PREVIEW
THE HEADLINER
Shawn Michaels will definitely be on Raw tonight. He’ll most certainly be promoting the new WWE Studios joint he’s starring in, The Resurrection of Gavin Stone. Almost but not quite as certain is the set-up for some kind of appearance at Royal Rumble when it hits his old San Antonio stomping grounds in a few weeks. The Alamo Dome ain’t gonna sell out itself, after all.
Where does old HBShizzle get involved? The obvious angle is Seth Rollins quest to vanquish Shawn’s old running buddy Triple H, and there’s some history there, as the Showstopper and the Architect jawed a bit on one of Michael’s last Raw appearances back in the Fall of 2015.
Or maybe he gets involved with his old WrestleMania - and Royal Rumble - nemesis Undertaker? WWE.com’s official preview for tonight is playing coy about whether or not the Dead Man will even be in the building, so they’re definitely not giving away his role in tonight’s, or Jan. 29’s, show. But rumors are swirling as to how a big money match with John Cena might unfold at this year’s Mania in Orlando, and one path to that bout could be Taker’s second Rumble win.
If Shawn and the Phenom share a scene, anticipation will run high that maybe Cena/Taker isn’t the only dream match on the horizon. HBK hasn’t wrestled since UT retired him in 2010, and he seems fine with that. But if Taker released him from that commitment, Michaels vs. Rollins and/or AJ Styles is suddenly in play. As we saw in Arlington last Spring, even at 51 years old, the Sexy Boy definitely looks like he could lace up the boots and hang with anybody on the current roster.
Of course, it’s just as likely Shawn plugs his flick, Taker says something cryptic before disappearing for another month and everything stays as is. But where’s the fun in that? At least now, hours before the opening bell, let your imagination run wild.
THE TITLE SCENE
► In San Antonio, Kevin Owens will put his Universal title on the line when he faces Roman Reigns. The Big Dog’s United States championship isn’t at stake in that pay-per-view (PPV) encounter... maybe because there’s no guarantee he walks into the Alamodome with the red, white and blue strap? KO and Chris Jericho have both come up short when trying to beat Roman one-on-one... can the best friends work together and take his belt in a handicap match tonight?
► With a little help from her own best friend, Sasha Banks, Bayley has her first PPV title match at Royal Rumble. Women’s champ Charlotte Flair had her lawyers work hard to deny the Hugster that shot, so it’ll be interesting to see what the Queen tries next to thwart the rise of the fourth Horsewoman.
► Neville’s been unstoppable since his heel-ish return at Roadblock: End of the Line. A win over Cruiserweight titleholder Rich Swann two weeks back on 205 Live put the Outlandish One on the shelf. Seems like only a matter of time before the self-proclaimed King gets a crown...
► A win over Cesaro positions Karl Anderson and his partner Luke Gallows for another run at the top of the pairs scene, but Sheamus’ inadvertant role in his teammates loss may be even more important. As dominant as the tag team champions can be, the King of Swing and the Celtic Warrior just can’t seem to stay out of each other’s way for long.
OTHER STUFF TO KEEP AN EYE ON:
► Braun Strowman may have ended last week on his back, the victim of a tandem Spear from Reigns & Goldberg, but he ended his feud with Sami Zayn in convincing fashion (as far as we know, the Likeable One is still in the hospital) and he’s in the Rumble, so we’ll call it a win.
► Titus O’Neil can’t say the same. Not only could he not convince another trio of Rumble entrants, The New Day, to let him join their group, he then called out Xavier Woods and was put down.
► After a distraction by The Boss helped cost her her match last week, you can bet Nia Jax won’t be quite as dismissive of Sasha as she was the last time they were in a ring together.
► His little buddy might be nursing an injury, so Big Cass could be in the market for back-up, since going one-on-two against Rusev & Jinder Mahal didn’t work out too good for him last week.
► The Brian Kendrick is on a bit of losing streak, and that was before Tajiri covered him in green mist. The former champ is probably still in a better place than Cedric Alexander, who keeps dropping matches cause of his girl, Alicia Fox, who keeps getting hit on by Noam Dar.
► Emmalina?