#Raw Discussion Thread, Jan. 23: Goldberg returns for the final Raw before Royal Rumble

[Kross Rhodes]

WWE Raw preview, Jan. 23, 2017: Goldberg returns for the final Raw before Royal Rumble
One week after Brock Lesnar stormed Monday night’s hottest show, the man who conquered The Beast Incarnate at Survivor Series, Goldberg, will make a special appearance on Raw. What will Goldberg have to say mere days before he faces Lesnar and 28 other Superstars in WWE’s over-the-top-rope extravaganza, the Royal Rumble Match?

Is Goldberg primed to win the Royal Rumble Match?
Goldberg already accomplished the insurmountable feat of pinning Brock Lesnar in less than two minutes at Survivor Series. Therefore, it’s not hyperbole to state that he’s an – if not the – odds-on favorite to win this year’s Royal Rumble Match.

Yet before he faces The Beast Incarnate and 28 other game Superstars – including The Undertaker and the hulking Braun Strowman – Goldberg will make one last stop on Monday Night Raw, live in Cleveland. Will any of his Royal Rumble Match opponents succumb to the Spear before entering the Alamodome?

Will more Royal Rumble Match participants be revealed?
In the Royal Rumble Match, it will be friend vs. friend, foe vs. foe, every man for himself. But just who remains to be revealed as a competitor in the 30-Superstar melee? We’ve just learned that Raw Tag Team Champions Sheamus & Cesaro will enter the fray, as will SmackDown LIVE’s demented Wyatt Family, but more spots remain unclaimed.

Just six nights before the over-the-top-rope extravaganza guarantees one intrepid Superstar a chance at immortality in WrestleMania’s main event, Raw will no doubt play host to more revelations. How many more Superstars will announce their place in the Royal Rumble Match?

How will Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn attain retribution?
Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn not only suffered defeat at the hands of WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens, U.S. Champion Chris Jericho and Braun Strowman in this past Monday night’s six-man main event; all three fan-favorite Superstars were left battered at the hands of their foes after the bell, with The Prizefighter’s powerbomb to The Big Dog through the announce table serving as a sickening punctuation mark to the brutality.

Reigns, Rollins and Zayn are down, but they certainly aren’t out. Expect payback against Owens, Jericho and Strowman this Monday night in Cleveland, less than one week before Owens defends the WWE Universal Title against Reigns while Jericho hangs above the ring in a shark cage at Royal Rumble.

What’s going through Alicia Fox’s mind?
You don’t just “break up” with Alicia Fox. She breaks you right back. After Cedric Alexander spurred Alicia’s advances this past week, Fox threw a tantrum on WWE Network’s 205 Live, and then looked on as Noam Dar and Drew Gulak double-teamed Alexander. As a result, the hobbled Alexander would lose his bout with The Human Torture Device, much to Dar’s – and perhaps Alicia’s – delight.

Speaking of The Scottish Supernova, Dar’s attempt at using Alexander’s loss to curry favor with Alicia earned him a surprising slap across the face, but something tells us the creepy Cruiserweight didn’t exactly mind the abuse. What tangled web is Alicia weaving, and who will ultimately be caught in it?

Can Bayley’s poetic prophecy come true?
Bayley is a lifelong member of the WWE Universe, and her incredible passion for sports-entertainment is undeniable. Yet, this past Monday night, Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair saw fit to use The Huggable One’s longtime devotion to WWE against her, claiming that Bayley is “an average fan” and even going so far as to mock Bayley’s childhood poetry.

However, The Queen’s cruel mind games didn’t seem to faze Bayley all that much, who revealed some new poetry about her Raw Women’s Championship Match against Charlotte at Royal Rumble:

“You've called me a child/And you say I don't deserve to walk down that ramp/Well, in two weeks, you can call me/Your new Women's Champ!”

Does Charlotte fear that this rhyme will ring true inside the Alamodome? Don’t miss Monday Night Raw at 8/7 C on USA Network!

 

[Deezy]

No more doctor of hugganomics plz

 

[Kiffy Lube]

Okay, I'll be here for Raw.

 

[Kross Rhodes]

Team Kevin and Chris to rule the Roost tonight.

 

[Kiffy Lube]

Friendship still makes me smile.

 

[Deezy]

Crowd showing why nobody likes Cleveland

 

[Crippler]

wait this is the go home show, oh the fuckery gonna be on 100 tonight

 

[Kiffy Lube]

Joakim Noah should be on commentary.

 

[Kross Rhodes]

What Royal Rumble surprises will be unveiled to us tonight?

 

[Kross Rhodes]

They'll name at 3 more tonight. Got to.

 

[Sabretooth]

I hope whoever loses the world title matches enters the rumble.

 

[Kiffy Lube]

Reigns just bein' real.

 

[Sabretooth]

They'll name at 3 more tonight. Got to.

Big show's been confirmed

 

[Kiffy Lube]

Foreshadowin' some great Heyman nonsense.

 

[Kross Rhodes]

The one in zero and one.