Raw Preview: 1/20/2014

WWE.com

Tonight’s edition of Raw is the final show before this Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view. Expect a great show as we are sure to see Brock Lesnar and Big Show, John Cena and Randy Orton, and the return of “The Animal” Batista.

Brock Lesnar

WWE.com’s preview is teasing another clash between “The Beast Incarnate” and Big Show. The two big men are set to have one more big time brawl before they meet for their match at Sunday’s pay-per-view. Lesnar likes to be in control, so I expect for him to try and prey on Big Show by attacking him during a match.

Kane

As time has gone on, we have seen Kane start to dip back into his old habits. On last Monday’ Raw, the New Age Outlaws left CM Punk out to dry during a 6-man tag match against The Shield, joining The Authority. Later on in the night, Punk went looking for Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, when he found Kane. Punk had harsh words for Kane’s bosses, but also for the Devil’s Favorite Demon. Punk continued those words on SmackDown, but this time Kane had enough and hit Punk with a chokeslam. WWE is delaying a confrontation between Punk and Triple H, which is a very smart move. I think The Authority is going to give him some sort of punishment for attacking a Superstar, but in the end I think Kane will end up being the one to eliminate Punk from this Sunday’s Rumble match.

John Cena/Randy Orton

On last week’s Raw, Orton attacked Cena’s father who was sitting at ringside. He was loaded onto a stretcher and into an ambulance, before he was taken to a hospital with his #1 contender son in tow. Cena did not get to respond to the attack last week, so he should get to this week. Traditionally, before title matches at pay-per-views, the guy who stands tall on Raw, loses on the pay-per-view. It’s not automatic, but it’s definitely something to watch as we head into Sunday, where I see the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match as a toss-up.

Daniel Bryan

Despite report of Bryan’s concussion, WWE.com is building towards an appearance from the goat-faced Superstar. PWMania.com is reporting that Bryan did not participate in live events this weekend, and fans were offered refunds to the events he was advertised for. WWE does not take refunds lightly, so this would give validity to reports of Bryan’s concussion for those who thought it might just be part of the storyline. I have a tough time thinking he will be there, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see The Wyatt Family further their feud with Bryan.

Batista

Finally, the long-awaited return of Batista is here. For the past few weeks on TV, Alberto Del Rio has had some negative things to say about “The Animal”, and Batista has responded on Twitter. Despite this, I still think we will see Batista make his first appearance during a segment with Cena and Orton. His history with each guy is extensive, and WWE wants to make this match as important as they can, Batista’s involvement on the night of his return would certainly give it a huge boost.

Come back to DailyDDT.com tonight for coverage of Monday Night Raw.