When:
United States: LIVE, Monday Night, January 16, at 8/7c on the USA Network
United Kingdom: Tuesday Morning, January 17, at 12AM on Sky Sports 5 HD
Where:
Verizon Arena
Little Rock, AR
Raw preview, Jan. 16, 2017: Brock Lesnar emerges before the Royal Rumble Match
Appearing on Raw for the first time since suffering defeat at the hands of Goldberg in 86 seconds, Brock Lesnar is ready to send a message to his Royal Rumble Match opponents — including the WCW icon. What havoc will The Beast Incarnate wreak?
Brock Lesnar is back
Brock Lesnar isn’t prone to staying home and licking his wounds. However, his absence since being defeated by Goldberg in 86 seconds at Survivor Series has led to much speculation about The Beast Incarnate’s mindset going into the Royal Rumble Match, where he’ll face 29 opponents — including Goldberg — for the opportunity to compete in the main event of this year’s WrestleMania in Orlando.
The Anomaly resurfaces on Raw this Monday, and something tells us he’ll be in a particularly foul mood, less than two weeks before he steps inside the ropes for his first televised bout since Survivor Series.
Meet the new “faces of Raw”
Chris Jericho made an addition to an altogether different “list” this past Monday night, when he pinned Roman Reigns in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match to win his first United States Championship — the one title that has eluded him since debuting in WWE back in 1999 — and joined an elite list of Grand Slam Champions.
Standing alongside WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens, Jericho and The Prizefighter now consider themselves the “faces of Raw.” And if you thought “The Kevin Owens Show” was going strong before, just wait until you see what happens Monday night when Jeri-KO keeps their celebration going.
Meanwhile, Roman Reigns, now a former U.S. Champion, must maintain his focus in the lead-up to his WWE Universal Title Match against Owens at Royal Rumble, when Jericho will be feeling a bit less celebratory as he is suspended above the ring in a shark cage. How does The Big Dog’s defeat last week change the complexion of that high-stakes clash in the Alamodome?
Can Bayley and Sasha Banks attain retribution against Charlotte Flair and Nia Jax?
Bayley and Sasha Banks might have regretted demanding a tag team bout against Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair and Nia Jax after The Queen and her formidable ally took advantage of The Boss’ knee injury to double-team Bayley.
The Huggable One has the greatest opportunity of her career when she faces Charlotte for her title at Royal Rumble, so she’ll surely look to bounce back to gain some momentum against The Queen before then. As for Sasha, she surely has some unfinished business with Jax. Bank on it.
Neville aims to claim his crown at Royal Rumble
It’s official: At Royal Rumble, Neville will challenge Rich Swann for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship to officially ascend to his throne as King of the Cruiserweights.
On 205 Live, Swann picked up a win over Tony Nese, and although the fighting champion was willing to brawl with Neville right then and there, the egotistical challenger instead chose to hold off until Jan. 29 in the Alamodome. But will Neville show the same restraint this Monday night?
Who’s in the Royal Rumble Match?
The Royal Rumble Match is still weeks away, but the lineup of Superstars competing in the over-the-top-rope extravaganza is already stacked, including Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, Braun Strowman, The New Day, Seth Rollins, Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, United States Champion Chris Jericho, Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose and The Undertaker.
Expect even more Royal Rumble Match reveals this Monday night on Raw, kicking off at 8/7 C on USA Network.
