WWE Raw preview (Nov. 20, 2023): Cody Rhodes might have to use his stroke and make a HUGE announcement

Raw airs tonight (Nov. 20) with a live show from Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This is the final episode of Raw during the three week build towards Survivor Series, which takes place on Saturday (Nov. 25).

Cody Rhodes might have to use his stroke and make a HUGE announcement

Drew McIntyre screwed over Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso last week, allowing WWE Tag Team Champions Damian Priest and Finn Balor to retain their belts in the main event of Raw. Drew shook Rhea’s hand and appeared to strike a deal with The Judgment Day. On tonight’s episode, Drew will speak and presumably explain his actions.

McIntyre is probably frustrated after losing against World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins at Crown Jewel, so he is willing to work with The Judgment Day to put himself in a better position to succeed. Now that Drew shook Rhea’s hand, does that mean he will be added as a 5th member to The Judgment Day’s WarGames team at Survivor Series?

If that’s the case, then the babyface squad will also need a 5th member, and this is where Cody’s backstage stroke comes into play. It wasn’t that long ago when Cody admitted to using his stroke to get Jey Uso officially moved to the Raw roster. If Cody’s team needs an extra member to account for Drew McIntyre’s potential inclusion in WarGames, then Cody might have to reach out to SmackDown GM Nick Aldis about using LA Knight for that spot. Cody and Knight did just work together on SmackDown last week to fight off The Bloodline, after all.

If Knight isn’t an option, then Cody might have to call up his old friend, Randy Orton. There’s a rumor that WWE will announce Orton’s return for Survivor Series in advance of the show in order to prevent fans from thinking CM Punk will show up instead. If there’s any truth to that rumor, then tonight’s Raw might just end with a HUGE announcement from Rhodes.

Even if Drew isn’t officially added to WarGames and there is no need for Cody’s team to find a new member, there is still important WarGames business to resolve tonight. The team that gets the WarGames advantage will be determined when one member of The Judgment Day’s team (Priest, Balor, Dominik Mysterio, or JD McDonagh) has a singles match against one member of the babyface team (Rollins, Rhodes, Uso, or Sami Zayn).

WarGames is at its best when the heels have the advantage, so interference from Drew McIntyre’s Claymore might just play a pivotal role again tonight for The Judgment Day.

The rest of the title scene

Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER will defend his gold against The Miz at Survivor Series. It’s hard to take The Miz seriously as a challenger to the Ring General after he spent much of the year in a lower card or comedy role. Perhaps Mike will have to directly do something to GUNTHER tonight that changes the perception that he’s a pretender.

Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley has a date with Zoey Stark at Survivor Series. Rhea says she isn’t taking Zoey lightly. Will Stark make a major move and lay out the champ on the go home show?

Tegan Nox defeated WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Piper Niven last week. Does that mean Nox and Natalya are getting a title shot soon, or will Natalya have to beat Chelsea Green first?

Other stuff to keep an eye on

- After weeks of trash talk, Becky Lynch and Xia Li finally step in the ring for a singles match tonight. Will Damage CTRL show up on Raw and attack Lynch in retaliation for her decision to join the women’s WarGames match against them?

- Raquel Rodriguez vs. Nia Jax is also booked for tonight. Jax has yet to lose a televised singles match since she returned to WWE two months ago, but Raquel did fight her to a No Contest last month. If WWE is planning for a singles title match between Jax and Ripley in the near future, a win here could put Jax in position to challenge the champ after Survivor Series.

- Shinsuke Nakamura has already defeated Akira Tozawa and Otis. He has the chance to finish off his dominance of Alpha Academy tonight when he takes on Master Chad Gable in singles competition. Nakamura has been saying cryptic things about targeting someone else, but he better remain 100% focused on Gable tonight in order to win.

- Business picked up between Bronson Reed and Ivar last week, and it seems clear they will have to settle their beef in a singles match sooner rather than later.

- Giovanni Vinci impressed GUNTHER last week when he helped Ludwig Kaiser defeat Tommaso Ciampa. DIY might need to regroup and come up with a better strategy for dealing with Imperium.

- Is it time for The Creeds to test themselves in a match against New Day soon?

- Where the f*** is Omos?

What will you be looking for on Raw?