WWE 'Monday Night Raw' Preview 1/11/16: Two Weeks Until 'Royal Rumble,' Brock Lesnar Returns

The January 11, 2016 episode of WWE's Monday Night Raw will emanate live from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, and we've got just two weeks left to build to the Royal Rumble. Tonight will also feature the return of Brock Lesnar! We've got a full preview of the show for you, so let's get into it.

Last week, Roman Reigns successfully defended the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Sheamus with Vince McMahon as the special guest referee. After McMahon kept blatantly officiating against the champion, Reigns had finally had enough and Superman Punched the boss. He then lost his mind, destroyed Sheamus, and turned his attention to Vince once more. As he went in for the kill, Stephanie McMahon came out anc climbed on the apron. Reigns responded by tossing daughter into father.

Reigns sets up to spear Vince one more time, but Sheamus then dropped him with two Brogue Kicks. Sheamus then hollared for another referee, and crooked official Scott Armstrong sprinted to the ring. He delivered a quick count, but Reigns kicked out. Armstrong then restrained Roman so Sheamus could deliver a final Brogue Kick, but the champ busted loose and Superman Punched both men. He speared Sheamus, and yet another official counted the 1-2-3.

An irate Vince punched the official and got on the microphone. He announced that Reigns would defend the title against 29 other men in the 30-man Royal Rumble match!

The WWE World Heavyweight Championship has been up for grabs in the Rumble match once before: in 1992, when Ric Flair entered at No. 3 and wrestled for more than an hour to capture the vacant title. That was one of the most iconic performances in wrestling history, so we'll be fortunate if WWE can recapture that magic again in two weeks.

Reigns will need to respond tonight to Vince's scheme, and we'll need to learn if Reigns will enter the match at No. 1 or if he will just be a random entrant later in the contest.

Thus far, these are the 10 Superstars who have been officially announced for the Royal Rumble match:

- Roman Reigns

- Big Show

- Braun Strowman

- Bray Wyatt

- Chris Jericho

- Curtis Axel

- Dolph Ziggler

- Erick Rowan

- Luke Harper

- Ryback

With just two weeks left until the Royal Rumble takes place in the Amway Center in Orlando, WWE has some work to do to set up the rest of the card. The benefit of the Rumble is that WWE doesn't need many other matches on the card, but they do still need some solid supporting matches, which is a tricky task considering several key members of the roster, including John Cena, are hurt.

WWE Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose has been feuding with Kevin Owens for a bit, and that could continue to the Rumble if need be. WWE Divas Champion Charlotte is locked in a feud with Becky Lynch, which also could run for another few weeks if necessary. The New Day could defend the WWE Tag Team Championship during the match, or they could all enter the Royal Rumble match.

And there is of course the question of Brock Lesnar, who has been at two house shows since he was last on television but has not made his presence felt yet. That changes tonight when The Beast returns to hopefully make his intentions for the Rumble clear. Will he enter the 30-man match, or does he have another agenda?

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 predictions for tonight's show in the comments section below.