5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw 6/1/15

Hello ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to this week's Raw preview article. We're coming off the heels of a entertaining Elimination Chamber special on the WWE Network. I'll give you my thoughts on the Chamber show in a seperate section. This week's Raw comes from the home of the 2007 Royal Rumble and 2011 Vengeance: San Antonio, Texas. We begin the road to the annual Money in the Bank PPV, always fun entertaining times when it comes to Money in the Bank season. We got alot to cover on here, so here's the five things you can expect on the Chamber Fallout edition of WWE Monday Night Raw.

WWE Elimination Chamber Thoughts: 

I want to prefence my comments by first saying that the Corpus Chirsti crowd was absolutely terrible last night and when WWE are considering to add on specials for the Network they need to consider the places and venues you decide to bring these special events to. I enjoyed the Tag Team Chamber match and I thought it was a coming out party for The Ascension and PTP. New Day are great heels and they continue to outhink everybody and is their any business relationship between The New Day and The Authority. I thought the Divas Championship Match was solid, but once again a terrible crowd could give two fig newtons about that match. I thought they made the right decision to have Nikki Bella retain the Divas Championship. I loved the Kevin Owens and John Cena match! Couldn't be happier for Kevin and he got the spotlight he deserved and to say that WWE doesn't give guys from the indy's or ROH a chance is absolute blasphemy. I enjoyed the match between Neville/Bo Dallas even thought they had to follow that Owens/Cena match. I thought the IC Chamber Match was kind of disappointing, but the crowd didn't do them no favors. Would have liked that particular Chamber to have more meaningful spots instead going into sequences just to fill time. I'm happy that Ryback won the IC Championship. Despite common "reputation" that comes with "The Big Guy" I think Ryback is a very underrated performer. Finally the World Heavyweight Championship was what it was. I enjoyed the match don't get wrong it was awesome, but you needed to entice the viewers to get the Network for the month of June and this Reigns and Ambrose thing is too buddy buddy. I thought the Chamber wasn't a A+ show, but it was a good show and I enjoyed it despite another round of terrible commentary and a inept crowd.

2.) WWE Money in the Bank Ladder Match + Raw Matches 

Last night at the Elimination Chamber we found out the following particpants that will be in this year's Money in the Bank Ladder Match. We have Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, Neville and Kofi Kingston. If they were going to add more superstars to this match they would've done it tonight. For Raw tonight I think we'll see these three matches. Randy Orton vs. Neville, Dolph Ziggler vs Kofi Kingston and Roman Reigns vs. Sheamus.


3.) WWE World Title Picture

Last night at the Chamber, Ambrose defeated Rollins by DQ! Ambrose alongside Roman Reigns stole the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Don't be surprised to see not only Rollins, but the entire Authority to start off Raw and will address Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. I can see The Authority try to get Roman Reigns out of the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Is the beef between Kane and Seth Rollins over with? Lot's of questions, but do you have another Dean Ambrose/Seth Rollins match just for another non-finish. The rivalry of non-finishes continues. For a curveball I think Reigns is turning tonight. You have Kane, Rollins and JJ vs. Dean Ambrose in a No DQ Match. Reigns will come out to help Ambrose and bamb spear Ambrose to close off Raw tonight.

4.) Kevin Owens vs. John Cena II 

We know that the rematch is set for the Money in the Bank PPV! Owens is up 1-0! For tonight and for the upcoming Raw's before MITB. I say let Owens go out there and run his mouth towards Cena. I say you can still do the US Open Challenge. I think John Cena will take on The Miz in the US Open Challenge tonight. You can still have Owens lay out Cena if you want, or to bring in doubt you can see Cena get the best of Owens in these brawls. I'm very interested in seeing what they do with this program and what will be John Cena's reaction to losing to Kevin Owens cleanly. Kevin Owens is best for business.

5.) Mid-Card Title Programs heading into Money in the Bank 

I think we'll see a fatal four way match for the WWE Tag Team Championship at Money in the Bank with: The New Day vs. Prime Time Players vs. Lucha Dragons vs. Tyson Kidd & Cesaro. I think we'll see Ryback vs. Bad News Barrett, we may see another triple threat match for the Divas Championship. Could we have a mid-card ladder match at Money in the Bank for a mid-card title? Interesting time to be a fan of the WWE!


I hope you guys enjoy this week's Raw preview. You can follow me on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR

Hope you guys enjoy Raw.

5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw 5/18/15

Oh Yeah Brother! Welcome to this week's WWE Monday Night Raw Preview brought to you by Condo On The Moon my name is Joshua Lopez. Lot's and lot's to get to because we're just coming off the heels of the WWE Payback PPV, we got the NXT Takeover Special coming up this Wednesday and Elimination Chamber returns in 13 days. In this piece I'll give you my thoughts on the WWE Payback PPV from Baltimore. I'll also talk about who will be in the two Elimination Chambers Matches and where does John Cena and Seth Rollins go from here? Here's five things to expect on the WWE Payback Fallout edition of WWE Monday Night Raw.

1.) WWE Payback Fallout + Thoughts 

Well I enjoyed Payback last night. I thought overall the show surpass expectations and with the fact it only had a three week set up I thought the payoff for Payback was well done. Some rapid fire thoughts.

-I don't know why R-Truth/Stardust was added to the pre-show? What's next for Cody?

-I don't think The Meta Powers will last long.

-I loved the opener from Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler very physical opener these guys have amazing chemistry.

-Once again the tag team championship match delivered. I never get tire of seeing The New Day vs. Tyson Kidd & Cesaro. Very interested in seeing how they set up this tag team Elimination Chamber Match.

-I loved the slugfest between Bray Wyatt and Ryback. Way better match than I thought it was going to be. I like both guys and even though there wasn't any reasonable "storyline" behind this feud I enjoyed the match it had a nice old-school flare to it.

-Cena and Rusev capped off their feud in high fashion. Entertaining and physical I Quit Match.

-I thought the Divas Tag Team Match wasn't that bad it's just their positioning on the PPV is always after a match that the crowd absolutely loved and they were burnt out.

-Neville/Barrett was solid I wished it had more time, plus with the IC Chamber Match coming up soon I understood the countout finish and neither guy was negatively effected.

-I loved the main event! Glad we got Kane's decision out of the way. I thought Roman and Dean stood out the most in this match. Rollins is a tremendous heel. Randy Orton once again shining on a major stage, The Shield's semi tease reunion was nice and the crowd was hot for that. I didn't mind the finish cause Rollins is part of The Authority and even with the fact that he can't use the Curb Stomp that doesn't mean he can't use the Pedigree or a RKO or even a Chokeslam. Rollins was the right guy to win this match and it was one of the better Fatal Four Way that i've seen.


2.) Elimination Chamber Match for the Vacant Intercontinental Championship 

We're just about 13 days away from the Elimination Chamber PPV. We know that for the first time since 2012 we'll have two Elimination Chamber matches and one of them will be for the vacated Intercontinental Championship. I'm firguing for tonight there will be a series of Elimination Chamber Qualifying Matches. I can see Bad News Barrett, Sheamus, Neville, Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Bray Wyatt added to this Chamber Match. Less is more, but at the same time I think it would be in the best interest for this Wyatt/Ryback feud to be put in place in that Chamber Match. If Ryback has broken ribs that's rather unfortunate. At the same time don't be surprise if guys like Stardust or R-Truth will be added to the Chamber Match. Both Stardust and Truth have experience in the Chamber Match.

3.) Elimination Chamber Match for the WWE Tag Team Championship

We found out last night the New Day will be defending their WWE Tag Team Championships inside the Elimination Chamber. I have absolutely no idea what will be set up for this particular Chamber and I LOVE IT! There's so many options here and that what's make this Chamber very very interesting. Obviously if we're going to do six teams I'll list i here. Kidd/Cesaro, The Prime Time Players, Lucha Dragons, Harper & Rowan and The Ascension. Either way this could be the best thing for the tag division not only are these teams are getting opportunity, but their are being showcased in one of the most popular matches in the WWE, so I'm very interested to see what they do tonight on Raw with the set up for this Chamber Match.

4.) What's next for John Cena? 

I really enjoyed the Rusev and John Cena feud and now that it's over; What's next for John Cena? We have 13 days before Elimination Chamber arrives. The John Cena US Open Challenge has been awesome. Here's a idea. I know that this will be out of left field, but it works since there's only two weeks to setup the PPV and I think it would be "best for business" to have a John Cena US Open Challenge at the Chamber. It brings anticipation for the PPV and the opens up the window for countless superstars or maybe even returning superstars to take on Cena at the Elimination Chamber. For tonight I think we'll see John Cena vs Luke Harper or Dolph Ziggler.

5.) What's next for Seth Rollins?

Another PPV and Seth Rollins is still your WWE World Heavyweight Champion! It was "reported" that Rollins will be defending his world championship at the Chamber, but it's not in the Chamber match. I would be shocked if were swerved and the championship is defended in the Chamber, but coming out of this Fatal Four Way match. Where does WWE go with this World Title Picture? I think it would be too soon to do the Shield triple threat match ESPECIALLY with a free month of the Network in May. That match should be not be FREE it has money written all over it. Orton tooked the pin last night, so I think he may be done in this world title picture for now. I'm going to give you guys three options for Seth Rollins at Elimination Chamber. Will Triple H talk about Rollins using the pedigree? For Raw tonight expect ALOT of gloating and trolling in this opening segment.

-Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose

-Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns

-Seth Rollins vs. Kane

I hope you guys enjoyed this week's RAW preview article.

Raw is in Richmond, Virginia and it's a old-school NWA Territory, so don't be surprised if the crowd is flat tonight.

You can follow me on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR

Follow us on Twitter @CondoOnTheMoon and check out our most recent podcast.

King of The Ring Returns to the WWE This Week

In case you've been out of the wrestling loop over the last 24 hours, the historic King of the Ring Tournament will be making it's return tonight on Monday Night Raw. The announcement was made in a promotional package for the WWE Network during the Extreme Rules PPV last night. The King of The Ring Tournament started in 1985 and then became it's own PPV in 1993. King of The Ring was one of the yearly traditional PPV's for the WWE back in the day. This will be the first King of The Ring Tournament since 2010. The first round matches will take place tonight on Raw and the Semi-Final and Final Round matches will take place LIVE on the WWE Network. In the picture down below is the bracket with the participants for this year's King of The Ring Tournament.

Here's the list of former King of the Ring Winner's. This list also features former WWE World Champions and Hall of Famers.


1985- Don Muraco
1986- Harley Race
1987-Randy Savage
1988- Ted DiBiase
1989- Tito Santana
1991- Bret Hart
1993- Bret Hart
1994- Owen Hart
1995- Mabel
1996- Stone Cold Steve Austin
1997- Triple H
1998- Ken Shamrock
1999- Billy Gunn
2000- Kurt Angle
2001- Edge
2002- Brock Lesnar
2006- Booker T
2008- William Regal
2010- Sheamus

This year's King of The Ring Tournament is very interesting because it features the top mid-card peformers for the WWE. You have a upstart in Neville. You have former Intercontinental Champions in Sheamus, Bad News Barrett, Stardust, Dolph Ziggler, and Luke Harper. Of course you got your wild cards in R-Truth and Dean Ambrose. WWE hasn't announced if the winner of this match gets a future title opportunity, but I think bringing back this tournament it's not only good for the mid-card and Monday Night Raw, but for the WWE Network as well.

One would suggest that the early favorites to win this King of The Ring Tournament would be Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose or Bad News Barrett. If you look at the bracket up top you'll see there's some intrguing matchups and personally I'm really looking forward to see how this torunament will end up in the next two days.

For old time's sake I'm going to post a clip of one the most iconic King of The Ring moments.

I hope you guys enjoy the tournament on Raw tonight and on the WWE Network tomorrow. For more updates on the King of The Ring Tournament please stick tune to the website.

You can follow me on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR

You can follow our Twitter Page @CondoOnTheMoon

5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night 4/20/15

Hello all! Welcome to this week's WWE Monday Night Raw Preview article brought to you by Condo On The Moon. We're 6 days away from the Extreme Rules PPV in Chicago, Illinois. Tonight is the go home show to the annual hardcore PPV and the WWE is back from a large European Tour. Raw emanates from Albany, New York which has been a major city for the WWE throughout it's history. I'll give you five things that you can look forward to seeing on the show tonight and also I give my thoughts on the current feuds heading towards Extreme Rules and I will propose my final card for the PPV and make my predictions. James & Walder got you covered for a full PPV preview this Friday and hope you guys enjoy the piece.

1.) Rollins vs. Orton + Big Show vs. Roman Reigns 

I decided to mix these two matches together just due to the fact they all intertwines with each other and each match has a Authority member represented in the bouts. We found out on Raw last week that Seth Rollins will defend his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Randy Orton at Extreme Rules in a Steel Cage Match with a added bonus, the RKO finisher is BANED! I thought the WWE did a good job setting up these match for the PPV. Less is more you don't need a super complex drama storyline for this particular match it writes itself. On SmackDown we found out that Roman Reigns will take on The World's Largest Athlete Big Show in a Last Man Standing Match. I know that alot of people will give two fig newtons about the Big Show/Reigns. The stipulation makes sense to finally put this dreaded feud to an end. It's going to be interesting to see where all these four guys go after the PPV this Sunday. Last week Kane was extremely embarrassed by Seth Rollins and there seem's to be a rumbling that Kane will turn his back on The Authority. The Authority is back on Raw tonight and we'll see how Triple H handles the recent issues between Kane and Seth Rollins. Tonight in good ol The Authority fashion you'll see Randy Orton & Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins, Kane and Big Show.

2.) John Cena vs. Rusev in a Russian Chain Match 

The John Cena's United States Championship Open Challenge has been a delightful addition to the weekly WWE Monday Night Raw programming. I'm not a fan of the goody good shoes John Cena, I was a fan of the heel John Cena and I do have a tremendous amount of respect for him. Having John Cena as the United States Champion has made that particular championship the most relevant it's been since the WCW days. Last week on Raw we saw John Cena vs. Bad News Barrett in a really good back and forth physical match in London. We found out that John Cena will defend his title against the former champion Rusev at Extreme Rules in a Russian Chain Match. Usually chain matches it's your standard chain or bull rope match where you drag your opponent around four turn buckles to pick up victory. I think this is a interesting stipulation with of both these guys tremendous strength and I think this will be the most physical match of the show. Tonight for the open challenge I think we see John Cena vs. Luke Harper or Dolph Ziggler. Rusev got the advantage on John Cena last week. Whoever is standing tall on tonight's show will be the United States Champion at Extreme Rules.

3.) Triple H Announcement 

For the first time since WrestleMania 31, WWE COO Triple H makes his return to WWE Programming. If you're not in the know, Triple H is the executive vice president of talent relations for the WWE and is the man behind NXT and the founder of the WWE Performance Center. With the recent of announcement of the popular show "Tough Enough" The Game will make an announcement on the show. Now what will be in that announcement, an announcement on a date or the name of wrestlers that will be the coaches for the show or we'll find out who'll be the contestants for the show. It makes for an interesting segment, but where's the payoff for this segment especially when it's on the go-home show for Extreme Rules. I'm not sure if it's going to happen or not, but might as well go for it. I've been trying to find out who in the blue hell is Bray Wyatt talking about this time. It's a stretch, but I wouldn't be surprise if Bray Wyatt attacks Triple H in this segment.

4.) Extreme Rules Mid-Card Feuds + Raw Matches + Neville RANT 

Ok if you I offend in this portion of the article I apologize, but I'm an honest human being. No wrestling fan knows anything about "booking" hate to be that guy or whatever, but it's the truth. It's cool to guess what's going to happen on these shows, but I swear to god if I hear another person complaining about Neville's booking I'm going to lose my mind. Look I listen to the LAW this past weekend and I love their show, but was really irked by their evaluation on the recent trend of Neville on the main roster. Neville is fine, but as the months and years go by to think that any of these NXT Stars are going to be in the main roster main event storylines the moment they debut on the main roster it's unrealisitic. It's official we have the very first Kiss Me Arse Match, it's whatever I guess I mean I think the match with Sheamus and Ziggler will be very good, but the stipulation is head scratching to say the least. Tonight I think you see a change in a stipulation for that particular match. Paige is "OUT" going to film a movie with The Miz. Will Paige make it to Extreme Rules? I think tonight we see Naomi take Paige's spot and she takes on Brie Bella on Raw tonight. Tonight Miz and Mizdow will have their final bout for the right for the particular gimmick. I think for tonight we see Daniel Bryan & Dolph Ziggler vs. Bad News Barrett and Sheamus.

5.) Predictions

I won't be on the podcast this week, so I decided to make my predictions for the upcoming PPV this Sunday in my hometown for Chicago, Illinois.

1.) Steel Cage Match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship *RKO Banned
Seth Rollins retains over Randy Orton due to help from Bray Wyatt

2.) Russian Chain Match for the WWE United States Championship
John Cena retains over Rusev

3.) Kiss Me Arse Match
Sheamus over Dolph Ziggler

4.) Tables Match
Dean Ambrose over Luke Harper

5.) Last Man Standing Match
Roman Reigns over Big Show

6.) WWE Divas Championship Match
Nikki Bella retains over Naomi

7.) WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Daniel Bryan retains over Bad News Barrett

8.) WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Cesaro and Tyson Kidd over Lucha Dragons


I hope you enjoy Raw this week. I'll be at Extreme Rule this Sunday from the Allstate Arena. If your attending the show please come and say hello.

You can follow me on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR

Check out my radio show the PWE Show every Wednesday from 10am-1pm CT

Also I'll be on the "Brass Ring Club" at 5:30 pm ET on TheNBShow.com


Enjoy Raw and Enjoy Extreme Rules

#StudentOfTheGame

5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw 4/6/15

Welcome to this week's WWE Monday Night Raw preview article brought to you by Condo On The Moon. Last week was the end of WrestleMania week which is depressing. I was at Raw last week and it was sure interesting show. Brock Lesnar got suspended and F5 Michael Cole, Sheamus came back and turn heel, The Lucha Dragons and Adrian Neville from NXT made their main roster debuts, and Seth Rollins survived one episode of Raw as WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Tonight Raw emanates from the University of Texas! We're on the road to the 2015 WWE Extreme Rules PPV. Here's five things to expect on this week's edition of WWE Monday Night Raw.

1.) WWE World Heavyweight Championship Title Picture 

Seth Rollins has made past one week as WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Coming out of last week's SmackDown it seems that "The Viper" Randy Orton will be the guy who will take on Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Extreme Rules. What would've happen if Brock is still the WWE World Heavyweight Champion? Brock Lesnar is suspended for the forseable future and Stephanie McMahon will address the future of Brock Lesnar to start off the show. It's seems like the internet will be happy about this, but Roman Reigns is lost in the shuffle. Will Reigns find a way back into the title picture? I think on the show tonight you'll see the conformation of Orton vs Rollins at Extreme Rules or you'll see Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns to determine the number one contender to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

2.) NXT Imports 

Both NXT mainstays The Lucha Dragons and Adrian Neville made their WWE main roster debuts last week. It was cool to see those moments in person. It's going to be important to see where both of these guys career go based on the reactions from crowds and cities that don't hold 95% of the IWC. I think both Neville and Kalisto will have a great run in the main roster, but I want to remind everybody that if Neville or Kalisto are not in a particular title pictures in their first two months on the main roster that doesn't mean the WWE is burying them. Some of my concern with these NXT guys is that they come up to the main roster and everybody thinks that they need to be in all the title pictures and in all the main events of all the ppv's the moment they hit the main roster. Too much too soon can hurt talents in the long run. It worked for The Wyatt Family and The Shield it worked for them because they were a faction and superstars came out of that faction I don't know if you have the same impact if you get that type of booking out of the bat as a single competitior. I think we see The Lucha Dragons vs. The Ascension. I think we see a rematch between Neville and Curtis Axel.

3.) WWE Divas Title Picture + AJ Lee Thoughts 

I wanted to be brief with the AJ Lee retirment topic since I haven't had a chance to talk about it, but I think it's unfortunate she's leaving so early. Just when you think you found a diva that would've been a lifer then they retire. The shelf life of these diva's are not long. AJ Lee has had a great career despite portions of her career towards the end where she basically ripped CM Punk off. AJ is a great person and I wish her nothing but the best, but I won't be surprised if this retirement doesn't last long. Now here's the thing which makes this divas division interesting coming out of AJ Lee's retirement. Now with Extreme Rules around the corner who will take on Nikki Bella for the Divas Championship? I can see something where you have Naomi and Paige vs. The Bella Twins tonight. Then the next week you can possibly do Paige vs Naomi for the number one contendership. I think Naomi is a quality challenger for that Divas Championship she has had a lot of roadblocks put afront of her, but she deserves this opportunity.

4.) John Cena vs. Rusev "I Quit" Match?

It's official that John Cena will defend his United States Championship against Rusev at Extreme Rules. Being that this show is in my hometown i'm paying close attention to this feud. This storyline will probably be the biggest storyline heading towards the ppv besides the World Title match. We know that the match is official, but what's the gimmick? What's the stipulation? There's many possibilities you can have in this third bout. I'm throwing out I Quit stipulation because it works well with the Russia vs USA storyline and it's a John Cena esque Extreme Rules storyline. Tonight you'll see Rusev lay out John Cena and announce that the match between him and John Cena will be a I Quit match.

5.) IC Title Picture for Extreme Rules

Sheamus is back and I LOVE THIS HEEL TURN! The new music kicks ass his actions in the ring kicks ass. I love what's being doing so far. People will complain just to complain. They said they wanted a repackage for Sheamus and then when he comes back all you have to say is "You Look Stupid"! Really creative wrestling fans. I think on the show tonight you see Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler or the tag team match that was supposed to happen on SmackDown last week and that was Sheamus & Bad News Barrett vs Dolph Ziggler & Daniel Bryan. You can go in many different directions when it comes to Extreme Rules. You can see maybe a Intercontinental Championship rematch between Bad News Barrett and Daniel Bryan on one of these Raw's or you can do another multiple person match at Extreme Rules. Daniel Bryan is a sympathetic character don't be mad or surprised he get's beat down alot.

I hope you guys enjoy Raw tonight. You can follow me on Twitter @VoiceOfTruth94

You can 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 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 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

Like what you read make sure to check out my wrestling radio show the Pro Wrestling Experience every Wednesday from 10am-1pm CT on Chicagolandsportsradio.com

5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw 2/9/15

Welcome to this week's Raw preview for Monday February 9th, 2015 from Ohio State University. We're two weeks away from the inaugural WWE Fast Lane PPV. We have three matches announced so far and this week what I wanted to do with this week Raw preview is to not only take a look back at the top storylines from last week, but also give you guys a look at the undercard for the Fast Lane PPV. Roman Reigns will be taking on Daniel Bryan for the right to take on Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania 31. John Cena and Rusev are in a collision course. What does The Authority have in store for us this week? Here's five things to expect on tonight's edition of WWE Monday Night RAW!!!!!!! 

1.) Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan 

If you checked out last week's preview for Raw you'll see that I said that Triple H announcement was going to be Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan at Fast Lane. I think it's the best choice right now especially with the fact that the WWE Network is for free right now, so having a match like Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan not only makes storylines sense, but also business sense. Last week Daniel Bryan had a wonderful match with Seth Rollins for the right to take on Reigns at Fast Lane. I thought Roman looked "stronger" than he has in the last couple of weeks and I don't think this hatered for Reigns is going to last long. People will try to force upon the label of Cena 2.0 on Reigns cause the IWC needs somebody new to complain about once Cena retires, but Reigns and Cena are two different individuals. Roman Reigns surprsingly had a solid match with The Miz on last week's SmackDown. Daniel Bryan defeated Seth Rollins and J&J Security, but was taken out by The Authority after the match was over, so we have a interesting scenario going on for tonight. You probably see Roman Reigns & Daniel Bryan vs. Seth Rollins & Big Show in the main event of Raw. If that doesn't happen the only thing I ask is that we don't see another Reigns/Big Show match. You can also do Roman Reigns & Daniel Bryan vs. Seth Rollins & Kane due to the fact that Kane won't let Daniel Bryan alone. 

2.) The Authority & Brock Lesnar 

This is going to be a big week for The Authority. I think over the last couple of weeks The Authority has constantly had someone make them look bad whether it's Sting, The Rock, John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns or even Brock Lesnar. The Authority hasn't made an impactful statement since they return. Seth Rollins for whatever reason feels that he deserves to be in every single title feud since he is the "future of the WWE". I don't know what's taking the writers so long to bring back Randy Orton it's a perfect storyline with him getting his revenge on Seth Rollins & The Authority. You see Orton at these live events why keep stalling his return for a four week build to mania. I don't know what Seth Rollins is doing at Fast Lane I'm guessing two options here. 1.) Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler. 2.) Seth Rollins, Kane, Big Show vs. Dolph Ziggler, Ryback, Erick Rowan. I don't think we're going to see another Rollins/Bryan match on free TV, but that's my opinion. I think for Raw tonight you'll most likely see The Authority start off the show with a promo. I'm getting sick and tired of the complaints about promo starting the show it's been going on since 1999 get over it. What caught me by surprise was the fact that Brock Lesnar the WWE World Heavyweight Champion is advertised for Raw tonight. So maybe while The Authority talks about Fast Lane, tonight's Raw, etc, Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman could come out and interrupt The Authority and complain about The Authority trying to pull a fast one on Brock Lesnar for not only swtiching the Royal Rumble Match to a Triple Threat Match, but now possibly switiching the main event of WrestleMania once again. 

3.) Bray Wyatt 

Check out this promo! I think anybody with a good recollection of the history of the wrestling knows that this Bray Wyatt/Undertaker is bound to happen at WrestleMania. I've been loving the promos from Bray Wyatt recently these are better than the promo's he cut on John Cena before WrestleMania 30 last year. If this match indeeds happen with Bray Wyatt and The Undertaker this match seriously needs a gimmicky style match ie Buried Alive or Casket Match. Wyatt had a really good match with Dolph Ziggler on last week's edition of Raw. I do think we'll see another backstage promo or maybe something to mix things up you can Bray Wyatt cut a in-ring promo this time. What's Bray Wyatt doing at Fast Lane? Does Bray Wyatt need to be at Fast Lane? As far as tonight is concern I'm going throw this out there as a wild card for tonight's show. You can possibly see Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena tonight. You can also see Bray Wyatt vs Daniel Bryan! Either way if Wyatt is not involved at Fast Lane I won't lose sleep about it. There's already so many things right now that needs to be set in place for WrestleMania, you can keep Wyatt off this PPV and it wouldn't effect him. I heard rumors of him vs. Boogeyman, but I don't see that happening it would be cool, but the match would probably be a squatch match. 

4.) John Cena & Rusev 

Is this match for the WWE United States Championship? For as little of a build that this feud has had so far I've enjoyed what I've been seeing so far with John Cena & Rusev. Where are we going with this feud? Is this a one match program? Are Rusev & John Cena fighting at WrestleMania? I think tonight is very important for the WWE to make us care and gives us a reason as to why these two guys are feuding with each other. Tonight you'll probably see a in-ring promo segment with John Cena & Rusev. It would be nice to see both of these guys in ring action tonight. 

5.) Fast Lane Under-Card 

As of now we know that Paige will be taking on Nikki Bella for the WWE Divas Championship. I think that's cool as far as tonight is concern I think we'll see Paige vs. Brie Bella or you probably see Nikki Bella vs. Natalya. Dean Ambrose challenged Bad News Barrett for the WWE Intercontinental Championship I think that would be cool as far as tonight is concern I think you'll probably see Dean Ambrose vs. Curtis Axel again or you can possibly see Bad News Barrett vs. Sin Cara or Zack Ryder. Do you consider John Cena vs. Rusev as the mid-card for FastLane? As far as the WWE Tag Team Championship Match at Fast Lane I think it will be The Usos vs. Tyson Kidd & Cesaro. Just looking at what happen on SmackDown you will see either Cesaro vs. Jimmy Uso or a six intergender tag team match with The Usos & Naomi vs. Tyson Kidd, Cesaro & Natalya. We may see the official splits of both Miz & Mizdow and Gold & Stardust with you will possibly see both of these teams lose to The New Day & The Ascension. Many possibilities, but the mid-card for Fast Lane should be pretty good from a wrestling perspective.

Reminder: 

If you're a first time reader of this Raw preview, what you'll see is a forecast as to what you'll probably see on this week's edition of Raw. This preview includes a take at current storylines, and what's the most realistic options for those particular storylines to progress in the positive direction. Take a look back at our previous Raw previews, and what you'll see here on Condo On The Moon is the home for the most accurate Raw previews that you can't find anywhere else. These previews don't represent the personal taste of I Joshua Lopez. My goal here is to not only showcase my expertise if you will on the WWE product, but also to show you why these storylines are happening and how we can turn negatives to positives. 

Tonight WWE is advertising a new Hall of Fame member for the Class of 2015. I think it may be legendary professional wrestler Ray Stevens. Also don't forget just like every NXT Special don't be surprised if you see Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks on Raw tonight. 

I hope you enjoyed this week's Raw preview. Enjoy Raw. Follow me on Twitter @VoiceOfTruth94 

5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw

Happy New Year's everybody. New leash, New year, New WWE? Well maybe not new WWE, but tonight is the very first Monday Night Raw of 2015 in Corpus Chirsit, Texas. WWE finished 2014 on a high note with a stellar edition of Monday Night Raw. Tonight there's no special guest general manager because The Authority is back "BABY!" sorry Adam Cole. There's not another WWE LIVE Event going on tonight, so everybody is back it's a new year and we'll see how the build towards the Royal Rumble continues. Here's five things to expect on January 5th edition of WWE Monday Night Raw.

1.) The Authority Returns

I know alot of people are upset with the fact that The Authority is back, but I couldn't be happier. This show with the exception of Seth Rollins has been severley missing powerful and impactful heels. I love The Authority they're great, and I don't mind they're 20 minute in-ring promos because when you see Triple H & Stephanie McMahon on WWE Television it's the purest demonstration of how to be an effective heel. Was it too soon for them to return? It's subjective, but we already knew that The Authority was coming back. I think we'll get The Authority special meaning that tonight's main event will be John Cena & Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins & Big Show. Also we'll probably see Kane vs. Ryback. The Authority's back and it's best for business. Believe That!

2.) The Ascension + WWE's Tag Team Division

It's not enough, but it's better than nothing. I love how people complain about WWE not bringing up new tag teams and they don't try to build stars and when they actually bring up new tag teams or new stars up to the main roster you don't give them a chance. The Ascension just debuted last week on Raw and I couldn't be happier for both Konnor & Vitkor making the most out of this opportunity because it's something different we don't really know what their gimmicks is and please can we give this gimmick sometime to build before throwing into the firepit. I get it they look like the Road Warriors, but I didn't know that the Road Warriors were into illuminati. The Usos became the brand new WWE Tag Team Champions last week in a great back and forth match with The Miz & Damien Mizdow. I expect to see The Usos defend the WWE Tag Team Championship against Miz & Mizdow in a title rematch and after the match The Ascension will lay out The Usos to send an impactful message. If The Ascension doesn't come out during that match I wouldn't be opposed to seeing The Ascension do the same thing they did on SmackDown last week where they put waste to local enhancement talent.

3.) WWE's Mid-Card Feud's

For what it's worth I think the WWE has been doing a great job with the fact that they're using actual storylines are for all the mid-card titles. We know that the WWE is teasing a match between WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella and Natalya. Yea it's kind of a plug for E! Total Divas, but they've been slowly building an actual feud between Natalya and Nikki with the fact that Tyson Kidd & Nikki Bella continue to flirt with each other. The Ryback & Rusev feud intrigues me, I loved the Ryback promo from Raw last week they haven't done that type promo for any mid-carders in year's. Rusev continues to improve in the ring and as a heel. I proposed that Ryback and Kane match and possibly Rusev will come out to interfere in that match who knows maybe Kane wins that match since The Authority is back, but I really think the feud between Ryback & Rusev is the best thing for both guys at this prior moment. My boy Bad News Barrett came back from injury last week and it seemed like he was going to be a babyface now, but I think a good way to put Barrett back into that heel role is if you do this. I would set up a match between Tyson Kidd & Cesaro vs. Dolph Ziggler & Bad News Barrett. It would be a great match for the WWE and all of the fans and to spice things up you have Dolph trying to give Bad News the hot tag and he gives him the Bad News Bull Hammer there you go that's your Intercontinental Championship feud. Bad News goes after the title he never lost.

4.) Who will enter the Royal Rumble Match?

Even though I hate when current Money in the Bank Contract holders enter Royal Rumble Match, I do think to start off the show as a gift to Seth Rollins for bringing back The Authority. The Authority will announce that Seth Rollins will be in the Royal Rumble match. I think we'll finally see Royal Rumble Qualifying Matches or maybe a Beat the Clock Challenges for certain enteries for the Rumble Match. I'm just throwing it out there because I think that would be a great idea because it allows the three hours to be must see and it's the first Raw of the year you would think that the WWE would want to start the year off with a bang. Possible entrants of the Rumble Match that come out of my head are Luke Harper, Jack Swagger, Big Show, Erick Rowan, Dolph Ziggler etc. I would like to see how they'll follow up the return of Daniel Bryan he's not currently advertised for tonight's show, so will it be a pre-recorded interview or just a recap highlight package of his announcement from last week? We'll see what happens, but it's important for the WWE to make sure they tell the fans that there's numerous amount talents that can be favorites to win the Rumble instead of just Roman Reigns & Daniel Bryan

5.) Ambulance Match

The feud between Dean Ambrose & Bray Wyatt comes to an end tonight and I really do believe that. I've enjoyed the feud between Ambrose & Wyatt it kind of reminds me of the feud between Ryback & CM Punk. Is Dean Ambrose buried if he loses another big stipulation match? Is Bray Wyatt buried because of all the hype of his return was for all him to go into a Ambulance? Honestly who cares, really because both of these guys have great futures ahead of them remember folks they've been on the main roster television for 2-3 years their careers are not over yet. I think this will be a great match whether it finishes off the show or not I do think that Bray Wyatt & Dean Ambrose are going to head into this match with a massive chip on their shoulder because there's alot of talk of Daniel Bryan & Roman Reigns becoming the main focus of WrestleMania 31 and I feel that Bray & Dean will look make a major statement as the Royal Rumble is fastly approaching.

Follow Josh Lopez on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR

Make sure to tune into Josh's wrestling radio show the Pro Wrestling Experience @PWEShow. The first show of the year will be LIVE this Wednesday January 7th from 10am-1pm CT on Chicagolandsportsradio.com. We'll be reviewing #RAW, WrestleKingdom 9, a preview for the returns of Lucha Underground and TNA, and we'll have an interview with Nigel McGuiness from ROH and LA Fights.

5 Things We Need To See Coming Out Of Extreme Rules

So Extreme Rules is almost here and we are going to look ahead to after it is all said and done what we need to have coming out of this event . Every PPV or as they are calling them now special event needs to have some reason to it for us to stay invested as fans. The first major event after Wrestlemania is usually a time to start building some new feuds and ending some old ones. We always have some new stars to get over and make look good. So with all that being said let’s look at 5 things we need to see coming out of this event. After reading this go have a listen to our podcast where we preview this event and talk the news of the week in WWE.

5. A Stronger Paige: We saw Paige from NXT make her long awaited debut on the Raw after Wrestlemania winning the Diva's Championship from A.J Lee. It wasn’t the best debut for Paige to show of her ability in the ring with a bit of a screwed up finish to the match. Adding to the problems we had A.J Lee stepping away for some time off, to move to Chicago we are told, as she has become engaged to CM Punk who remains in limbo with WWE. So instead of an A.J vs. Paige feud that many have looked forward to we get an under promoted Paige vs. Tamina Snuka match. This match not only needs to see Paige win but do it impressively in order to validate her to the larger WWE audience that may not be familiar with her work in NXT. A stronger Paige and returning A.J Lee should make for a great feud.

4. A Strong NEW I-C Champion: We don’t hate Big E Langston but maybe we are not crazy about Big E. Jokes aside, it has been fairly clear that him retaining the I-C title is not going to be in the cards. We had all thought that new champion was going to be Cesaro and that might have been confirmed with a WWE Script making it’s way to the internet. Suddenly things changed and now Bad News Barrett is the man that sits on the verge of his fourth run with the I-C title. Rumours are that Vince McMahon himself has been the driving force behind the Bad News Barrett character so safe to say he has some support behind him if that is true. Much talk has been made of unification of the U.S and I-C titles. Dean Ambrose in a rare title defence for that U.S Title retained it on Smackdown. Regardless of this happens Barrett is deserving of having a long run with this title and maybe if he does the belt that once meant so much in the WWE can once again. I would feel more confident with Cesaro in this role honestly though.

3. Continuation of Steph vs. Bri: We have not seen Stephanie McMahon in a WWE ring in a match since 2003. This was just prior to her real life wedding to Triple H as she fought he father Vince in a match. The couple you love to hate in storyline have 3 lovely daughters and perhaps the time has come to see Steph get back in a ring. In the PG world of WWE when they script the word bitch into a program you notice. The woman dropping that B-Bomb was Bri who is married to Daniel Bryan of course. This is not the first time we have had a feud for Stephanie teased as she and A.J Lee had some interactions that made you wonder where it was heading. Some may cringe at the idea of this match with Bri and Stephanie taking place, but I say why not. If you’re looking for a mat classic this likely will not be it, but no one would expect it to be. In any case, the feud itself I like and would not mind seeing more fuel added to the fire coming out of Extreme Rules.

2. More Heroics from the Swiss Superman: As we mentioned there is a lot of circumstantial evidence this was not the plan for Cesaro for this show. When you get lemons you can be a rosebud or make lemonade. So, seeing as Cesaro is not likely to become an Adam Rose fan will go with the ladder option. Basically it seems in this 3 way it could go a few ways. It could serve as continuation of the Swagger vs. Cesaro break-up that has involved Paul Heyman and Zeb Colter. It also could lead to a program with RVD a former Heyman Guy and a legendary performer in wrestling. Ideally Cesaro should get the win in this match-up and draw some conclusion to his feud with Swagger. You could easily make that happen with Heyman screwing RVD and Cesaro getting the pin on Swagger. That likely makes the most sense to build Cesaro for what many are speculating could be a future feud with Brock Lesnar. Continuation of a Swagger feud is only holding Cesaro back. However it ends up Cesaro needs to shine in this match and build on the momentum his Battle Royal win and next night manger change has given him.

1. A Dominate Daniel Bryan: We need to see a strong first title defence for the new WWE World Champion. This feud needs to be one and done for Daniel Bryan as a feud with Kane despite the history with the two has not captured anyone’s imagination at this point. This is the Randy Savage on Saturday Night’s Main Event vs. One Man Gang type of title defence. The first for a new champion against a much large opponent to showcase he can beat the big guys. It is nothing more than that and why The Shield vs. Evolution is likely the main event of this show. We have Daniel Bryan entering a match selling an injury yet again which makes the chances of him looking dominate a bit less likely. However he entered the title match at Wrestlemania 30 with the same restrictions but was able to put on a great performance. The days of Daniel Bryan beat downs need to be less and he needs to establish his title reign as a strong champion. If he looks like anything different from that, it is a failure and does not speak well for his future as the reigning champion.
  

1(B) Bray Wyatt Words Need To Have Action: So you thought we forgot about Bray? Not at all and following Bray Wyatt's example, we will not conform and giving you 6 things in a list that is only suppose to be 5. It is important that Bray Wyatt comes out of this event not being all talk and no action. He needs to win this match or have some validation for what he has been saying. Ideally we get both to happen in his match with John Cena. This is a much better version of the feud between John Cena and Kane, that was used to fill in the gaps for Cena as he prepared for his first encounter with The Rock. Bray Wyatt just like Kane wants to expose a darker side to John Cena that he claims exists. John Cena is showing some doubt on if the fans are really behind him on this one and that is already a partial victory for Bray in comparison to the Kane vs. Cena feud. If Bray fails to get a win the only way this feud to continue with any kind of logic is if Cena some how cheats to win. Given this is a steel cage match with no real room for that to happen logically Bray needs to win. Bray may not care about his win/loss record but for the fans to believe in him they need him to win. This feud has elevated Bray to being in the conversation as one of the best talkers in the WWE. Part of being a great talker is being able to take those words and turn them into action and that time is now for Bray Wyatt.

So why do we not see any mention of The Shield and Evolution? Reason for this is basically because you could have a number of acceptable outcomes to this one, without one standing out as better than another. I think regardless of who wins this feud is not finished and thus the result here is only this first step in a much larger war. It is not to say it won’t be potentially fantastic and a great match. It very well should be that. It is just that nothing NEEDS to happen here to any degree. No one in this match will be hurt by a loss and no one gains a ton from a win at this stage if this program continues on as expected.

Raw Notebook: April 28th, 2014 from St Louis

I should start by saying that I like to do these things the next day because it allows everything to settle in. It is far less reactionary when you do it this way. I do love recap shows right after Raw as well and they have a place as well, but often are based on instant reaction like social media as we watch. Not to say we may not do similar shows in the future, but for now we have the notebook.

Show Opening/ Cena vs. Wyatt

I struggle to think of a better start to Raw in quite sometime. This opening segment was validation of why we are wrestling fans for me. You had John Cena out in the ring for the first time admitting that maybe the WWE Universe is not on his side. He questions why this is which in many ways is comical I could list about 100 but will save that for another day. He is interrupted by a child’s voice in the darkness as only the ring was lighted. Singing that familiar tune of “He’s got the whole world in his hands,” and than the lights come up and a whole choir of children join him singing. They are joined by Bray Wyatt and his family, with Bray joining in singing and the children follow him and surround the caged ring. The lights go out again and all of the children have on sheep masks and continue to sing. They cut to Bray in his rocking chair with a small child on his lap in the sheep mask. Just a brilliant visual and the symbolism of this was off the charts.

Cena later in the night is approached in the back by Renee Young and asked to comment and he is speechless. At this point GOLD go ahead and take my money I want to see these two go at in a cage on Sunday. You need Cena entering a match doubting if his supporters will actually support him any longer as he faces a dangerous and demented man in a cage.

But as always with John Cena they take it one step to far for what purpose I have no idea. Later in the night he talks to Young and apologizes for earlier and not addressing her question. He goes into John Cena comedy and talks about buying Bray a donkey and he realizes his fans are still behind him and he is going but a fist in Bray’s face and a foot in his ass.

Why can’t we have Superman be vulnerable every once in awhile heading into a match? Isn’t that best for business to not know who is going to win?  Even the actual Superman is paralyzed by Kryptonite. What is John Cena’s Kryptonite commitment? Ok I am being like Cena making bad jokes I will stop now.

Kane/Bryan & Steph and Brie

Plugged throughout the show was Stephanie was going to apologize to Daniel Bryan for Kane’s actions last week. While some may have groaned at the thought of this, not me I love what she does in roles like this.  If there is anyone better at insincerity on this planet I don’t know who that is. I think Stephanie will one day run for political office and win avenging Linda’s losses. She has about the same level of sincerity as most politicians. Anyway the short answer is I love Stephanie in roles like this. 

So when we roll around to that Steph true to form was almost in tears addressing her regret to Bryan and Brie who are on the entrance way. Bryan continues to say that Stephanie is full of crap and talks about the trauma his wife was put through. To which Stephanie says she can totally relate to as she has spent many a night in a hospital beside her husband Triple H falling asleep in his room worrying about him being ok.

Stephanie invites Bryan to come to the ring which he refuses because his mamma didn’t raise no fool. I say this, he didn’t say that, I did and it sounded more like something Mr.T would say as opposed to Daniel Bryan. If not for Kane I believe he still would be thanking his mamma. Anyway back to this and Stephanie informs Bri that she is going to have a shot at the diva’s title and she could be champion along side Bryan defending that title at Extreme Rules and the match it starts now.

Bryan protests and says there is no way he is going to allow this unless he is accompanying Bri to the ring. Stephanie is fine with this and we have a Diva’s Title match.

All through the night they had shown Kane’s mask in a case which Stephanie had mentioned in trying to prove her sincerity was locked in her office as proof Kane was not going to attack Bryan. Right before they cut to break the mask is gone and we return for the Diva’s title match. You know what happens next Kane’s music interrupts the match and he comes from under the ring and tries to drag Bri Bella under the ring with him. Bryan fights him off while wearing a neck brace from the attack on Raw last week. He manages to get Bri out of the ring and than Kane Chockslams him and Bri comes back in the ring distracts Kane and Bryan is able to be taken out to the ring and Bri is able to escape from Kane.

Later in the night a concerned Stephanie goes to the medical room and is almost tearful that this has happened again and asked if Bryan will be ok for Sunday. Bryan says he will be there Sunday to defend his title. She than apologizes again to Bri who is trying to be very concerned and emotional as best as Bella can act. She screams at Stephanie “You Bitch” and tells her to get out.

All and all some pretty good stuff, but despite it all I don’t consider Kane a real threat no matter what they do and the fact this match will likely not be last on the PPV that is a sign that the  WWE doesn’t either to some degree.

Shield/Evolution- Ric Flair WOOOO!!!

Well Evolution hit’s the ring for the final segment that is supposed to be a match with Roman Reigns and Randy Orton. They cut a promo showing that they were impressed as The Shield systematically took out the 11 guys they had faced on Raw a few weeks ago on last week’s Smackdown. Triple H even going as far as saying it reminds him of them. Shield hit the ring and before they can say much Ric Flair’s music hit he cuts a very odd promo that lacked logic and he basically endorses the Shield after reminiscing about his times in St Louis and his time as part of Evolution. Flair was just not himself and he is a legend and all of that can never be taken away but I can’t help but feel sorry for him as he seems a shadow of his former self.

Anyway we do have a bit of match which ends with a flat out brawl and another no-contest on the night as the Diva’s Title Match earlier. Dean Ambrose was going after Triple H like he owed him money. It was a long brawl that saw the Shield get the better early than Evolution did before the Shield made a final rally and controlled the ring. That was how Raw left you to head into Extreme Rules on Sunday.


Other Notes:

• As expected Bad New Barrett became the number one contender for the I-C belt. Cesaro and Swagger who has a match earlier would get involved. After losing RVD would take care of both Swagger and Cesaro setting up a three way at the PPV for those three as Chris Walder predicted on our Podcast.
• A forgettable segment with Hugh Jackman, Dolph Ziggler and Damien Sandow took place.  Some X-Men movie Promo non-sense that makes me so sad for both Sandow and Ziggler who were a year ago in much higher profile places. They are now reduced to doing bad comedy bits.
• The Uso’s defended there titles against Ryback and Axel. This was nothing spectacular but nice to see titles being defended on Raw and T.V in general.
• Speaking of titles not being defended Dean Ambrose on Smackdown will have a three on one match against Del Rio, Ryback and Axel for his seldom defended U.S Title.
• Storyline of a Cody and Goldust break-up coming was advanced a little tonight.
• Speaking of little we had the El Torito and Hornswaggle epic feud continue…..They are set to go one on one at the PPV in a mini TLC match.
• Paul Heyman proved he can get over anything as he told a knock knock joke and got it over with the punch line we all saw coming MY CLIENT BROCK LESNAR CONQUERED THE STREAK.
• All in all I liked this show my fellow podcasting partner Chris Walder was not as big a fan. Will find out why and sort it all out on Friday on the IWCP. To this point we do not have a guest booked so we may have more time to talk this week will see. 
• Oh and ADAM ROSE debuts next week....Can't wait. 

After having a drop off of 600 thousand viewers in the final hour last week on Raw will see if this show was able to rebound. It was clear a lot of effort was put in to make sure that is does.

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