5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw 3/23/15

How's thing going? Welcome to the final Raw preview before WrestleMania 31! It's been a fun ride getting to do these previews during this crazy road to WrestleMania. Alot of people say that the build towards WrestleMania has been lackluster, but I disagree because, more people are talking about this WrestleMania then they did for the 30th Anniversary of WrestleMania. Whether good or bad or indifferent people are talking and amongst all these "controversies" brings a high level on intrigued not only on tonight's Raw, but also WrestleMania this Sunday. I'll be in San Jose this weekend love meet to some of the fans of the Condo On The Moon website and podcast. Tonight on Raw we have a couple special guest since Raw is at the Staples Center tonight which should bring a interesting crowd instead of the past three go-home shows that were in Washington and Atlanta. Snoop Doog will be making a guest appearance and also ESPN and Grantland founder Bill Simmons will be calling some matches tonight. So with that here's five things to expect on the final Raw before WrestleMania. 

1.) Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar

 

I will be sharing the comments that Brock Lesnar made from last week's Raw. Speaking of last week's Raw, Paul Heyman once again continues to blow us away with his ability to out do himself in his promos. I've been so bored with the whole Roman Reigns bashing or whatever you want to call this backlash towards him. It is what it is the main event is set and unlike other people I'm going to give you a look as to what they can do to make this match interesting. Tonight on Raw there's supposed to be a face-to-face segment between both the champion and the challenger. I'm figuring that this will close the show tonight or at least it should, but I wouldn't be surprised if they want this segment to start off the second or third hour's of the show. Anyways, I guess one of the only problems I've had so far with the presentation of Roman Reigns since he's came back from his injury is that we've not been given a solid reason to have a emotional investment in anything Roman Reigns. What do I mean by that? Well, WWE can say "Oh look at this guy, he has the look, he's from one of the greatest families in the wrestling business" Okay I know that, but how is Roman going to make himself standout from his other family members if he's not allowed to speak for himself. You constantly see people cutting him off when he starts talking then they start putting him over and kissing his ass. I like Roman Reigns don't get me wrong I want him to succeed, but if Roman's going to be the "next guy" you have make the fans care about him and drive away the John Cena stigma that's attached to him. Tonight on Raw It shouldn't be about Reigns talking to Paul, you should see Roman talk to Brock. We'll hear what Heyman has to say that's a given and then if a brawl happens and they want to go with this Reigns can't beat Lesnar campaign, then you have Brock lay him out with a F5! Also a wild card I think if it's possible and if he's there maybe The Rock shows up on Raw, but still even then you can have Reigns sidetracked then Brock lays out The Rock afront of Reigns and that can play off to the "rumored" main event of next year's WrestleMania "Brock Lesnar vs The Rock" Tonight is very important for this feud. You want to gain the heat and anticipation for this PPV and this match alone? You have to get the crowd off their feet and WWE is lucky they have a great crowd afront of them.

2.) Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins

I guess one of the benefits that comes with having "part-timers" associated with major matches on a WrestleMania card is that with Raw you can pay attention to feuds that usuallly wouldn't been given the time its deserved. You have one of the simplest feuds in the WWE right now and it's really interesting that the Orton & Rollins storyline has been dominating the Raw's on the road to WrestleMania. Which is cool for Rollins because he's getting more and more practice to succeed on high pressure situations especially like a main event segment when a major PPV is coming up. Last week Rollins seemed to be "dismissed" by The Authority, but that didn't last long when Rollins and Authority tricked Orton and that plan was haulted by Sting! On SmackDown JJ Security had a group of security men and women to keep Randy Orton out of the building. That didn't work out and Orton has been on a RKO spree over the last couple of weeks. While Rollins continues to run away it does remind you of the feud with Punk and Orton from WrestleMania 27, but on a higher scale due to the fact that both of these guys were associated with each other with The Authority for over 5 months last year. Tonight should be interesting just to see if Orton is going to be in a match or not. Will Rollins wrestle? I think tonight you'll see Orton be put in a handicap match wtih Big Show & Kane. Orton will win and then all the Authority will come in and attack Randy Orton and just as Orton takes all the guys out Rollins comes from behind with the briefcase hits him in the back of the head and then gives Orton a Curb Stomp! You put Orton in a vunderable situation and you also put Rollins over on a major show before Mania. Have to give Rollins and Orton a big round of applause for carrying major segments of Raw over the last couple of weeks.

3.) John Cena vs. Rusev

Not even going to give that fake Russian Lawyer any attention in this piece. There's no reason to have one of your best on-air personalities shooting a movie during the road to WrestleMania it's just dumb and not necessary. For what Rusev and John Cena said to each other I enjoyed. Like I've said before not a John Cena fan, but I have alot of respect for him and he's been more enjoyable to watch over the last couple of weeks and I'm not afraid to say that. His promos have been fantastic and this is a simple feud with a simple opponent and that's not taking a dig at Rusev it's showing that less is more. Rusev has been doing a tremendous job as a heel especially with him talking more and getting heat by himself. I'm going to share the interview that John Cena conducted with Michael Cole and I want you guys to listen closely to what he says. What I like about this feud is that I don't know what happens next for John Cena. There's so many options to go with this feud and if John Cena loses maybe we don't see John Cena for awhile. Tonight I think we see Cena get the best of Rusev and hold up the United States Championship. I hope Lana is on the show she's a major assett to Rusev character development and you don't see that from other managers unless your name is Paul Heyman and that's saying something. 

4.) The Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt + Triple H vs Sting 

It was nice seeing Sting on Raw last week and getting to talk to the WWE Universe. I mention last week we need more to this Triple H and Sting feud. I'm happy he's here and he's my favorite non WWE Superstar of all-time. What's coming out of this Triple H/Sting match? Sting says that he's here to take Hunter down, but if he beats him at WrestleMania and Hunter is on Raw the next night did he really do anything? I heard reports about Sting being in Los Angeles for tonight's Raw and I think he should be there. Tonight I think we do see a in-ring segment with Triple H and Sting and Sting will probably challenge Hunter for his "Authority" in the WWE. I think it would be really interesting if Vince came out on the show tonight and say that "I was the guy that brought Sting to the WWE and you've let me down and I told you to fix this and you didn't so I had to do it myself" BOOM!!!!!!! After that I think it would be important to have Hunter one up Sting before their match at Mania. As far as the Taker/Wyatt match goes I've been really impressed with Bray Wyatt no matter what happens in this match I think Wyatt will be elevated! Tonight is the last night to fight off the rumor that the WWE is holding Taker off until the PPV! I think it would be right to decision to hold Taker from appearing in person, but that doesn't mean you can't have Taker conduct a pre-tape video package where he talks about moving on from losing The Streak and he can talks about his feelings toward Bray Wyatt. They could go big on the hocus pocus stuff especially being at the Staples Center. I'm really interested in seeing what they do with Wyatt on the show tonight.

5.) IC Title + Mania Mid-Card feuds plus Raw matches 

I've been loving what they've been doing with the build towards this Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match. The gaunlet match from SmackDown was one of the best matches I've seen this year and it crazy to think they've been spending an average 30-35 minutes of TV time on the IC Title feud. As far as tonight is concern here's the following the matches that you can see on the show tonight. I think we Daniel Bryan vs Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler vs Luke Harper, and R-Truth vs Stardust and you have Bad News Barrett on the commentary! Tonight you'll probably see AJ Lee vs Brie Bella or you can do this and you can have a Divas Title match between Paige and Nikki Bella and then you have Paige win and after the match you can have The Bella Twins snap and say that they've had enough of diva's like you and being constatnly disrespected by the crowd. After that they can say if you guys beat us we're gone from the WWE for good. We'll probably see more names added to the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and then obviously for the Tag Team Championship feud you can see Los Matadores and Cesaro/Tyson Kidd vs The Usos and The New Day. 

Before we head out here I wanted to congratulations to Kevin Nash becoming the newest member of the WWE Hall of Fame well deserved. This will probably be my last time on the site before the big show so I wanted to put my predictions for the show.

1.) Dean Ambrose wins the Ladder Match and becomes the new Intercontinental Champion after Sheamus cost Bryan the Ladder Match 

2.) Randy Orton over Seth Rollins 

3.) Cesaro & Kidd retain the Tag Team Championship 

4.) The Miz wins the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal 

5.) AJ Lee & Paige over The Bella Twins 

6.) Sting over Triple H 

7.) Wyatt over Taker

8.) Rusev retains the United States Championship 

9.) Roman Reings wins the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

You can follow me on Twitter @VoiceOfTruth94 

Make sure to check out my WrestleMania preview show this Wednesday on ChicagoLandSportsRadio.com from 10am-2pm CT!

Hope you guys enjoy this piece please feel free to share this piece on all social media platforms and I hope you guys enjoy Raw and WrestleMania.

5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw 3/16/15

Happy 3:16 day you melee mouth bastards! Give me a "Oh Hell Yeah!" Welcome to this week's Monday Night Raw preview. WWE puts the metal forward on this bumpy ride to WrestleMania 31. We're two weeks away from WrestleMania 31 and I feel like the only person that's excited for this year's Mania and I felt this way last year. What I bring to these Raw previews is a big picture perspective. Last week on Raw we found that three major matches are confirmed for WrestleMania. The Undertaker accepted Bray Wyatt challenge, John Cena force Rusev & Lana to accept his challenge for the United States Championship, and Randy Orton finally turn and destroyed Seth Rollins. Tonight Raw is from Des Moines, Iowa which has been known over the years as one of the most quietest crowds in the WWE Universe. We're 13 days away from WrestleMania and here's five things you can expect to see on tonight's show.

1.) John Cena vs. Rusev 

One of the major feuds that has been gaining my attention on the road to WrestleMania is the feud between John Cena and Rusev! Which is surprising thinking about this feud on paper, but it's not the case because the feud writes itself. The build towards this match has been perfect and honestly as a non Cena fan this is one of the most exciting builds to a John Cena esque WrestleMania match. Last week on Raw Rusev made quick work of #AxelMania which is unfortunate, but Rusev was laid out by former United States Champion John Cena who warned him earlier in the night. There seems to be some tension between Rusev and Lana after Lana accepted John Cena's challenge for WrestleMania last week on Raw. What happens tonight? We know that Rusev will be defending the United States Championship against John Cena at WrestleMania. What can they do to make things this match more relevant then it already is? I think tonight Hulk Hogan needs to come out and say that he's going to be in the corner of John Cena to make sure that we don't have the same finish from FastLane. Will Rusev still be mad at Lana? If Rusev is retaining the championship at Mania I think you can still make him look vunderable on these Raw's. If Cena is winning the championship at Mania I think tonight Rusev MUST lay out John Cena on the Raw's before Mania. Match wise is always hard to figure out cause one week Cena wrestles then he doesn't same goes for Rusev, but this is one of the storylines that I'll be keeping my eye on as far as watching Raw tonight.

2.) Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins 

Last week on Raw it finally happen. Orton made the face turn that was already three weeks too late, but nonetheless it was effective and very entertaining to watch. I want to show you a clip of the interview from SmackDown where Orton basically laid out the reason behind the build towards this match with him and Seth Rollins. Orton says that he's going to spit in the face of Seth Rollins and challenge him to a match at WrestleMania. I think that match will be made tonight, but Rollins will get his revenge tonight. Expect to see The Authority to deny Orton request and send the hounds towards Orton for defying the Authority! I don't look at dirtsheets and I can tell by studying the tv product where this feud between Rollins and Orton has to go. Either guy can win or lose and they'll won't be effected by it. Tonight Rollins lays out Randy Orton and accepts his challenge and the match will be official.

3.) Triple H vs. Sting 

Have we come to the point where we only care about the stories  that's being said on the mic. I will also be putting the Sting promo in this piece to illustrate my point in this piece. There's "reports" going around about Sting possibly appearing on tonight's Raw. Awesome and if he speaks like the Sting we all know great, but my problem is not about whether his voice is distorted or not, my problem is what's going to come out of this match at WrestleMania. Sting talked about rectifying a wrong in The Authority and that he's been waiting 14 years to put a end to the Game. I think people are worrying to much about what's he saying because we know that he was in TNA during this time last year. This is not a dig or whatever you want to call it at TNA, but we need to put the TNA stuff aside when analyzing the stuff that comes out of either Triple H or Sting's mouth. I want to know what's going to be the aftermath of this feud. Is Sting going to become the GM of Raw? Is Triple H going to lose his "Authority"? Simple questions that I have and that should be addressed on the show tonight if Sting appears on the show. I'm sure Triple H will say if Sting loses he'll never be allowed on WWE Television again, but once again what does Sting get if he beats Triple H?

4.) Roman Reigns Journey 

I'm going to keep this point very short because I think we're a beating a dead horse times a thousand on this topic and this feud between Reigns and Lesnar. I get it! It's the main event of WrestleMania. You don't think that Reigns is ready? I don't think anybody is ever really ready when it's not a real sport? WWE mindset is that hey we can strike when the potential is hot, but the fans don't think he deserves this position due to circumstances that I will never understand because is subjective. Brock is holding the title hostage we don't know if he's going to stay or not, we here about MMA and UFC more than we here about this feud and this match. I have a problem with that. Tonight is simple Reigns go out there and prove your detractors wrong on the mic it's that simple. Have him come out and have a promo with Paul Heyman. Vince stop with the insecurity and scripting his promos. Let the guy come out and be himself. If Reigns is presented like himself then people will latch onto him.

5.) The Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt + WrestleMania Mid-Card build 

Last week on Raw Undertaker accepted Bray Wyatt challenge for a match at WrestleMania. I think they're going to keep Taker off of TV until WrestleMania and I think that's good because they haven't done that before. Wyatt has been building this feud perfectly and he's showing that he can be one of the best storytellers in the history of wrestling. We know that we'll be getting a promo from Wyatt tonight. As far as what else is going on the card for Mania. I know that AJ Lee & Paige will take on Bella Twins at Mania. Tonight you'll probably see AJ & Paige vs Alicia Fox & Summer Rae. Expecting another fatal four way tag team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship. We'll see The New Day vs The Usos then Los Matadores vs Tyson Kidd & Cesaro. I think we see more build towards the Battle Royal maybe you see Ryback vs Big Show. The IC Title feud has been great so far. I think Truth needs to get off the commentary and fight. Tonight we'll see Truth vs Harper, Ziggler vs Barrett and Stardust vs Daniel Bryan you can have Dean Ambrose on commentary this time.

I want to congratulate the "Living Legend" Larry Zbyzko on becoming the newest member of the WWE Hall of Fame. I know the crowd won't be that hot tonight, but it's Iowa! So I know what I'm expecting to see on tonight's show I'm not asking for a lot if they address all the matches on the card then I'm fine with that. I hope you guys try to enjoy Raw tonight and not over think things let it play out if you don't like it cool, but give it a chance before judging.

You can follow me on Twitter @VoiceOfTruth94

Make sure to check out my wrestling radio show dub "Pro Wrestling Experience" every Wednesday from 10am-1pm CT on Chicagolandsportsradio.com

5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw 3/2/15

"Can you avenge evil with becoming it? If you are good at something never do it for free." Welcome to this week's WWE Monday Night Raw preview for Monday March 2nd, 2015. I'm Joshua Lopez from the Pro Wrestling Experience and it's been a fun challenge so far getting to write these pieces and seeing the feedback it gets is really humbling. We're still on the road to WrestleMania 31 and the next stop is in Newark, New Jersey in the Prudential Center! Last week Randy Orton played posse with The Authority, Rusev denied John Cena challenge, Triple H went slient, Reigns sent a message to Brock Lesnar, Brock walked out of Raw, AJ called out Stephanie, Now people want to #GiveDivasAChance and now we have a multiple person ladder match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania. Here's five things you can expect on tonight's Monday Night Raw.

1.) The Authority/Randy Orton  

It was nice seeing The Viper return to WWE television last week. I felt that WWE took way too long for Orton to come back, but I understood the purpose as to why The Authority wanted Orton back and he hasn't striked back at the Authority. Orton went to a business summit last week where Stephanie McMahon wanted him to be back with the Authority and work out his issues with Seth Rollins. Orton & Rollins took on Reigns & Bryan in a very good tag team main event last week and just when you think that Orton was going to lose his mind he shakes Rollins hand and continues to play mind games with Rollins & The Authority. It was a good week to be Seth Rollins coming out of the recent social media controversy that happen a couple weeks ago. Rollins made an appearance on Jon Stewart's "Daily Show" last Thursday and invited the long-time comedian to tonight's Monday Night Raw. I think it's obvious that Rollins will take on Orton at WrestleMania, but here's the thing. When does Orton turn? Do you hold off the turn until the second to last Raw before WrestleMania and continue to play posse and tease and tease? Far as tonight is concern if we do see Jon Stewart I think it will be pretty cool because I am of fan of his! I think we can see Seth Rollins vs. Ryback or Erick Rowan. I think The Authority will try to calm down Randy and continue to patronize him and we may see him against Dolph Ziggler tonight. Tonight is the night you will see Randy Orton finally make his turn. 

2.) John Cena vs. Rusev ?

Haven't had a chance to talk about this here on the site, but I really enjoyed the match between John Cena & Rusev at WWE Fast Lane. Match far exceeded my expectations and that match really put Rusev on the map. Rusev continues to shine in his promo's and his in-ring work each week and he's positioning himself to become one of the best heels in the WWE over the last ten years. Last week on Raw Cena said that he lost the match, but he said he wants to beat Rusev on the grandest stage of them all. Rusev denied Cena request which I approved with finally somebody says no you lost the match who are you to think your entitled to get everything you want? This is the standard WWE feud and it's the best thing for both guys right now. One of the cool things with this year's WrestleMania this is actually the first WrestleMania in many years where it's clear spotlight on the current and younger talent in the WWE. You know it's a big deal when John Cena is not main eventing a WrestleMania and at the same time pinning these two guys together totally puts a major spotlight on the United States Championship. Rusev deny John Cena request, but how does John Cena get what he wants? Can you see John Cena vs Luke Harper or maybe John Cena takes on one of The Authority's hench men or maybe we see John Cena vs Jack Swagger. John Cena has rarely wrestled on Raw over the last couple of months and it's going to be interesting to see how does John Cena get's this rematch with Rusev at WrestleMania. Is someone also included in this match?

3.) Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns?

Now you may wonder why I put another question mark in this bullet point. We'll probably see John Cena vs Rusev, but we aren't sure if we'll see the main event of WrestleMania. Brock Lesnar walked out of Monday Night Raw last week due to circumstances that is not known right now. I don't bother with rumors or speculation nonsense, but I'll say this. If you didn't want to be here? Why ask for a title run in your contract? I didn't want Brock Lesnar to win the title at SummerSlam because I knew something like this would've happen. I thought it would have been better business for Brock to win the title at the Royal Rumble and have a shorter run then drop it at WrestleMania. Brock has held the WWE title hostage and it's been very frustrating to be honest with you. When the subject of Brock Lesnar comes up, it's never about him being the WWE World Heavyweight Champion it's about MMA and the UFC. I respect MMA I have no problem with it, but what bothers me is that Brock's run as champion has been about him leaving the WWE after WrestleMania and going back to UFC. Go ahead Brock do your thing you don't care about professional wrestling you never did, but was it the right choice to have Brock break The Undertaker streak and the only thing you get out of it is the fans talking about UFC more than the WWE and that's a problem. I like Roman Reigns go ahead crucify me, I followed this guy work in college football and has been shoved down people thoart it's a subjective topic because people only have a problem with that mindset if it's with a guy who they don't like. Is he ready? Honestly was anybody ever ready? I want Roman to succeed because he wants to be there and I appreciate that more than someone who thinks about himself and MMA 24/7. I'm not watching WWE for MMA you want MMA stuff go watch Fox Sports 1 or get the UFC fight pass. Roman Reigns will prove his detractors wrong and I think these two guys can have a good match. I think Brock showing up at the UFC 184 PPV was a legit spit to the face to not only WWE, but also every single wrestling fan. As far as tonight is concern I think that we'll see Roman vs The Miz. Paul Heyman said that he has a message for Roman Reigns, so that should be interesting. 

4.) Triple H vs Sting 

I want you guys to check out the video down below which I thought was great work from the WWE. It's a interview with Michael Cole, Michael PS Hayes and Arn Anderson. It's great display of storytelling. Tonight we'll get to learn more about the man called Sting and I wonder if Hunter is actually going to speak this week. Triple H was radio silent last week on Raw and it's going to be interesting to see how Triple H reacts to being embarassed again by "The Vigilante" Sting for the fourth time.

5.) IC Title Shenangians 

It was great finding out on Friday that the Intercontinental Championship will not only be defended at WrestleMania, but it will be defended in a Ladder Match. I think that's a great added a bonus and very nice treat to hardcore wrestling fans and I'm pretty sure that this match will open and could steal the show. Bad News Barrett had a pretty rough week he lost to Dolph Ziggler on Raw and then he lost to Daniel Bryan on SmackDown and his title was robbed by R-Truth. I've been happy that R-Truth has been added in this title picture because he's going out of his way to show hey I'm here I deserve a title shot whether people like it or not. I don't think that Daniel Bryan will be in this match, but it did say that this match is a multiple person ladder match. Tonight we can possibly see Bad News Barrett vs R-Truth and Dean Ambrose vs Dolph Ziggler. Either way I'm happy that the IC Title will get big spotlight on WrestleMania and I'm interested to seeing who's added into this match. 

It was reported that AJ Lee and Sheamus will make their WWE returns tonight. I think that we'll find out who else is added to the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Look to see more tension growing between Miz & Mizdow and also we'll have a rematch from Fast Lane added to WrestleMania where Tyson Kidd & Cesaro take on The Usos or maybe The Ascension add their hats to this title feud at WrestleMania. If AJ's back I think we'll see either a fatal four way for the Divas Championship or we'll see AJ Lee & Paige vs The Bella Twins at WrestleMania. Will we get conformation that Sheamus will take on Daniel Bryan because if that happens I'll mark out because I'm a big fan of Sheamus and love to see a heel turn from Sheamus. Also WWE said that a female will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2015. I think it may be Victoria or Alundra Blayze.

Hope you guys enjoyed this week's WWE Monday Night Raw Preview 

I'm at Twitter @VoiceOfTruth94 

Check out my wrestling radio show "The Pro Wrestling Experience" on Chicagolandsportsradio.com every Wednesdays from 10am-1pm CT! 

5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw

"WELCOME TO MONDAY NIGHT WRAW!"~ Vince McMahon. It's the final Monday Night Raw of the year coming from Washington D.C. for the third straight year. You can expect another quiet crowd tonight because the Washington crowd is not that good whatsoever and if you need example go-ahead look at the go-home show to WrestleMania 29 on the WWE Network. The once in while appearing WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar will bless us with his pressence tonight. Also one of the greatest tag teams in professional wrestling history Edge & Christian will be hosting Monday Night Raw. I think tonight's show is very important for the WWE as a whole and for the build towards the Royal Rumble PPV. Here's five things to expect on the 12/29/14 edition of WWE Monday Night Raw.

1.) Edge & Christian 

You think you me? I always enjoyed that theme song. Here's a idea to start Raw tonight. Edge & Christian do their entrance coming through the crowd or they can go old school and come up through the stage with The Brood music. It's going to be nice to see Edge & Christian especially Edge since he's on of those legends that rarely comes on the show as often as the other contracted WWE Legends. It's been the running trend lately Seth Rollins will come out and interrupt E & C in-ring promo and whine and complain about The Authority no longer being in power. Who knows maybe we'll see some of those silly hats their wore during the Attitude Era or they'll bring back the kazoos. Either way it will nice to see both Edge & Christian and tonight should be a fun night.

2.) The Ascension 

They're coming the fiery and powerful tag team from WWE NXT will make their main roster debuts TONIGHT on RAW. Who will be the first casualty for The Ascension? The video vigentte for The Ascension haven't been earth shattering to be completely honest with you, but I'm really looking forward to seeing The Ascension tonight because I'm a big fan of their tag team. Alot of people are clamoring for NXT Superstars to come up on the main roster and tonight and heading towards 2015 you'll see change in the WWE presentation I totally believe that and it starts with The Ascension tonight.

3.) Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena III 

The anticipated final battle between Brock Lesnar and John Cena will come to a head at the Royal Rumble. Brock Lesnar laid out John Cena during his Steel Cage Match with Seth Rollins a couple weeks ago. There's some storyline question that I have with this pairing heading towards the Royal Rumble. Ok Brock is back. Why? All we knew about Brock Lesnar before he became the WWE Champion is that he was "Plan C" for The Authority to take the title away from John Cena. Cena is the only person that holds the power to bring The Authority back. There needs to be a in-ring promo between John Cena & Paul Heyman tonight and it will be interesting to see if Paul Heyman brings up that very association Lesnar & The Authority had before they lost their power at Survivor Series. How do you bring The Authority back? Brock will come out during the show who knows maybe John & Brock have a full out brawl in the same building they had a bloody fist fight in 2012.

4.) Bad News Barrett 

I think it should be noted that tonight WWE is having a "WWE LIVE" show in Richmond, Virginia. Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt are advertised for this very show. There's star power left out of this show. We have Brock Lesnar, Edge & Christian and The Ascension on the show tonight, but something to really spice things especially with it being the final of Raw of the year we see the return of BNB! Bad News Barrett has been out with a shoulder injury for six months and I think it's the perfect night for him to come back. Dolph Ziggler is the right guy for Barrett to feud with. Alot of people are riding the wave of momentum of Dolph Ziggler, but "I'm afraid I've got some bad news!" Ziggler will have to deal with a dose of reality and a feud between Ziggler & Barrett to start 2015 is the right way to go for the WWE.

5.) Randy Orton? 

It's time! I'm keeping this one short and sweet. Randy Orton will be make his WWE return tonight and will seek his revenge on Seth Rollins & JJ Security. Calling it right now.

Follow Me on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR

5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw

Coming off the heels of last night's WWE TLC PPV on the WWE Network, WWE heads to Detroit, Michigan as the road to the Royal Rumble begins tonight. We have a new Intercontinental Champion, John Cena is still the number one contender to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Dean Ambrose looks to rebound from Bray Wyatt, Miz & Mizdow are still WWE Tag Team Champions and "The Powerhouse" Roman Reigns is back. Tonight show is going to be very interesting than your usual PPV fallout show. Chris Jericho will be the special guest general manager for Raw tonight and WWE World Heavyweight Champion "The Beast" Brock Lesnar makes his return to WWE for the first time since Night of Champions. It's going to be fun a night and here's five things to look forward to on tonight's Monday Night Raw.

1.) Chris Jericho as Raw General Manager 

"Would you please SHUT THE HELL UP?!" Sorry I had to do that, tonight former WWE Champion and WWE Legend Chris Jericho comes back to the WWE to serve as special guest general manager for Monday Night Raw. It's always nice to Jericho on WWE programming, I wonder what he has instore for tonights show. Maybe Jericho sets up series of Royal Rumble Qualifying Matches I think that would be a great idea since were 6 weeks away from the Royal Rumble PPV. I think we may see Jericho start the show, but here's the thing I think we may see Seth Rollins come out and complain about losing to John Cena and maybe Rollins challenges Jericho to a match. I know it's out there, but I wouldn't be suprised if we saw Rollins vs. Jericho and then after the match Rollins + J&J Security attack Jericho and try to do the triple powerbomb and cue in Randy Orton's music, Orton returns and we start the Rollins/Orton program.

2.) Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena III

 After a very chaotic Tables Match at TLC, John Cena will officially head towards the Royal Rumble to take on the Beast Brock Lesnar for his WWE World Heavyweight Championship. I'm sure we'll hear a in-ring promo from Cena tonight and who knows maybe Cena will take on The Big Show again tonight and then after the match Brock Lesnar comes out and gives Big Show a F5 as a message to Cena. Or we can see Brock and Paul Heyman come out to the ring and have a face to face in-ring promo to sell the PPV which I don't think it's a bad thing. Especially when it comes to aftermath of PPV's you have to sell your audience as to why we have to wait six weeks for this next event. Either options works well for me and I'm actually looking forward the final battle between Brock and John Cena. I saw John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules 2012 live in person and I've loved all the other matches they partcipated in since that match, so this Royal Rumble match will be very intruging to yours truly because I'm not sure if Brock will be heading towards WrestleMania 31 as WWE World Heavyweight Champion

3.) Ambrose/Wyatt Fallout 

I loved the TLC match between Ambrose and Wyatt last night, but the finish to that match left me scratching my head because I don't know where these two guys go next. That's the big million dollar question we as fans have to pay attention to aside from the part timers because you know everbody says that the WWE only focuses on John Cena, but Dean Ambrose just main evented two out of the last three PPV's and WWE has also took their time to build stars like Ryback, Seth Rollins, Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan, Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt. You ask yourself out of all the part timers that we'll see at WrestleMania this year where do these guys fit into the card? I think Ambrose will come out with a full head of steam and anger and will take on Luke Harper on Raw tonight. If they want to continue this feud we can see maybe a Last Man Standing Match between Wyatt and Ambrose at the Royal Rumble. I think out of everything that came out of last night's TLC PPV this Wyatt/Ambrose feud is the only feud I still had questions about. We'll see what happens tonight.

4.) TLC Mid-Card Fallout + Royal Rumble Build 

I mention earlier in this piece that I would like to see a series of Royal Rumble Qualifying Matches. As far as the WWE Divas Championship feud between AJ Lee and Nikki Bella is concern, I think that we'll see AJ Lee vs. Brie Bella again due to the hair spraying incident that occured last night. As far as Dolph Ziggler/Luke Harper is concern I think both men will be in the Royal Rumble match. I see a rematch coming between Miz & Mizdow vs. The Usos at the Royal Rumble usually at the Royal Rumble the WWE always wants at least one Tag Team Title match on the show and with a rowdy Philadelphia crowd I think that would be a great opportunity to debut The Ascension that night. I think Rusev and Swagger will be in the Rumble match as well, we may see this match happen tonight in case they got nothing for Rusev tonight. Ryback/Kane enter them into the Rumble Match along with Big Show and Erick Rowan. We may see The New Day vs. Gold & Stardust again tonight on Raw. I'm always concern for mid-card guys during this time of the year, but I'll keep hope that some of these guys do get spotlight on the road to WrestleMania.

5.) Roman Reigns Return

"The Powerhouse" Roman Reigns is back. Here's the thing I'm a Reigns fan and coming out of the CM Punk Podcast and this Superstar of the Year fiasco, I really feel that this guy is going to be treated just like Batista last year and it's pisses me off to be honest with you. Reigns is a young guy he's not in the position Batista was in last year, but here's the thing whether you or I agree that Reigns deserves to be in the main event of WrestleMania is subjective. I want to hear from Reigns tonight and he needs to hit the ball out of the ballpark tonight because his promo last night at WWE TLC was absolutely attrocious. Do we see Roman Reigns vs. Big Show on the road to WrestleMania since the WWE is prepairing Reings for Brock Lesnar? I think we may see Roman Reigns vs. Kane again tonight and it is what it is there's nothing we can do about it, Daniel Bryan is not here and we're on the road to beginning of the Roman Empire. Believe That!

That's 5 things to expect on tonight's WWE Monday Night Raw. Tell me what you think? What would you guys like to see happen on Raw tonight? Follow me on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR for live coverage of Raw and check out my radio show "The Pro Wrestling Experience" every Wednesday from 10am-1pm CT on Chicagolandsportsradio.com

5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw

It's the go-home show to the 6th annual WWE TLC PPV, and tonight it's the 13th annual Slammy Awards Show. WWE looks to move the needle heading towards 2015 and some of these young and upcoming talents are trying to make a name for themselves as WrestleMania season is coming ahead. Now, if you have been living under the rock, Condo on the Moon has been the most accurate coverage of professional wrestling. If you looked at last week's WWE Monday Night Raw Preview? I Josh Lopez basically gave you a virtual outlook on what was going to happen on last week's Raw and basically everything I said in that article happen. Tonight may be a different story, but I think I got a good jist of what's going to happen tonight. I've rewatched Raw twice this week plus SmackDown, so I did alot of research. Usually with these type of awards show you usually don't see heavy amounts of wrestling which also usually doesn't happen at go-home shows for PPV'S. Here's five things to look forward to for tonights Monday Night Raw.

1.) Seth Green Hosts The 2014 Slammy Awards 

I know there's alot of people who don't care for Seth Green, I actually didn't have a problem with him the last time he hosted Raw. We'll probably see some backstage segments with Seth and possibly a in-ring promo segment. As far as the Slammys it's self, I would like to predict some of the winners for the following categories in this year's Slammy Awards. Now mind you this is not my personal prefence this is just using my knowledge of the WWE.

Match of the Year: Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton vs. Batistia~ WrestleMania 30

Superstar of the Year: Brock Lesnar

WWE Diva of the Year: AJ Lee

LOL Moment of the Year: Damien Mizdow

Extreme Moment of the Year: Seth Rollins Curb Stomp

Suprise Return of the Year: Hulk Hogan

"This is Awesome" Moment of the Year: Occupy Raw

The OMG Shocking Moment of the Year: Brock Lesnar ends The Streak~ WrestleMania 30

2.) Mid-Card Title Matches for WWE TLC 

Coming into this week's Raw we know that at TLC, The Miz & Mizdow will defend their WWE Tag Team Championships against The Usos and Luke Harper will defend his Intercontinental Championship against Dolph Ziggler in a Ladder Match. Tonight we'll probably see the announcements of AJ Lee getting her title rematch against Nikki Bella with a added stipulation that if AJ Lee loses, she will leave the WWE. I think we'll probably get the announcement for Rusev vs. Swagger for the United States Championship. I think we may see Swagger taking on Cesaro to make a personal statement to Rusev, while Rusev and Lana will cut a promo from the stage. I think we'll see AJ Lee vs. Brie Bella tonight with Nikki Bella on commentary. I want to hear a promo between both Nikki and AJ. If this is really AJ's last WWE appearance I want it to mean something even if Nikki doesn't talk let AJ talk gives us a reason to care about this match. Give us a reason to care about Nikki Bella as a "Heel" Divas Champion.

3.) Bray Wyatt/Dean Ambrose Program 

I think we'll see Bray Wyatt cut a backstage promo or be in a match with R-Truth or Sin Cara.  I think we'll see Dean Ambrose take on someone like Curtis Axel or Rusev. I want more from this feud, because this match is the match care about when the subject WWE TLC 2014 comes up. I want to hear more from Dean, the unpredictable cat vs. the master minipulator. Give me a in-ring promo segment  tonight. I'm 50/50 on who i'm rooting for in this match. I think the obvious pick would be Dean Ambrose, but where they do Dean and Bray go after TLC?

4.) Team Authority vs. Team Cena Fallout 

Coming out of the Team Authority vs. Team Cena match from Survivor Series, it was pretty obvious that the members from both teams would be in seperate matches. Ryback will be taking on Kane in a Chairs Match, Erick Rowan "Big Red" will be taking on the Big Show in a Stairs Match whatever that is. I'm happy for all four of these guys in these matches. You want to know why? Because they're following standard procedures when it comes to heel vs. babyfaces storylines. Both Kane and Big Show have been playing their heel roles perfectly because they're acting like a heel, people you don't like them they don't care. I think Ryback can gain alot from this match with Kane, he's a season veteran hell Kane is a legend in my eyes and for Ryback to pickup his first singles PPV victory over a legend like Kane can only get Ryback on the right track. As for Rowan is concern he's in the same situation I mean everybody thought that Rowan was the weak link of the Wyatt Family now people care for him, out of the 100 heel turns we've seen from Big Show I'm enjoying this one because he's just being a giant heel and a freaking crybaby every single show. Bro I don't know what a Stairs Match is, but hell man there's WAY more hardcore gimmicky matches than we have from last years' TLC PPV. I'm all for it. I think tonight we'll see Erick Rowan & Ryback vs. Kane & Big Show.

5.) John Cena vs. Seth Rollins 

They need to hit the ball out of the ball park with this match because for me that opening in-ring promo between John Cena and Seth Rollins was not only force, but boring. Why is this match happening? We got the added stipulation that if Cena loses he'll no longer be the number one contender to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, what I think can make things interesting is that if Cena adds a stipulation where if he loses The Authority gets their power back. I think we may see Paul Heyman, Cena and Rollins in a in-ring promo because Brock Lesnar you know the WWE Champion will be back after WWE TLC, so we'll hear from the advocate of the no-visual WWE World Heavyweight Champion "The Beast" Brock Lesnar. I think we'll see a tag team match because that's the new main event each week, I think we'll see John Cena & Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins & Luke Harper in the main event.

That's what I got for tonight's Raw I hope you enjoyed this piece I give you the reasons as to why the WWE do the things they do. When it comes to go-home shows I just look to see if they address every match that will be on the PPV, so usually on these shows I'm not that crtical because the WWE already knows since the inception of the Network they've done a good job of telling everybody what the matches will be at the "Special Event" whether you like the feuds or not is subjective, but tonight just gonna sit back and try to enjoy the show as a fan and so should you and who knows maybe we'll get some suprise presenters for tonight's WWE Slammy Awards.

Follow Me on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR

WWE Monday Night Raw Preview

Tonight is going to be one of the most interesting nights in sports entertainment since the night after the Montreal Screwjob. With former WWE Superstar CM Punk coming out and speaking about his depature from the WWE, there's alot of interested in the live "Stone Cold" Steve Austin podcast with Vince McMahon. WWE didn't follow up the debut of Sting on last week's Raw, and with WWE TLC coming up in two weeks, What new matches will be announced for the annual gimmick PPV? Here's five things that I think people should look out for tonights show.

1.) The next step for John Cena and Seth Rollins 

Coming off last week's Raw, I think it's pretty obvious that Cena will be taking on Seth Rollins at TLC. Brock Lesnar is advertised for the 2014 Slammy Awards next week which is the go-home show for WWE TLC. I don't think that Lesnar will be competing at TLC, so where does John Cena and Seth Rollins go? I heard some people throw out this idea where Dolph Ziggler takes on Seth Rollins with Rollins Money in the Bank breifcase on the line. I think that would be a cool match especially for this type of PPV, but I don't see that happening. With tonight's show we may see something where it's John Cena, Dolph Ziggler and Ryback vs. Seth Rollins, Kane and Luke Harper in the main event or John Cena will take on J&J Security in a handicap match. Now are these matches that I want to see, I don't know, but being a pretty good observer of WWE programming I wouldn't be surprised if either of these matches happen. Cena vs. Rollins is the logical step with the Royal Rumble coming up. Despite Rollins taking a loss to Cena, I think to make a "statement" to Brock Lesnar, Cena defeats the top heel in the company at WWE TLC.

2.) The Anonymous Raw General Manager

Like you guys, I used to DESPISE the Anonymous Raw General Manager in 2010-2011. Now these days as I got more in tuned with the product and wrestling in general, I've come to appreciate the Anonymous Raw General Manager. I'll tell you why? Well, maybe the main reason why the Anonymous Raw General Manager doesn't bother me anymore is because it's gives people "HEAT" aka Michael Cole. Every time we here "May I have your attention please?" people cringe and boo and you don't really see alot of people these days on the WWE Roster get the type of "Real Heat" like Cole does when he reads those emails "And I Quote!" I'm just going to get a good laugh out of it because yea it may not be the best on thing on the show, but anything to get the crowd to boo the worst announce team in the history of wrestling is a pretty good day for yours truly. I can of hope that maybe since he's going to be there in Tulsa, Oklahoma, would WWE Hall of Famer "Stone Cold" Steve Austin make a LIVE appearance on Raw and mess the computer and Michael Cole up? I think that would be fantastic.

3.) Ambrose/Wyatt Program 

I'll tell you what guys, I think more than anything on this show tonigth, I'm looking forward to see what they do with Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose the most. Bro (Vince Russo), I think what they've been doing with Wyatt/Ambrose is great because this feud is turning into war and it was supposed to be like that since the beginning of this feud. Will we get a in-ring Wyatt promo I think so, but Wyatt will have to bring up something different in his promo instead of continuing to bring up Ambrose's daddy issues. Wyatt has been getting the better of Ambrose since this feud has started. I think Ambrose will be in a match with Cesaro or Mark Henry and than after the match he will stack Tables, Ladders and Chairs on either man. Wyatt will come up and try to attack Dean again, but this time Ambrose gets some revenge as Wyatt escpaes and runs up the ramp. I think it would be nice to see Bray Wyatt compete in the match, but who do you have him go against? With two weeks away to TLC I think WWE needs to bring their A game tonight when it comes to this feud.

4.) A New Day Is Here 

I was really happy to see Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Big E debut their "New Day" gimmick on SmackDown this past Friday Night. I'm happy for them because they're trying something different and at the same time entertain the WWE audience. Yes the music and pomps and circumstances of this gimmick will reminds you of Flash Funks, The Oddities, The Tons of Funks of the world, but I think we got something here with this new gimmick and it will sure add some vareity in this stagnant WWE Tag Team division. Give it a chance people, maybe it will grown on you, maybe it won't if you're a natural cynical person. A New Day is Here and as far as tonight is concern, I think we maybe seeing a run-in between with The New Day and The Dust Brothers. I wonder if they do come out with all Red thought for Monday Night Raw as opposed to SmackDown where they came out with the powder blue. Either way this a fun gimmick there's too many heels on this roster as it is, let's have some fun and enjoy a new stable on WWE television.

5.) WWE TLC's Mid-Card 

Here's the thing, if you haven't seen my previous column where I predicted the entire match card for WWE TLC, I advise you to check it out it's really cool and I think you may like it. I think tonight with the Raw Anonymouys General Manager we'll get some matches announced for TLC. With the feud between AJ Lee/Nikki Bella I WANT TO SEE A IN-RING BACK AND FORTH PROMO BETWEEN THESE TWO LADIES. Give me a reason to care about this match, I enjoyed what little of a promo Nikki had on SmackDown and I enjoyed the attempt of CM Punk AJ displayed on last week's Raw. Let them talk gives us a reason as to why this match matters. I think we'll Big Show vs. Erick Rowan tonight on Raw, but ultimately this will lead to their upcoming match at TLC. I think we'll already have the announced Ryback/Kane match, I will like to see if they announce Rusev vs Swagger at TLC, also possibly Ziggler/Harper for the IC Title would be nice and that's that for now. I think what's going to make WWE TLC a success is the mid-card for this show.

*With the live "Stone Cold" Steve Austin Podcast with Mr. McMahon, I don't think he should ask Vince about CM Punk. Don't bring more attention to somebody that continues to bring the company down in a negative light. I think it would be more important for Austin to grill McMahon about the direction of the company, maybe ask a couple of school questions like "Who came up with the idea to have Austin job to Lesnar on Raw in 2002?" stuff like that. This will be in my opinion the biggest interview in the WWE this year. DON'T MISS OUT AND WHAT CAN BE SOMETHING VERY VERY SPECIAL.

I hope you guys enjoy Raw tonight, try not to be like a Roger Ebert/Dave Meltzer wannabe and be so nit picky and try to enjoy the show as fan. That's the advise I give to people before watching Raw. I hope you guys enjoyed this preview. Let me know what you think about this article? And what would you guys like to see happen on Raw tonight?

Follow Me on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR