Though most episodes of Monday Night Raw hold some level of importance, there are certain milestone episodes which call for stops-out celebrations. If rumours are to be believed, tonight’s RAW25 show promises to be one of the largest shows in wrestling history (which says a lot, sport considered.) Not so long ago, the 1000th episode of RAW played host to major storylines heading into Wrestlemania, the Miz capturing his first Intercontinental Title, Brock Lesnar and Triple H setting up their Mania match, and CM Punk turning heel. And you can bet that tonight will be no different, only bigger and better.
A Quick Recap:
- Braun Strowman fired, destroys everything, promptly rehired
- Titus Worldwide def. The Bar
- Cedric Alexander def. Tony Nese
- Asuka def. Nia Jax via ref stoppage
- The Revival def. jobbers, call out legends
- Roman Reigns def. The Miztourage
- Sonya Deville def. Sasha Banks
- Matt Hardy def. Heath Slater
- Seth Rollins def. Finn Balor
This Week’s Predictions:
5 hours of wrestling on a Monday. Crazy. Devoting that amount of time to wrestling happens only 4 times a year (barring events like this). A pre-show and longer broadcast aren’t just privy to the regular full-time Raw roster but also to a host of returning legends and superstars near and dear to our hearts.
Stone Cold, the Undertaker, The Dudleyz, Trish Stratus, and most importantly MVP have provided some truly classic moments in the past, and they’re being there speaks to them providing some more tonight. But, with such a jam packed show, how do you plan on giving all these legends a proper spotlight?
With some unannounced appearances guaranteed for both male and female legends, my guess is a few more familiar faces in a bit better ring shape show up. It’s difficult to even attempt to begin conspiring with male superstars, but there is a clear candidate for the ladies…
Trish Stratus.
As a young man, nobody in my family had a remote interest in WWE, so she was never my teenage dream…
…but I can see the appeal. Prior to Mickie James’ returning to face Asuka at Takeover: Toronto, Trish was her pencilled in opponent. An unexpected pregnancy unfortunately foiled those plans, but it shows interest on both sides. A brief run through WrestleMania 35 would be a fantastic way to cap off a revolutionary run.
The Other Stuff:
Main roster wise, not much has been announced. Most likely, talent will be interacting with legends, taking finishers and popping the crowd. However, two men will be vying over the Intercontinental Title. The past fortnight has seen the Miz and the Roman Reign heat their rivalry to the boiling point. What a wonderful thing it would be to see The Miz win his 9th IC title on another special edition of the flagship show, and break the total days held record heading into Wrestlemania 34. The only question is, will he be able to survive a Superman Punch and a Spear after having Roman in rest holds for 10 minutes? We can only hope.
Last week, the main event’s sole representation came in the form of Braung McBigTitsStrongMan. My gripes about last week’s RAW can be found in last week’s edition of #ThisWeekInWrestling, so I will not repeat them here. This week, however, will see the return of both the Big Red Machine, Kane, and Brock Lesnar the current Universal Champion. Both Demon and Beast are probably a little perturbed with Strowman’s use of a grappling hook to drop 1,000 pounds of scaffolding on them, but the question is how old they respond? Will the demon Kane reunite with his brother to exact vengeance on the Monster Among Men? Will Brock Lesnar come face-to-face with the Phenom and his Brother of Destruction once again? Or will Braun double down, and use the grappling hook to drop 2,000 pounds of scaffolding on his opponents this time?
Aside from what’s mentioned, it will be interesting to see who or what will make an appearance this evening; we know several SmackDown superstars including WWE champion AJ Styles and the Usos are scheduled to appear, but I bet that some more familiar faces will be making their way onto RAW this evening; especially for such a historic episode.
What are you looking forward to this evening? As always, sound off below, or let us know @WCSportsCA. See you next week!
WWE Last 5:
- This Week in Wrestling: January 19
- BREAKING: Former Impact Champion Returning to WWE?
- Smackdown Live Preview: January 16, 2021
- Monday Night Spencer: January 15, 2021
- 5 things I want to see from WWE in 2018
