WWE Raw Predictions: Seth Rollins Will NOT Relinquish His World Title

WWE Raw Royal Rumble Go-Home Show is finalizing its road to WWE Royal Rumble 2024, which is shaping up with top candidates like CM Punk and Bayley being potential Rumble winners this year.

On this week’s episode of WWE Raw, three matches have been officially scheduled: Drew McIntyre vs. Mr. MITB Damian Priest, Ivy Nile vs. Valhalla, and Ivar vs. Chad Gable. In terms of segments, Seth Rollins is set to open Raw to address the state of his reported MCL injury as well as the future of the World Heavyweight Title on the road to WrestleMania 40. Also, CM Punk and Cody Rhodes are set for the promo battle of the decade, as they are scheduled to meet face to face in the ring five days before the biggest Royal Rumble of their careers. This go-home show will be eventful.

In other news regarding WWE Raw, Cody Rhodes had a memorable segment with Drew McIntyre, and it seems former Rumble Winner, Shinsuke Nakamura, is not finished with Rhodes yet. After Nia Jax proclaimed her entry into the Rumble and confronted Rhea Ripley, Becky Lynch did the same last week, so it will be interesting to see who confronts Ripley this week. Jey Uso has some unfinished business with Ludwig Kaiser, who took out both Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods in the past two weeks. KC^2 has number-one contenders in Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark to deal with as well.

With that being said, the following will focus on the three announced matches and the idea of Seth Rollins NOT relinquishing his world title on the road to WWE Royal Rumble 2024.

Seth Rollins Opening Address [Segment]

At first glance, when Seth Rollins retained his World Title against Jinder Mahal in the main event last week, it seemed like he was working a storyline injury since he was continuously grabbing onto his knee and the commentary consistently underscored it. Furthermore, the reported MCL injury he is sustaining is coincidentally the same injury that hindered him from maineventing WrestleMania 32 as the World Champion eight years ago. It would be a pretty compelling storyline if Rollins could prove his perseverance this time around and fight through this injury to make it into the main event of Mania.

Whether the injury is kayfabe or not, it won't prevent Rollins from walking into WrestleMania 40 as the World Champion. As noted in the reports, Rollins was seen putting weight on his knee and still being able to walk on his own. Since he can put weight on the knee, this must mean that the injury is a minor grade 1 or grade 2 MCL tear that usually leaves athletes off the shelf for only 2-4 weeks without surgery needed. Due to the 30-day stipulation for champions to defend their belt, Rollins can still make it back in time for Mania and not have to relinquish his championship.

Prediction: Seth Rollins Will Not Relinquish His World Title

Ivu Nile vs. Valhalla [Grudge Match]

Ivy Nile will defeat Valhalla because this is merely a means for her to regain momentum after getting the sold rub from Rhea Ripley in her World Title Match on the Day 1 edition of Raw. Despite the loss, she did an impeccable job in that title match and got over, so this victory will get her back on track.

Prediction: Ivy Nile

Ivar vs. Chad Gable [Grudge Match]

Chad Gable will defeat Ivar because he needs more singles victories under his belt if he's going to be one of the top contenders to dethrone Gunther. He still has unfinished business with Gunther after Gunther made his daughter cry in his hometown, so Gable's redemptive road continues here.

Prediction: Chad Gable

Drew McIntyre vs. Mr. MITB Damian Priest [Personal Rivalry]

Drew McIntyre will defeat Mr. MITB Damian Priest because he needs to get his revenge after Priest screwed his world title opportunity against Seth Rollins by attempting a cash-in during his match. As tag champion, Priest won't look bad in defeat for a singles match here. McIntyre needs the win more.

Prediction: Drew McIntyre

Who Will Confront Rhea Ripley Next? [Segment]

After Becky Lynch and Nia Jax confronted Rhea Ripley in the past two weeks, there's only one other person who makes sense to confront Ripley in the final week before the Rumble and her name is Liv Morgan. Liv Morgan was the last individual to pin Ripley clean in the ring, and Ripley was the one who took Morgan out of commission, writing her off television for her injury, As former tag team champions, they have a lot of history to unpack and beef to resolve. Since Liv Morgan is reportedly set for a major program on the road to Mania 40, this would be the perfect spot for her to return.

Prediction: Liv Morgan

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