5 Things To Expect on WWE Monday Night Raw

From all of us here on Condo On The Moon from James, Chris and myself we'll like to wish all of you a merry Christmas and a wonderful new year. We're on the verge of the second to last Monday Night Raw of the year. WWE is in Minneapolis tonight which is a big wrestling town, so expect a rowdy crowd tonight. Hulk Hogan returns to WWE to serve as "Ho-Ho Hogan" which means he'll probably be the special guest GM for the night. We're on the road to the Royal Rumble and let's see if the WWE builds anything for the Royal Rumble tonight. Here's five things I think we all should expect to see on tonight's Monday Night Raw.

1.) Ho-Ho Hogan 

We sure seen alot of Hulk Hogan in 2014, maybe more then we needed to, but tonight Hogan is back on the show and we'll probably see him as the general manager of Raw for this week. Hogan will probably cut a in-ring promo and then he'll be cut off by Seth Rollins. It's the new thing now when you have a special guest manager on the show, Rollins will come out and cry about being screwed over in his current storyline and then he'll say that the Authority needs to come back. As we're on the road to the Royal Rumble I think Hogan may set up some series of Rumble Qualifying Matches. I brought that up last week, but they needed to recap everything that happen at TLC. I only brought up this scneario up because obviously you want to have the fans tune into the three hours of Raw each week right, and one of the issues I had with the Rumble Match last year was that the WWE didn't go out of the way to show the fans that there's a series of guys who can be favorites to win the Royal Rumble Match. I'm just throwing that idea out there and maybe it'll happen maybe it won't. Who knows maybe Roman Reigns joins Rollins & Hogan in this in-ring promo that starts the show.

2.) Steel Cage Fallout 

Last week's Steel Cage Match between Seth Rollins and John Cena was one of the best main events of Raw this year. I'm surprised that Rollins won that match becuase I thought maybe the WWE wanted to go with the angle where Cena once again takes out everybody on the roster to make a "statement" to Brock Lesnar. I think we may see a match between Seth Rollins and Ryback because it didn't happen on SmackDown, or we can see some type of tag team match between John Cena & Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins & Big Show. As much as people want to think that Roman Reigns is being shoved down our throats, we seen ALOT of Seth Rollins on WWE Programming recently. What will John Cena do? Brock Lesnar is not advertised to appear on this show tonight which is strange to me because since Lesnar has return to the WWE in 2012, every single time the WWE has been in Minneapolis, Lesnar never shows up. Cena can probably a verbal sprawling with Paul Heyman I think that would be a great in-ring segment and pose the question as to how can Paul Heyman get into Cena's head as the road to WrestleMania begins?

3.) Bray Wyatt/Dean Ambrose Continues ? 

Something's got to give in this feud here right? We seen a TLC Match and a Boot Camp Match between both of these gentleman and after last week's SuperSmackDown LIVE it seems that the feud between Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose will continue. Here's the question I pose to you the fans of Condo On The Moon. What does Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt do at WrestleMania? More importantly where's the conclusion to this feud? I think we may see the conclusion to this feud either the first Raw of 2015 or at the Royal Rumble in some type of gimmick match. What gimmick match will it be? There's been some reports about a potential Bray Wyatt/Undertaker program at WrestleMania and who knows maybe that program can brews out of a Casket or Buried Alive Match at the Royal Rumble. I think both Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose has great futures ahead of them, but we'll see what happens on the show tonight

4.) Ryback vs. Rusev 

This is the perfect feud for both Ryback and Rusev at the current stage of their career. I think that a Ryback and Rusev program can go from now to WrestleMania. Especially when it comes to the Royal Rumble/WrestleMania season alot of people get lost in the shuffle and it's very unfortunate. I don't know if they'll have the United States Championship Match at the Royal Rumble or both men will be in the Royal Rumble Match. I think both Ryback & Rusev are underrated and underappreciated for what they can do in that ring. Rusev laid out Ryback on the stage on Super SmackDown LIVE. I hope what comes out of this feud is more characteristics from both Ryback & Rusev in a Heel and Face perspective. I think that the Big Guy will seek some type of retribution on Rusev tonight, but I don't think it will happen I think Lana will come out and cut a promo and then Ryback interrups and then Rusev runs away.

5.) Roman Empire 

The return of Roman Reigns has been endured with anger and frustration from the smart wrestling fans. A lot of people and yours truly doesn't believe that Reigns deserves to be in the main event of WrestleMania this year. Here's the thing we say that he doesn't deserved to be in the main event because he's being shove down our throats like Batista was last year, but in this case I don't feel that Reigns deserves to be in the main event of WrestleMania this year because it's not his time yet and he's still young. I think we may see another match between Reigns and Fandango. They're going to build Reigns up the moon and we have no control over it. I want Reigns to succeed I'm a fan of his I got his t-shirt at home and I love the slogan on shirt "One Versus All". I hope Reigns has a great career and I just think right now it's too much too soon that's my only issue with Roman Reigns.

Hope you guys enjoy Monday Night Raw tonight and I hope you guys and girls have a wonderful christmas and a wonderful new year. 2014 has had it's ups and downs and I think in 2015 things will get alot better for the WWE and it will be a fun ride to WrestleMania 31. I hope you guys enjoyed this preview and we'll talk to you later on in the week.

Follow Me on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR

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Chris Jericho Not The Same Old Y2J

Chris Jericho had one mission when he returned to the WWE and like it or not he failed at it in a major way. That mission was to get over Bray Wyatt and instead the leader of the Wyatt clan is in a worse place from where he started. Now he too has to take part of the blame for this program failing after all it takes two to tango right Fandango. Where is he these days?  Another guy that worked with Jericho and that feud worked and Jericho took the debuting star and gave him a major launching pad. I blame Jericho for nothing that happened after he left. Still at the end of this run, it was by far, the least entertaining and worst run in the WWE for Chris Jericho.

Why it was is probably a number of reasons that we can point to as explanations. Jericho is getting older and that may seem odd to say in a sport that has dinosaurs like Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan and Jerry Lawler all pressing their luck jumping in rings in their 50’s and beyond. Jericho has a style that relies on speed and motion so it isn’t exactly easy to keep that going for as long. Jericho did jump off the top of a cage that he is bragging about at his age. While I applaud the effort, I think that was nothing more than fool hardy as opposed something to be praised or encouraged for me.  Matt Hardy speaking of daredevils just turned 40 and we saw Christian doing a half-hearted version of the Peep Show on Sunday. Edge was forced to retire while the Dudley Boys and Jeff Hardy are on that sinking ship that is TNA Wrestling. Well technically so is Matt although Ring of Honor claims he is coming back there. That might be a swerve but that is a different matter for another day.

Those six that I mentioned took the most chances perhaps of anyone in the attitude era. They all are suffering for it now to varying degrees. Edge can never wrestle again and Christian is partner likely never should as well. It makes you wonder where some of these guys doing high spots on the independents will be at 40. It is not easy and that was a bit of a sidetrack from the point that the style of Y2J while he can still perform it has to take a bigger toll on him.

In addition, his once vanity project, or so it seemed, in his rock band Fozzy has become a legitimate success now. The new album is doing very well and it might just be time for Chris Jericho to turn off the light bright jacket and call it a day.

I can’t exactly explain it but Chris Jericho just did not feel the same, but for a brief moment in this comeback where he took some nostalgic shots at Stephanie and Triple H. Aside from that, it was nothing that in the end compelled me to be interested in him. Perhaps the fact it was made very clear both why he was here and when he would be leaving likely did not help.

Still another superstar roughly in the same age bracket slightly younger I think Rob Van Damn leaves much of the same feelings for me. At one time, he was won of the most innovative high tempo exciting acts in wrestling. These days he is jobbing out on a nightly basis looking like, he is a step or a step and half slow. Blame it on 4:20 if you care too, but it is more about his birth certificate and abuse his body has endured that any time on a clock or green stuff in a joint.

Jericho also like Stone Cold, Jim Ross and others has found success podcasting over on PodcastOne. I felt the times he interviewed wrestlers while back with exception to the ones that were not active in the company were not as good. Take his interview with Triple H, which isn’t the easiest guy to book to sit down and talk unless you’re Michael Cole in a kayfabe setting each week. The interview was fine but it has no real edge to it and seemed a very raw-raw pro WWE interview and a pro Triple H interview. Another was with three of the Total Divas and two being terrible wrestlers in Cameron and Eva Marie. It rather turned my stomach as Jericho gave these women this platform to try to garner sympathy. They suck and can’t wrestle while Jericho once claimed to be "The Man of 1004 Holds," these two ding-dongs would be lucky to know and be able to execute ten combined. It was shameful to have Jericho associated with that mess. Not to mention Brie Bella who has proven to have the acting skills of someone that can’t act. Contrast that with his interviews with Batista and the Hardy’s just last week it is night and day.

What this is all leading to is I am not excited nor need to see Chris Jericho comeback again. Each return seems to be less and less significant.

There is no doubt one day Chris Jericho will be in the WWE Hall of Fame and rightfully so. I just do not care to see too much more of what we saw from Jericho in this latest run. Reality is Jericho does not need to come back in the same way a C.M Punk does not need to do so. The simple fact is Jericho likes to comeback on his terms to do what he wants and than go back to doing the other things he enjoys.

I as a Jericholic from back in the day, saying that it is time to hang it up and go be a rock star full time. You have more than proven your legacy and I personally don’t want to see it slide into an abyss of irrelevance.

Jericho after teasing a retirement promised to be back and even sooner than we think. All the injuries mounting that could be a very true statement. Fozzy is touring though so likely not in cards short term.

Jericho can still go in the ring, but you see the signals that time is catching up with him. That clock that always was counting down is now father time slowly pointing his way to the exit. Jericho has nothing left to prove and if he couldn’t get over Bray Wyatt perhaps anything left to do in the WWE and in wrestling overall.

Never EVER Again could be coming soon for Chris Jericho getting in a WWE ring. If it is not it should be.

As one Canadian we think might be coming to near the end of is time another is just getting started as announcer with former member of The Score Arda Ocal being transferred into Kyle Edwards to be taking a job in the WWE.  Congrats to him on making his dream come through. Chris Jericho has made both his childhood dreams come true as he has been a wrestling world champion and a rock star. The odds on anyone Canadian or otherwise doing that have to be staggering.

That is why I would rather see him go out on the top of his wrestling game.