WWE Raw is set to take place on April 20, 2020 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT live on the USA Network with no audience in attendance. The following will preview and predict the major matches and segments that will occur on the longest weekly running episodic television show in history.
On this week’s episode of WWE Raw, there are three officially scheduled MITB qualifying matches: (1) Aleister Black vs. Austin Theory, (2) Rey Mysterio vs. Buddy Murphy, and (3) Apollo Crews vs. MVP. As of this writing, there are no officially scheduled segments.
Also, WWE Champion Drew McIntyre and Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch will very likely be present for this episode of Raw.
Their championship matches for WWE MITB 2020 could also be potentially set up, featuring Drew McIntyre’s potential WWE Championship match with Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch’s potential Raw Women’s Championship match with a superstar who is not in the Women’s MITB Ladder Match.
With that being said, it’s now time to preview and predict this week’s WWE Raw. To start things off, let’s predict what the Viking Raiders will do next after defeating the tandem of Ricochet and Cedric Alexander on last week’s Raw.
5.) Viking Raiders Challenge Street Profits for the Raw Tag Team Championships at WWE MITB 2020
On last week’s Raw, Bianca Belair commanded the Street Profits to defend their Raw Tag Team Championships against the Viking Raiders next since they have never defeated the Viking Raiders on the main roster. This is true since Viking Raiders retained the Raw Tag Team Championships against the Street Profits on the Dec. 9 episode of Monday Night Raw.
Despite Sarah Logan being released from the WWE, it seems that Viking Raiders are still slated to battle Street Profits for the Raw Tag Team Championships at WWE MITB 2020. Since this is a babyface vs. babyface rivalry, it is a main roster dogma to turn one of the contestants heel.
Viking Raiders would be ideal team to turn heel since their babyface run has gone stale lately. In order to be considerable threats in the Raw Tag Team Division once again, a heel turn could be in store for them as they seek their second tag team championship reign on the main roster.
4.) Apollo Crews Defeats MVP
Apollo Crews will defeat MVP on next week’s Raw to qualify for this year’s Men’s MITB Ladder Match. He got traded back to Monday Night Raw after WrestleMania 36 and had a strong showing against Aleister Black.
His strong showing should be rewarded with a MITB qualification victory on this week’s Raw. MVP should not be in a MITB Ladder Match at this stage of his career and he will most likely be putting over Apollo Crews. As Titus O’ Neil once said, ‘Crews can’t lose.’
3.) Aleister Black Defeats Austin Theory
Aleister Black will defeat Austin Theory on next week’s Raw to qualify for this year’s Men’s MITB Ladder Match. As he said in his post-match interview on last week’s Raw, his plan is to win and he has fulfilled that plan quite consistently since joining the main roster.
His endless winning streak on Monday Night Raw should warrant a future championship opportunity. Qualifying for the Men’s MITB Ladder Match would assist him in getting that championship opportunity and there’s no doubt he is a favorite to win it all.
2.) Buddy Murphy Defeats Rey Mysterio
Buddy Murphy will defeat Rey Mysterio on next week’s Raw to qualify for this year’s Men’s MITB Ladder Match. He should win to follow in Seth Rollins’ footsteps and possibly become Mr. MITB just like Rollins did in 2014.
With Rollins potentially being in a WWE Championship match with Drew McIntyre on the same night, it would be a clever insurance policy for Murphy to win the MITB Ladder Match. On top of that, winning the MITB Briefcase in a match with Aleister Black would be a very redemptive moment for Murphy when considering their historic rivalry from 2019-2020.
1.) Ronda Rousey Returns To Challenge Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship at WWE MITB 2020
Thanks to recent and controversial ‘essential business’ events, the WWE already has a bad reputation so would it hurt to bring Ronda Rousey back? She might as well return to continue WWE’s bad reputation, right?
With all puns and theme music references aside, it is clear that Becky Lynch has no clear challenger for her Raw Women’s Championship at WWE MITB 2020. Now that Asuka, Shayna Baszler, and Nia Jax are already qualified for the Women’s MITB Ladder Match, there are few top contenders available in the Raw Women’s Division to challenge Lynch for the title.
If Lynch will defend her championship at the event, she could go to war with one of two superstars: Bianca Belair or Ronda Rousey. Since Bianca Belair is busy managing the Street Profits for the time being, a Ronda Rousey return to get her championship rematch against Lynch could very well come full circle at a big 5 PPV like WWE MITB 2020.
This was the same PPV that Ronda Rousey had her first championship match, so it would make sense as to why she would return at this time of the year. Also, her recent tweets that classified professional wrestling as ‘fake fighting’ as well as her back and forth exchanges with the superstars in the locker room indicate that her return to the ring is near.
More hints were even thrown when Charly Caruso asked Shayna Baszler about Rousey’s recent tweets on last week’s Raw. Furthermore, Becky Lynch joined a psychiatrist named Rachel Bonnetta for “Wrestling With My Feelings” this week and closed the video by ripping the head off of a Ronda Rousey action figure.
Consequently, all of these signs point to a Ronda Rousey return. It’s only a matter of time before the WWE Universe witnesses the one-on-one singles match that they have been dying to see since Survivor Series 2018.