Monday Night Raw Preview 12/29/14: Final Episode of 2014 Featuring Edge and Christian, John Cena, Seth Rollins
The December 29, 2014 edition of WWE's Monday Night Raw will emanate live from the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. at 8 p.m. Eastern and will be the final show of 2014. The episode should continue to build toward the Royal Rumble pay-per-view in late January.
Edge and Christian return to run Raw tonight, which means this episode should totally reek of awesomeness no matter what else happens. The two are the latest in a string of guest General Managers to take control of the show in the absence of the Authority, so expect Seth Rollins to complain some more about Triple H and Stephanie McMahon's absence tonight. This likely means he'll ask John Cena yet again to bring them back, and Cena will again tell him to stick it where the sun don't shine. Edge and Christian will likely book the two in yet another match.
Cena, meanwhile, is on a collision course with Brock Lesnar for the third time in six pay-per-views, as the two will square off at Royal Rumble for the Beast's WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Lensar returned two weeks ago to assault Cena inside a steel cage, but we didn't hear a peep out of the champion or his advocate, Paul Heyman, last week. Could the manager return tonight to start the mind games with Cena again?
Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt closed last week's show with a Miracle on 34th Street Fight. Ambrose earned the victory and drove Wyatt through two tables on the outside of the ring to close the show. The two have engaged in some violent battles in recent weeks, and that pattern will likely continue tonight. But which combatant will get the upper hand to close out 2014?
Randy Orton returned at a house show at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, which means a television return can't be too far away. Could tonight be the night that Orton comes back to WWE television? And if so, would he go after Seth Rollins, the man who Curb Stomped him onto steel stairs and put him out of commission for a few months?
Bad News Barrett also returned at a house show in Chicago on Friday and promptly returned to his usual routine. He said he had some bad news and that he could think of multiple other cities he'd rather return in than Chicago. His television return is also expected imminently, so could we see him tonight, as well? And if so, what would he do?
Ryback and Rusev seem to be set for a match, possibly at Royal Rumble. The pro-Russian has been talking trash as per usual recently, but Da Big Guy is hungry and looking for a fight. When the two finally do lock up for real, it should be a great, old-fashioned hoss fight. Ryback and Rusev will almost certainly interact in some way tonight, likely in the form of a Rusev promo and Ryback run-in. But who will come out on top in this skirmish?
Roman Reigns continues to rocket toward the Royal Rumble match and he remains the only man to officially declare for the annual contest. He has been scuffling with Big Show in recent weeks, and a match between the two ended in a count-out last week. Could the two lock horns again tonight, or will they move on to other dance partners?
Finally, Connor and Viktor, The Ascension, are supposed to debut tonight.
As always, check back with MStars immediately after the show for a full recap of all the action. But for now, let us know your thoughts, opinions, guesses, and predictions for tonight's show in the comments section.