Monday Night Raw Preview 3/3/14: Will CM Punk return, or will his hometown Chicago crowd hijack the show?

The much-anticipated March 3, 2014 edition of WWE's Monday Night Raw will emanate live from the Allstate Arena just outside Chicago tonight, and the focus from the get-go will be on CM Punk and his hometown Chicago crowd.

Once Punk abruptly left the company several weeks ago, fans circled this date on their calendars because they expected the Chicago crowd to completely devour the show and hijack it with a three-hour long CM Punk chant. The intense boos hurled at Batista and at the WrestleMania 30 main event of Randy Orton vs. Batista for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship only made that feeling stronger. Fans have created a #hijackRaw hashtag and a Twitter account in advance of the show.

But Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer reported over the weekend through a top inside source that Punk would make his return to WWE tonight at the Allstate Arena. Along with that, he stated that the plan upon Punk's return is to either go ahead with the planned Punk vs. Triple H match or to insert him into the main event with Orton and Batista for the title.

Regardless of Punk's possible return, the WWE has planned for a hostile crowd in Chicago and has booked accordingly. The Shield will face The Wyatt Family in six-man tag team action in a rematch from the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Brock Lesnar is also scheduled to appear, and he is likely to confront the Undertaker about their match at WrestleMania.

As always, check back with MStars immediately after the show for a full recap of all the action. In the meantime, tell us your thoughts. Will Punk return tonight? Will the crowd hijack the show? Let us know in the comments below.