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match
Seth Rollins (c) vs. Brock Lesnar

Hope you guys enjoy this week's Raw preview and enjoy Raw and Battleground

Check out my radio show the Pro Wrestling Experience every Wednesday from 10am-1pm CT on ChicagoLand Sports Radio on TuneIn Radio

Follow me on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR

5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw 5/25/15

Happy Memorial Day! Just as you think things in wrestling are slowing down after WrestleMania, you couldn't be more wrong. We just had Payback and the NXT Takeover Special last week. This Sunday is the Elimination Chamber on the WWE Network and coming up soon we'll be the Money in the Bank PPV! Lot's and lot's to get to and in this piece. I'll give you my thoughts on the current storylines heading towards the Elimination Chamber PPV + My predictions for the event and the five things you can expect on the go-home show for the Chamber on tonight's WWE Monday Night Raw from Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York.

1.) The WWE Tag Team Chamber Match 

Last week on Raw we found out the following participants that will compete in the very first tag team elimination chamber match are: The New Day, The Ascension, The Lucha Dragons, Los Matadores, The Prime Time Players and Tyson Kidd & Cesaro. If you guys missed SmackDown this past Thursday? You missed a pretty sweet four corners tag team with Los Matadores, Lucha Dragons, The Ascension and Kidd & Cesaro. This match is so intruging since it's a first of it's kind and to think about 12 people in one chamber match. ALL HELL IS GOING TO BREAK LOOSE! I think for tonight we see probably a rematch from SmackDown or we'll see a massive 12 men tag team match with The Lucha Dragons tagging up with Kidd & Cesaro + Prime Time Players vs. The New Day, Los Matadores and The Ascension. You can even do a match between the Prime Time Players and The New Day. Many options, but very interested in seeing what they do for the build up for this tag team chamber match.

2.) Vacant IC Championship Chamber Match + WWE Divas Title Feud

As we move from one chamber match to another, we move to a division that's been in a state of flux in the past two months. With Daniel Bryan relinquishing the Intercontinental Championship. Who's going to be the guy to take Bryan's spot? We know that Dolph Ziggler, Rusev, Bad News Barrett, Ryback, Sheamus and R-Truth are in this Chamber Match. One of the major angles that came out of last week's Raw was the split between Rusev and Lana and this sudden pairing of Lana & Dolph Ziggler. Obviously it seemed like a lot of people didn't like this decision, but I can't judge a whole storyline off of one week of programming. For tonights Raw I think we see three matches. Ryback vs. Bad News Barrett, Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler and Rusev vs. R-Truth. Or you can do Rusev vs. Ziggler then you see a tag team match with Bad News Barrett & Sheamus vs. Ryback & R-Truth. Another cool thing that happen on Raw last week was the return of Paige. We found out that at the Elimination Chamber, Nikki Bella will be defending her WWE Divas Championship in a triple threat match with Naomi and Paige. Last week on SmackDown we saw a really good divas talking segment which I felt really helped out this feud.

3.) Owens vs. Cena I 

It's been one of the biggest WWE news stories of the week! Kevin Owens made his WWE Raw "Debut" last week and laid out United States Champion John Cena. We also found out that the NXT Champion will be taking on John Cena this Sunday at the Elimination Chamber. It's not known as of now if the US Title will be on the line, so many differents ways you can go with this match. As much as it cool to see Owens be part of this show on Sunday, I'll like to remind everybody that he's not going to be part of the main roster after this show. I think this is going to be a one off appearance. Also like to remind everybody to be careful what they wish for. Owens and Cena will be a awesome match, but here's the question? Do you really think that Owens is going to beat Cena? Is John Cena "burying" a talent if Owens loses this match? Tonight's Raw is in Long Island and maybe this won't happen, but I think it's a good idea. So the US Open Challenge has been on fire these past two months and with it being at Nassau Coliseum what a better way to keep the momentum going with Zack Ryder accepting John Cena's challenge and while Ryder is walking down the steps you have Owens come out and lay out Zack Ryder! If Owens wins at the Chamber Cena will get the best of him on Raw tonight.

4.) Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins 

After threatening Seth Rollins last Monday on Raw and forcing The Authority to grant him a WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match against The Architect at WWE Elimination Chamber, Dean Ambrose succumbed to the numbers game as Kane, Rollins and J&J Security brutally attacked Ambrose. Putting an exclamation point on the carnage, Rollins hit Ambrose with Triple H’s signature Pedigree. Will this feud continue after the Chamber? That remains to be seen, but with what happen on Raw and then the continued issues Roman Reigns has with the Authority. I just wouldn't be surprised if we see that Shield triple threat match quicker then anybody expected it to be. I expect the deck to obviously be stacked against Dean Ambrose, but I think it's safe to say that Rollins will be walking out champion this Sunday. If Rollins gets the best out of Ambrose then there might be a chance, but I think this match was put on the Chamber Card to appease fans give them hope that Ambrose will be the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. 

5.) WWE Chamber 2015 Predictions 

- I see the New Day somehow retaining the Tag Team Titles over the Lucha Dragons, The Ascension, Matadores, PTP and Kidd/Cesaro 

- I see Sheamus winning the IC Chamber Match.

- I see Nikki somehow retain the Divas Championship 

- I see John Cena beating Kevin Owens 

- I see Rollins once again get the best of Dean Ambrose 


I hope you guys enjoy this week's Raw preview. Enjoy your Memorial Day. Enjoy Raw and the Chamber. 

You can follow me on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR 

Please check out my radio show the Pro Wrestling Experience every Wednesday from 10am-1pm CT on Chicagolandsportsradio.com 

Raw Talking Points Returns

It has been awhile since a Raw has warranted conversation to any degree. Last night’s Raw in Montreal was easily the best of 2015 and the best in a long time in general. You had a crowd in Montreal that is always ready to be a part of the show good or bad. We had a massive debut, a couple great in-ring matches and a return of a forgotten Diva. A Raw show that actually managed to entertain throughout the three hours.

A whole lot of New Day: It seems the WWE has a brand new shinny toy in the NEW DAY. While their transition to full out heels has been enjoyable, there is something to worry about still. I fear the WWE could over expose them and eventually burn out what is a pretty organic and fan invented concept. WWE is famous for these kind of things. Want proof we are talking about the New Day and not the Bray Wyatt promo he cut on Ryback. Wyatt was pumped out there weekly cutting promos and now what was special has become played out. New Day was on more segments than almost everyone short of Kane and Seth Rollins. I am in the spirit of New Day going to try to stay positive, but I see a problem with them being used as much as they have been. Less is more at this point now that fans get the gimmick and are on board with it.

John Cena vs. Montreal: The moments we give John Cena credit in Condo on the Moon have been few and far between. Maybe I am getting soft with all of these open challenges but I really thought Cena did a great job with his promo faced with a hostile Montreal crowd that hated him. He allowed the crowd to have their voice but patiently stuck to his plan and points and even used the audience to drive home that point. I actually thought Cena did a great job at getting the crowd to calm down only to explode later when his opponent would be announced. A serious John Cena is better than an attempting to be funny one. This program with Rusev has seen for the most part that serious John Cena. The telling jokes and not taking things serious John Cena is why crowds of people love to chant he sucks. Well it is one of the reasons they do anyway. I admit that Cena with this U.S challenge has tapped into something where I am not wishing him not be on my television screen. He has also been a very giving performer in matches allowing his opposition to get the full benefit of being in the ring with him. I am not running to Shop WWE to buy my John Cena T-shirt but I do respect what he has done on T.V since Wrestlemania. 

Sami Zayn Gets a Hero’s Debut: In retrospect, it seemed logical but it really was genuine surprise to see Sami Zayn be the one to answer the Cena challenge for the U.S title. Not just John Cena, but also having Bret Hart introduce him gave him the rub. It made for an instant Canadian hero that we have been missing for a long time. Sami was able to get in an almost all of his spots and kicked out of a Cena attitude adjustment. It was a debut that was handled excellently and even better than the recent debut of Neville. I would imagine the shoulder injury that seemed to be “worked,” will see if it factors into the Owens vs. Zayn match coming up on the NXT special. Once that is done I think that will be the end of Sami on the NXT roster and he will move full time to the main roster. He clearly did everything right to earn a spot on the roster tonight. He also is a guy that can fill the role that is lacking with Daniel Bryan out for who knows how long. Sami like Bryan is that rare underdog baby face that in 2015 people are willing to get behind. It was a great debut for Zayn that has been long overdue but given the circumstances was worth the wait.

Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins Never Gets Old: some match-ups never get old, you can go back to them repeatedly, and they produce. Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose is one of those combinations for the WWE. We often complain how feuds drag on in WWE with the most recent example of that being Cena and Rusev. When Seth and Dean were paired together, they had a feud of similar length and it never got stale or boring. Having a solid break and bringing this rivalry back from out of the blue was welcomed. These two guys had perhaps the best T.V match of the year on this show. I could watch these two guys go any night of the week because they find a way to make every match unique and enjoyable. In Ring of Honor, I have said the same about the tag team feud between ReDragon and the Young Bucks. Certain guys just have magic when they hook-up in a ring and Dean and Seth are two of those guys.

Divas Family Feud: The Bellas got jumped from behind as the strange attempt to make the Bella’s baby faces. Naomi came out with a returning Tamina took out the Bellas. Naomi is related to Tamina by marriage, which is the reason for two coming together. Tamina was last paired with A.J Lee and suffered an ACL tear and has been on the shelf for about a year or a little more. I am not sure what I think of this new pairing but Naomi has really embraced this heel turn and inside of three weeks has really re-invented her character and she deserves a lot of credit for that. Making the Bella’s faces is the real issue with all of this. I just can’t buy Nikki or Brie as babyfaces.

There was actually more than five points to talk about from this show. When is the last time we could say that? Cesaro gets an honorable mention for his in-ring work in a match with The Ascension who came out of the mothballs in Montreal. He was on fire landing European uppercut after European uppercut from corner to corner. It was one of the more unique spots we have seen in the WWE in-ring on a longtime.

It was an exciting night that reminded us all why we watch this stuff. I would love to say this is turning a corner but I suspect it will be back to the usual program that bores us to tears most weeks. I would love to be wrong but tonight was one of those perfect storms where you had a great crowd and WWE booked a show that would thrive in that environment.   

I am sure a few weeks from now will have forgotten this show and be back to wondering why Dean Ambrose was even given a shot at the title. Where did that Sami Zayn guy go on Raw? How many times as Neville lost now? Why on earth did they break-up Lana and Rusev? On this night, we got a great show and should be thankful for that, I guess. The key is stringing a few of these shows together and building some momentum. This is what has been lacking in the WWE for a long time. They have failed to put together a solid week-to-week product or stringing together a few special events in a row.

One last thing am I the only one that finds Ryback's promos strange and just don't make me like him at all? 

5 Things To Expect On WWE Monday Night Raw 2/16/15

"Hey, hey, hey. What's going on here?" It's not time for save by the bell, but it's time for this week's Monday Night Raw Preview brought to you by Condo On The Moon's very own Joshua Lopez. It's the go-home show to the WWE Fast Lane PPV. Tensions continue rise as we down a hill to the last stop on the road to WrestleMania this Sunday. We've been on a roll with these previews as this columns are giving a unqiue perspective on the current WWE Creative Team and their plans for editions of Monday Night Raw. A lot of people try to find things to be mad or complain about, but here we take a look at the current storylines and if there's issues we try to turn those negativies to a positive. The American Dream Dusty Rhodes will be on the show and The Nature Boy will be on tonight's show as well. Here's five things to expect on tonight's Monday Night Raw.

1.) Daniel Bryan/Roman Reigns Fiasco 

I don't know about you guys, but I'm at the point where I could care less who wins the Daniel Bryan/Roman Reigns match. Here's a dose of reality, for those saying that the WWE holds Daniel Bryan back you don't know anything about wrestling. Little fun fact for you if a guy was being held back or buried why would WWE have Daniel Bryan compete in a title match in all of the 5 WrestleMania's he competed in. Roman Reigns is not ready, but at the end of the day who is? It's a lose lose situation for whatever type of wrestling fan you are. Don't get me wrong I like both guys and I enjoy the current storyline they're in it's the fans and the mood surrounding this feud that just gets me aggravated. People say that Daniel Bryan deserve his title run, but will people put their money where their mouth is when he's the main event of Mania and main eventing future Raw's and PPV's? Is the YES! Movement about the fans being part of the show or supporting Daniel Bryan for what he stands for? To me the YES! Chant is like the What? Chant. WWE has brought the anything you can know I could do better storyline back with Reigns & Bryan and for what it's worth it's been working so far. I enjoyed their tag team turmoil on SmackDown this past Friday night the fight they had with The Usos was awesome. Tonight will we see possibly Roman Reigns vs Kane, then Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show. You can also see Roman Reigns vs Kane & Big Show and Daniel Bryan vs Seth Rollins and J&J Security. Either way I tonight you will see Daniel Bryan seek his revenge on Roman Reigns for what happen on last week's Raw.

2.) John Cena & Rusev Program

I thought the WWE did a good job with the Rusev & John Cena storyline last week. I thought the video tribute Rusev gave to Cena last week was really funny and effective. I think what's helping this feud right now is not only because it's the perfect WWE esque storyline for both of these guys right now it's the fact that they're taking their time with this and not rushing anything. Last week on Raw we establish why this feud is happening and now it's about who will come out of Fast Lane as WWE United States Champion? Another cool thing with this feud if you will is that we don't really know what the long term plan is for both Cena & Rusev coming out of this feud. Can John Cena really become the US Champion on Sunday? Is this a one off feud? Can Cena put over Rusev? Tonight is going to be interesting because last week Rusev got the best of John Cena and his injured eye, now will the Cenation Leader get the best of the Bulgarian Brute. I think John Cena should take on Luke Harper tonight. Also what if any chance of us seeing the returning Celtic Warrior associate himself with this feud and get back the title he lost or possibly turn heel and go against the guy the left him off Team Cena at Survivor Series. I think tonight you'll probably see Rusev vs. Dolph Ziggler or Ryback.

3.) The Rhodes Family Debacle 

What's more tradition in wrestling new sites? The yearly Carlito & Shelton Benjamin apperance in the Royal Rumble? Or the Cody Rhodes vs Goldust match at WrestleMania? I think we may finally get it and what a perfect time for both of these guys. Reports are coming saying that Goldust will be hanging up the boots after Mania and what a way for him to go out against his younger brother at the grandest stage of them all. Will it be Stardust vs Goldust at FastLane then Cody Rhodes vs Goldust at WrestleMania? I'm really excited to see what goes down between The Rhodes Family on Raw tonight. I think we'll finally have a mid-card feud in-ring segments that's intruging and meaningful. What I think eventually happens is that Dusty will try to play to the crowd a little bit he'll introduce his sons and during the segment Dusty or Goldust will spit out the name Cody and either Stardust will attack Goldust to or knock down his dad and walk away.

4.) The Authority  

I found out that the legendary "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair will be on Monday Night Raw to talk to Triple H about his upcoming confrontation with the vigilante "Sting" at WWE Fast Lane. I think we'll probably see a opening in-ring promo with The Authority where they promote the ppv say it's free you know the usual The Authority stichk and then they'll address what happen on SmackDown with Big Show & Kane and also the Daniel Bryan & Roman Reigns situation. Wonder if this Authority storyline has brought unwaranted heat towards the company because let's say for the casual viewer who tunes into Raw and they see The Authority and people know that Triple H & Stephanie McMahon are actual authority figures it puts a black cloud on what we're watching because is this how they real feel about Daniel Bryan or it's a what's best for the storyline type of thing? Because you watch Raw and then you see The Authority constantly degrading Daniel Bryan and for those who are not die hard wrestling fans they can assume that's how the company feels about Bryan and the character's The Authority don't care about the fans. It's a double eged sword in this reality era, but in today's society people are so insecure and gulliable they see something on television it could be a random match on Raw and they'll believe it's a new storyline or this or that, so it's interesting to see where this Authority storyline goes and how its finishes. As far as tonight is concern I think we'll see the confrantation with Triple H & Flair and then it will be interrupted by a interesting video package from Sting that will get Triple H flustered before their confrantation at Fast Lane

5.) WWE Fast Lane Undercard 

We know that Nikki Bella will defend the WWE Diva's Championship against Paige. Tonight we'll probably see Paige vs. Brie Bella again or her against Alicia Fox and maybe this time we'll see Paige get the best of the Bella Twins. Hopefully tonight they announce that it will be The Usos vs. Tyson Kidd & Cesaro for the WWE Tag Team Championship. Will Dean Ambrose gets his opportunity at the Intercontinental Championship? I think we may also see Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan vs. Seth Rollins, Kane and Big Show at FastLane due to what happen on Raw last week. Something else maybe for the pre-show you can do a number one contender's match with The Ascension vs. The New Day vs. Miz & Mizdow. That's all I got it's realistic outlooks as to what can happen on the undercard for FastLane.

Follow Josh Lopez on Twitter @VoiceOfTruth94

Enjoy Monday Night Raw everybody

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