WWE Raw preview (October 20, 2014): Out of nowhere!

What you need to know

The Intercontinental champ has lost three straight televised matches, the latest when he made an issue on Smackdown of Mr. Money in the Bank, Seth Rollins, having curbstomped him after his match with Randy Orton on Raw.  But Creative can get away with treating Dolph Ziggler like crap, because the WWE World Heavyweight Champ is such a consistent, dominant presence in their product.

What's that you say?  Who's the champ?  Hold on, I'm sure I have it in notes here somewhere...

Your other men's singles champ, the Irish holder of the United States championship, Sheamus, picked up a win in six-man action on Friday night.  He teamed with the Usos against his current nemeses, The Miz and Dameus Mizdow, and the tag champs, Star & Goldust.  Miz's stunt double wasn't technically in the match, even if he was still the most entertaining part of it.  And the babyfaces got the victory, which keeps the champs losing non-title match scales in order, since two lost even though one won.  Duh.

Divas champ AJ Lee proved why she's the queen, and why she generally doesn't care if it's her against the world, when she got revenge against Layla for walking out on her on Monday with a win.  The loner act doesn't always work, though, and that became apparent after the bout when Lee fought of Alicia Fox, but not her main rival Paige - and the Anti-Diva left her laying following a Ram-Paige.

Big Show is coming for Rusev at Hell in a Cell.  And even though he and everyone else keeps reminding us that his good buddy Mark Henry couldn't get it done against the big Bulgarian at Night of Champions, Mizark totally has his back.  So don't worry about a heel turn from the World's Strongest Man.  N'uh.  Never happen.

Borrowing the backstage monitor from Big E (who doesn't spend nearly as much time with it now that he has some Smart, Athletic Friends to hang out with), Brie Bella watched her sister win a warm-up for against fellow Total Diva,Naomi.

Finally, Kane tried to demonstrate what he'd been explaining to Rollins all night - that The Authority would make sure that Dean Ambrose and John Cena headed into the pay-per-view (PPV) already banged up.  That plan backfired on the Corporate Demon, however, first when he and Rollins had to team up to escape Kane's match with the Lunatic Fringe, and then when Ambrose turned the tables on their numbers game and sent a message back to Rollins with a few chairshots across the Big Red Manager's back.

What to look out for

Kansas City is probably pretty focused on their first World Series in nearly thirty years, but WWE will try to draw their attention (and probably some cheap heat, if last week's Braves-baiting in Atlanta was any indication) when they bring Raw to Sprint Center tonight!

As it is the go home show for Hell in a Cell, the PPV, Triple H has decreed that Hell in a Cell, the structure, will be present tonight.  Seems like a big expense for a company trying to cut costs, but okay.  The cage will hang above the ring for another part of the COO's scheme leading into the Cena vs. Randy Orton and Rollins vs. Ambrose battles in the Cell, a two-on-three handicap match between last week's main event opponents and all three Authority lackeys.  Can the two men who were battling for a contract last week get along and get through the match without too much wear and tear before their scheduled appointments with the career-shortening Hell in a Cell on Sunday night?

Look for more build to the other announced PPV matches like Show vs. Rusev, Miz's quest for the U.S. title and the Bella battle to avoid servitude.  Maybe they'll get around to putting the Divas and IC belts on the line at the show, or addressing the WWE champ's absence?

Nah, that would be crazy.

What they should do

It was a good week for Randy Orton and WWE on social media (not to mention whoever owns the @RKOVINES Twitter account).  This thing could have legs - at least as long as any internet trend - and might really result in taking the Viper to another level of pop culture consciousness.  And with that, money making abilty, for him and the company.

All involved should be careful to let it happen organically however.  The Vines (not Touts, mind you) have been around for a little while, but they broke out in a big way last Monday night following a very cool "out of nowhere" RKO spot from Orton onto Ziggler.  WWE has promoted the Vines on their website - and that's where they should leave it for now.

Let his existing, and time-killing, feud with Cena run its course through their tenth PPV showdown at Hell in a Cell.  Maybe work in a cool "out of nowhere" RKO there, but based on the general lack of chemistry and compatible styles we've seen from the two Superstars over the years, I wouldn't try to force the issue there.

Once on the other side of that, let Randy's new found popularity with the masses drive a spilt from The Authority.  Don't turn him face completely...like his fellow Evolution-mate, Batista, Orton comes off too well as a smamy douche to make a great, stereotypical face.  But he'd make a hell of a tweener, with a finisher that fans would pop to see him hit on anyone, regardless of character alignment.

Sound like anyone else you might have cheered for in the past?

Either way, the resurgence in RKO popularity could be a great thing for all involved.  Unless...

What we're afraid they will do

They trot grandpa Hulk Hogan (who is scheduled to appear) out tonight for a segment where he and Jerry Lawler explain what Vines are and encourage fans to download them during Raw.

Can WWE not "Fandango" RKO Vines?  More urgently, can they get you excited for a PPV with no WWE title match?

Let us know below, watch the show with us tonight in the live blog, and stick with cSs all week long for the best coverage of WWE on the web!