When the dead come knocking
Brock Lesnar fell for the old empty-casket trick last week and for all the bravado of The Beast Incarnate, “Eat-Sleep-Beat-the-Streak” is looking more and more like an impossibility. The Anomaly does have one thing on his side, though: When he gets in the ring with The Undertaker at WrestleMania, he’ll presumably let his fists do all the work for him. All he has to do is survive The Deadman’s “final message” this Monday. What does The Phenom have in store?
He can see you
Another Superstar who’s making excellent use of mind games? Bray Wyatt, who has John Cena unusually shaken heading into their confrontation on The Grandest Stage of Them All. Wyatt hasn’t relied on mysticism a la The Undertaker, but he has seemingly cut to Cena’s core with his weekly sermons, and disgraced the Cenation leader by stringing him up in the ring ropes last week on Raw and slapping a sheep mask on him. Can Cena find his footing and rally, or is Bray Wyatt irreparably in his head?
What could have been
Is Batista losing his cool? The Animal’s rollercoaster return has seen the WWE Universe turn against him in droves. A tough match with Sheamus on SmackDown exposed Batista’s frustration; with Daniel Bryan lurking in the wings and Triple H gaining steam in his own bid to enter the title match, can The Animal maintain his momentum and fulfill his promise to become champion?
Shield vs. Suits
How the tables have turned for The Hounds of Justice, who are set to face both a key member and longtime associates of The Authority when they battle Kane & The New Age Outlaws at WrestleMania. The Shield has stuck through thick and thin and looks stronger than ever, but The Devil’s Favorite Director of Operations knows them just about better than anyone. Can Ambrose, Rollins & Reigns power their way to their second consecutive WrestleMania victory?
The home stretch for 'YES!'
Daniel Bryan wasn’t at Raw last week thanks to lingering injuries from
Triple H’s brutal attack on his shoulder, but with only a week to go before the biggest match (matches?) of his career, don’t expect the “Yes!” Man to sit out this week’s Raw. The Cerebral Assassin will want Bryan as weak as possible heading into their match, though, so what final hurdle does Triple H have in store for the thorn in his side that is Daniel Bryan? Tune in to Raw this Monday at 8/7 CT on USA Network, and be sure to tune in to WWE Network for the Raw Pre-Show at 7:30 and Backstage Pass immediately following the show!