Monday Night Raw Preview 12/22/14: Will Final Show Before Christmas Build to Royal Rumble?

The December 22, 2014 edition of WWE's Monday Night Raw will emanate live at 8 p.m. Eastern from the Target Center in Minneapolis and will be the final show before Christmas. We still have a long way to go before the 2015 Royal Rumble, but Monday's show should help build toward the January pay-per-view.

John Cena is on a collision course with Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the Royal Rumble, and this will mark the third time in six pay-per-views that the two will square off for the richest prize in the game. Lesnar demolished Cena for the title at SummerSlam, but Cena won the rematch (but not the title) by disqualification at Night of Champions when Seth Rollins interfered.

Lesnar made his return to WWE television on Raw last week. He attacked Chris Jericho to defend Paul Heyman, then returned in the lengthy back-and-forth main event. For the finish, Rollins tried to escape the cage, but Cena climbed up and stopped him. He delivered an Attitude Adjustment from the top rope and both men were down. Lesnar's music hit and he entered the cage. He delivered multiple German Suplexes to Cena as Heyman posed with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship belt outside the cage.

Lesnar planted Cena with an F5 and stared down Rollins. Heyman came in the ring and offered his hand to Rollins. Mr. Money in the Bank shook it, Curb Stomped Cena, and walked out of the cage with his briefcase.

Cena would likely be looking for some payback tonight, though it's never a guarantee that Lesnar would be in the house. Does this mean the 15-time champion will set his sights on Heyman?

Roman Reigns has already declared his intention to enter the Royal Rumble, and rumors maintain he is the prohibitive favorite to win the match and go on to the main event of WrestleMania 31. Last week on Raw, Reigns got into a scuffle with the Big Show, so it seems the two are about to work a brief program together. Rumors have been floating around that Reigns will beat Big Show to look strong headed into Mania, just as Lesnar did last year. Will the two have another fight tonight?

Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt are still feuding, and it seems likely the two will have their rubber match at Royal Rumble. Wyatt took the first match at Survivor Series by disqualification when Ambrose mauled him with tables, ladders, and chairs. So Wyatt won officially, but Ambrose was the one who walked out on top. This set up the second match at TLC, which Wyatt won after a television screen exploded in Ambrose's face.

It's unclear if Ambrose and Wyatt would compete in a singles match and also enter the Rumble, but perhaps we'll find out more on that subject tonight. Will Ambrose again get the upper hand on Bray, or will the Eater of Worlds start to get revenge on the Lunatic Fringe?

And lest we forget, Hulk Hogan will appear on tonight's broadcast as Ho Ho Hogan. At the very least, this should be some harmless and entertaining fun.

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, guesses, opinions, and predictions for tonight's show in the comments section.