When:
United States: LIVE, Monday Night, January 1, at 8/7c on the USA Network
United Kingdom: Tuesday Morning, January 2, at 12AM on Sky Sports 5 HD
Where:
American Airlines Arena
Miami, FL
WWE Raw preview, Jan. 1, 2018: Lesnar returns for New Year's Day edition of Raw
Universal Champion Brock Lesnar will ring in the New Year by returning to Raw, four weeks before he defends his title against both Braun Strowman and Kane in a Triple Threat Match at the Royal Rumble event. How will The Beast Incarnate address his monstrous opponents? Also on Raw, Cedric Alexander challenges Enzo Amore for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship!
The Beast is back for 2018’s first Raw
Raw is starting out 2018 in a major way as Universal Champion Brock Lesnar emerges once again, live in Miami’s AmericanAirlines Arena.
It was in this very building that Lesnar returned to WWE back in 2012, obliterating John Cena with an F-5 that set the dominant tone for the rest of his career to date. As The Beast prepares to defend his title against Braun Strowman and Kane at the Royal Rumble event on Sunday, Jan. 28, will another Superstar face his fury in this building on Raw?
Cedric Alexander challenges Enzo Amore for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Cedric Alexander finally gets the opportunity he worked so hard to earn when he aims to separate Enzo Amore from his “boo,” the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, on a special New Year’s edition of Raw.
Alexander has been on a roll recently, winning back-to-back tag team matches on Raw and WWE Network’s 205 Live en route to his biggest bout to date. Will Alexander celebrate the New Year with his first championship victory in WWE?
Can Seth Rollins & Jason Jordan coexist as tag team partners?
Few could have predicted that Seth Rollins & Jason Jordan would be able to work as a unit, but on Christmas night, they were celebrating with the Raw Tag Team Titles after defeating the nigh-unbeatable Sheamus & Cesaro.
Was that win a fluke, or are we looking at Raw’s new fighting champions? We’ll find out if there’s more to this unexpected tandem on Monday night.
Who will face Hideo Itami next?
After Hideo Itami’s Go-To-Sleep broke the nose and orbital bone of The Brian Kendrick on Raw, the Japanese Superstar continued the brutality by making Kendrick’s ally Jack Gallagher submit to the excruciating Rings of Saturn on WWE Network’s 205 Live.
With a penchant for punishing his opponents, Itami is quickly making a name for himself in the Cruiserweight division. Whoever stands across from the ring from him on Raw will have their work cut out for them.
Will new Superstars declare for the Royal Rumble Matches?
For the first time in history, male and female Superstars will compete in their own respective Royal Rumble Matches, and the competition is already fierce for both contests.
The Men’s Royal Rumble Match will see Elias, Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura battle it out with 27 game Superstars, while Naomi, Asuka, Natalya and Ruby Riott have revealed their participation in the inaugural Women’s Royal Rumble Match.
Who will be throw their name into the proverbial hat next? To find out, tune in to a special New Year’s Day edition of Raw, live at 8/7 C on USA Network.
Roman Reigns defends the Intercontinental Championship against Samoa Joe, with a catch
The animosity between Intercontinental Champion Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe showed no sign of simmering on Christmas Day when the two battled for the title on Raw. During the bout, Joe targeted The Big Dog’s elbow – similar to the injury sustained by Dean Ambrose – but that only prompted Reigns to unleash his rage on his nemesis. When the referee tried to pull the Intercontinental Champion away, Reigns shoved him, resulting in a disqualification.
After Reigns was fined for making contact with the official, Raw General Manager Kurt Angle announced on Twitter that The Big Dog will defend the Intercontinental Championship against Samoa Joe on the first Raw of 2018. However, if Reigns is disqualified, he loses the title. Can The Big Dog control his aggression and anger toward Samoa Joe?
