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The road to WrestleMania takes WWE across the state of Pennsylvania from where they were last Monday, as Raw hits the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Will there be brotherly love?
The Headliner
After biding his time during and after the Royal Rumble match where he lost the WWE World Heavyweight championship, and then waiting until after Triple H had pinned Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler to retain that title, Roman Reigns returned last Monday night to bloody the Game. The he showed up to talk on SmackDown because he's all about the fight.
Does anyone backstage even think about what they have this character do show-to-show?
Sorry... editorializing aside... the Big Dog will be a recurring presence on our screens between now and Mania. Unless, of course, the Authority do something like ban or sue him for his assault on Trips (and the poor officials caught in his path), as the WWE.com preview is hinting.
Because that'll get this angle over big...
Sorry. Promise I'll cut out the editorializing.
The Title Scene
Charlotte had a plan to pit her two rivals against each other, but Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch have a couple things in common - their dislike of the Nature Girl and their desire to be Divas champ. Will they be able to keep their bickering to a minimum and focus on taking down the queen like they did last Thursday? Or will the Dirtiest Diva in the Game keep her crown after Apr. 3?
The only titleist without a challenger or challengers for Texas is Intercontinental champ Kevin Owens. He's not lacking rivals, however. Just last week he managed to get into it with Sami Zayn, Miz and AJ Styles. Is the question who will get a Mania title shot, or how many?
League of Nations are definitely getting a match against tag titleholders the New Day, but we're still waiting for details on format. The company website is calling it a battle for tag team supremacy. After the beating Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, King Barrett & Rusev put on them last week, not sure Kofi Kingston, Big E & Xavier Woods care about supremacy as much as they want revenge.
After ditching the singlet and gaining a mean streak, Ryback must have used the power of attraction to get a United States championship match, because that's what he's got against Kalisto at the Showcase of the Immortals.
Other stuff to keep an eye on:
- Somebody is going to win the third annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the pre-show in two weeks, and it probably isn't one of the Social Outcasts, so we're gonna need about 26 - 27 other competitors. Could one of them be the star of Countdown?
- In a Monkey's Paw-type scenario, it looks like we'll be getting two women's matches at Mania this year, but one of them will involve Lana and Team B.A.D. against the cast of Total Divas.
- Given that another of the feuds set to crescendo in AT & T Stadium started when the Dudleyz refused to get the tables, look for a stipulation to be added to their match with the Usos.
- Rumors of Bray Wyatt's injury may have been more cyptic and misleading than the average Bray Wyatt promo.
- You can chant whatever you want, but Chris Jericho is going to mock you for it, and then hit some Codebreakers on your boy Styles. Is that "cool" enough for you?
- If he didn't get into any knife, or barbed wire covered bat, fights out on the streets of the nasty Nnati, Dean Ambrose should be around tonight to explain why he won't stay down for Brock Lesnar or anyone else.
- Undertaker and Shane McMahon are off this weekend, but expect them back for more swinging and missing next week on the 'go home' from Brooklyn.
Two shows until WrestleMania!
What will you be looking for on Raw tonight?