When:
United States: LIVE, Monday Night, February 2nd, at 8/7c on the USA Network
United Kingdom: Tuesday Morning, February 3rd, at 1AM on SkySports3HD
Where:
Pepsi Center
Denver, CO
RAW Five-Point Preview:
Last week was a controversial one for WWE in the wake of the 2015 Royal Rumble Match, with WWE Universe members in Philadelphia and around the globe on social media being brutally honest about the conclusion of the bout and its winner, Roman Reigns. Triple H has his own opinions about how the night ended, and is poised to address the situation Monday night on Raw. Speculation has been running rampant since the WWE COO teased his announcement on Thursday night’s live SmackDown. What does The Game have in store, and how will it affect the main event of WrestleMania 31? WWE.com has some theories.
1. What will Triple H announce?
To borrow a phrase from our WWE COO during his DX days: Are you ready? In the wake of controversy surrounding the conclusion of this year’s Royal Rumble Match, Triple H revealed on Thursday’s live SmackDown that he was preparing to make an announcement that will “shake WWE to its core.” These are bold words, even coming from The Cerebral Assassin, so it’s sparked some wild theories in the WWE.com offices and around social media as to what that proclamation will entail.
Will 2015 Royal Rumble Match winner Roman Reigns be denied his WrestleMania 31 WWE World Heavyweight Championship opportunity against Brock Lesnar? Will The Rock suffer consequences for his own involvement in the bout’s conclusion? Will another Royal Rumble Match powerhouse like Bray Wyatt or United States Champion Rusev receive a title match at WrestleMania if Reigns’ win is called into question? Heck, will Curtis Axel have a chance for Rumble redemption after Erick Rowan ambushed him on the entrance ramp, preventing the former Intercontinental Champion from officially entering the fray?
2. What’s next for The “Yes!” Man?
Daniel Bryan closed the lid — literally — on his long rivalry with Kane when he defeated WWE’s Director of Operations in a hard-fought Casket Match on Thursday night’s special live SmackDown. Even though Kane emerged from the macabre container after the TV cameras stopped rolling, it’s clear that Bryan is moving on to other things as The Road to WrestleMania continues.
3. Will Paige get back at The Bella Twins?
If you’ve been following Paige on social media over the past week, you saw that The Diva of Tomorrow made the best of being snowed-in for a few days, hanging out in Hartford, Conn., with her “Total Divas” pals, Rosa Mendes and Alicia Fox. However, on Thursday’s SmackDown, the raven-haired beauty got a chilly reception when she encountered two of her other reality co-stars, The Bella Twins. Falling victim to a two-on-one beatdown from Divas Champion Nikki Bella and her sister Brie, Paige has all the more reason to get fired up for her big match with Nikki at WWE Fast Lane. Will we see Paige retaliate against the devious duo this week on Raw?
4. Is Rusev heading toward his first true loss in WWE?
Is Cena, however, taking his WWE Fast Lane opponent too lightly? After ripping Rusev and Lana to shreds on the mic, “the face that runs the place” could be facing some serious, painful repercussions from the unstoppable goliath this week.
5. What’s Bray Wyatt telling us?
Following a dominant performance in the 2015 Royal Rumble Match, lasting more than 45 minutes and eliminating six Superstars, Bray Wyatt delivered a bizarre message on Thursday’s SmackDown that was even more cryptic than his usual proclamations. Asking “what makes you smile?” Wyatt claimed that he fears “nothing, living or dead.” He then promised that after what happens next, “it will be hard for you to ever smile again.” To whom was Wyatt speaking, and to what was he referring?
