WWE Raw Results, Highlights, And Grades For January 7, 2019

John Cena, Brock Lesnar, and more will appear on tonight’s episode of WWE Raw, which will also feature the debut of Alexa Bliss’s new talk show.

On last week’s episode of SmackDown Live, John Cena got cut down to size by Becky Lynch in a way that we’ve rarely seen. Cena will make his return to WWE Raw tonight, and it will be interesting to see who decides to confront him. Given the way Triple H lit a fire under his old protege Seth Rollins last week on Raw, I wouldn’t be surprised if Cena’s old nemesis decides to burn the 16-time champ into a pile of ashes tonight.

But Rollins also has to think about the Intercontinental Championship, and it seems like only the most-driven and angriest version of his character will be able to dethrone Dean Ambrose. He doesn’t seem like the kind of person who will give up on the IC Title that easily, nor has he forgotten about what Ambrose has done to him these past couple of months.

Meanwhile, Brock Lesnar will also make his return to Raw tonight, and I’m sure Braun Strowman, who is The Beast Incarnate’s opponent at the Royal Rumble Pay Per View later this month. will have something to say about that. Expect a confrontation between the two long-time rivals, with Braun desperate to finally beat Brock in what will be his third crack at beating Lesnar for the Universal Champion. Recall that Strowman lost a Triple Threat match against Lesnar and Kane for that title at last year’s Rumble.

After winning a Miracle on 34th Street Fight against Bobby Lashley on Christmas Eve, the ever-popular Elias seems to be locked in a new rivalry with Baron Corbin, who is even more despised by the audience. Elias is the likely favorite here after beating Corbin all around ringside on New Year’s Eve last week, but Corbin always has tricks up his sleeve and is the more desperate man after losing all of his power at TLC last month.

The two men will start 2019 with a match, and I have a feeling there will be plenty of shenanigans involved, knowing these two competitors.

Alexa Bliss is one of WWE’s most widely-praised talkers – and for good reason. She’s eviscerated so many superstars on the mic, and she saves her best disses for the WWE Universe itself, memorably owning the crowd at the Elimination Chamber Pay Per View last year.

She will debut a new talk show, “A Moment of Bliss”, on Raw tonight, and it will be interesting to see the direction of the show. Bliss hasn’t wrestled in months after apparently suffering multiple concussions, and while that is a scary situation for her, she remains an important part of Raw on the strength of her character work and promo skills. “A Moment of Bliss” is a way to keep her as a steady part of the show, and we’ll see how it influences her character and the storylines around her going forward. Hopefully it’ll be almost as big of a success as “Miz TV” (I don’t want to set the bar too high!)

And finally, The Revival will get one more shot at the Raw Tag Team Championships after losing to Chad Gable and Bobby Roode last week in last-gasp fashion. Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder seem like the more talented team, but anything can happen in a Lumberjack Match. Plus, Gable and Roode have already shown that they may have The Revival’s number.

Check back here for all the live highlights, grades, and analysis for tonight’s episode of WWE Raw, airing live on the USA Network at 8 p.m. ET.