When:
United States: LIVE, Monday Night, January 27th, at 8/7c on the USA Network
United Kingdom: Tuesday Morning, January 28th, at 1AM on SkySportsHD3
Where:
XL Center
Hartford, CT
RAW Five-Point Review:
And we’re off. The Road to WrestleMania has begun in earnest and Roman Reigns is in the driver’s seat after outlasting 29 other Superstars to win his first Royal Rumble Match and punching his ticket to the WrestleMania main event. Joining him at The Show of Shows will be Brock Lesnar, whoretained his WWE World Heavyweight Title against both John Cena and Seth Rollins in a Triple Threat Match that very nearly cost The Beast the ultimate prize. With the WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match set for The Grandest Stage of Them All, who else will do battle at what is sure to be a sold out Levi’s Stadium?? WWE.com has five ideas how things might play out on tonight’s Raw.
1.The Ballad of Daniel Bryan:
For the second year in a row, Daniel Bryan left the Royal Rumble Match without a place in the WrestleMania main event, though he was felled this year by a far less convoluted series of events: Bray Wyatt threw him out. With The “Yes!” Man’s ‘Mania dreams dashed, how will his war with The Authority continue, and, does he have what it takes to maneuver his way back to The Show of Shows again?
2.The future is… soon:
Seth Rollins did not make good on his audacious lead-up to the Royal Rumble and walk out of Philly with Brock Lesnar’s World Title. That being said, the so-called Future of WWE put in a performance for the ages, and may well have cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on The Anomaly had he not suffered the fateful pinfall himself. The Authority shouldn’t take Rollins’ loss to heart, though: His ability and intelligence carried him to within an inch of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and it’s safe to say he’ll get right back on his horse tonight.
3.The Champ is... Where?:
Where Rollins’ path ahead is clear, however. John Cena’s is somewhat murkier. For the first time since last June, the 15-time World Champion is not orbiting the vicinity of record-tying title No. 16. So, “What’s next for John Cena” is a somewhat more difficult question to answer than usual. He does have one unlikely antagonist on his hands after a tense encounter at Royal Rumble Fallout on WWE Network, however: Rusev. Might The Hero of the Russian Federation have further words for the Cenation leader?
4.Simply Legendary:
Last time it was Sting. But this time, a different WWE Legend returned to protect The Authority’s enemy when The Rock stormed the ring to stop a two-on-one beating of Roman Reigns moments before The Big Dog officially won the Royal Rumble Match. The Great One saved his "family" and ensured Reigns’ triumph, but it’s clear that Superstars past and present have an issue with Triple H & Stephanie’s management style. Might another Legend take a stand against the corporate power?
5.Biggest dog in the yard:
So this is it: Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar are officially on a collision course for WrestleMania, and the 2014 Superstar of the Year will need all the momentum he can get if he’ll truly unseat the reigning, defending, undisputed WWE Heavyweight Champion of the World. Before Roman gets to Brock, however, there’s the lingering matter of Big Show, whose grudge with the former WWE Tag Team Champion has not quite yet abated. Can Roman get past the giant and march toward The Beast in one piece? Or will the former World Heavyweight Champion dispose of his foe before WrestleMania arrives?
:
