WWE: 5 Things to Watch for on the Oct. 1 Edition of Monday Night RAW

The WWE is in somewhat of a holding pattern with Hell in a Cell still about a month away, but there is no question that Monday's episode of RAW should be an interesting one. With John Cena unlikely to appear, it will be up to WWE Champion CM Punk to carry the load and ensure that the show is enjoyable.

Perhaps the biggest question on every fan's mind is, what will Ryback's involvement with Punk consist of? Punk attacked Mick Foley backstage after being embarrassed by Cena last week, but when Punk turned around to dish out more punishment, Ryback was standing next to Foley and staring the WWE Champion down.

It is unclear if that means a match will take place between them, but it seems obvious that Punk and Ryback will engage in a mini-feud until Cena can return from his elbow injury. If all goes well and Ryback performs at a high level, then maybe he'll be in line for a main-event push in the near future.

There will be plenty to look out for in the midcard scene as well, with Intercontinental Champion The Miz in search of his next challenger and Mr. Money in the Bank winner Dolph Ziggler putting on great matches each and every night. Also, the divas division is heating up as Divas Champion Eve continues her search for Kaitlyn's attacker.

Here are the top things you should keep an eye on while watching tonight's edition of WWE Monday Night RAW.

Is Ryback vs. CM Punk on the Horizon?

There is no doubt that WWE Champion CM Punk is still embroiled in a feud with John Cena, but with Cena on the shelf due to elbow surgery, Punk must direct his attention elsewhere for the time being. The most logical candidate for a hold-over feud would seem to be Ryback, as the monstrous superstar came to the aid of Mick Foley after Punk attacked him last week.

Ryback hasn't really established himself as a top guy yet, but it looks like the creative team is confident enough in him that it is willing to push him into a high-profile angle. Prior to last week, Ryback had only beaten local enhancement talent and low-card jobbers, but he did pick up a victory over Intercontinental Champion The Miz and continues to get a favorable crowd reaction.

The WWE is in a tough spot because without Cena and Randy Orton, who is going to be filming 12 Rounds: Reloaded, there aren't really any credible opponents for Punk. Ryback is one of the hottest things going in WWE, though, so it looks like the writers are trying to capitalize on his momentum.

I don't necessarily like it since the only logical outcome of a match is a Ryback win by disqualification or count-out, but it will be interesting to see how much Ryback grows as a superstar if a match does indeed happen.

How Will RAW Operate Without John Cena?

It has been a very long time since John Cena has been out of action for an extended period of time, so the WWE is in an interesting position when it comes to RAW. WWE Champion CM Punk has been the focal point of the show for the past couple months, but Cena is obviously always a key cog as well. With Cena unlikely to appear this week, though, the writers will have a bit of a challenge on their hands.

Whether you love him or hate him, there is no doubt that Cena is capable of carrying RAW and the WWE product as a whole. The WWE won't have the Cena crutch at its disposal this week, however, so the quality of the show will have to be even better than usual in order to make up for Cena's absence.

With Cena out of the picture, there will also have to be more emphasis on the midcard scene, as that can help strengthen RAW as a whole. The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Kane, Daniel Bryan, Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow and many others should be featured prominently on Monday. The fans enjoy seeing those guys perform, so hopefully they become a greater priority moving forward.

WWE may not have the star power to thrive over the long term without Cena in the picture, but he should only be gone for a few weeks at most, so I don't believe the quality of RAW will suffer too much in the interim.

Will Dolph Ziggler Steal the Show Yet Again?

Mr. Money in the Bank Dolph Ziggler hasn't been booked particularly well since securing the briefcase a few months ago, but that hasn't prevented him from leaving everything out in the ring each and every time he performs. Ziggler is essentially WWE's iron man, as he wrestles on a nightly basis and always brings his "A" game, so I can't wait to see what he does on Monday night.

Last week, Ziggler faced off against Kofi Kingston in what figured to be a run-of-the-mill singles match, but both men were in a zone and worked one of the best RAW matches of the year. Ziggler and Kofi have faced each other countless times, so their impeccable chemistry had a lot to do with the quality of the match, but stealing the show is nothing new for Ziggler.

One of the reasons why Ziggler will be a successful world champion is his propensity for putting on fantastic matches with anyone and everyone. Many wrestlers need another great superstar in order to have a good match, but Ziggler is capable of carrying guys if he has to. Ziggler didn't have to do that with Kofi, but he can be counted upon regardless of the circumstances surrounding him.

With Randy Orton off to shoot a movie, there isn't really anything substantial for Ziggler to do. He needs to engage in some sort of feud in order to remain relevant prior to cashing in his contract, so hopefully there is some movement on that front on Monday. If the WWE plays its cards right, Ziggler is a guy who can help carry the load while John Cena is out.

What Is Next for The Miz?

When The Miz won the Intercontinental Championship from Christian on the 1,000th episode of RAW, I had high hopes for both Miz and the title, but things haven't gone the way I thought they would. The IC title was once the second-most prestigious championship in the company and it was viewed as a stepping stone to the WWE Championship, but it has deteriorated into little more than a prop with absolutely no meaning behind it.

If the WWE were serious about building Miz and the title up, then he wouldn't constantly be losing non-title matches to the likes of Rey Mysterio, Kane, John Cena and Ryback. Each time The Miz loses, the strap gets devalued even more. With that said, the WWE has to either decide to make the title relevant by having Miz win a feud of interest or it has to put the title on someone else.

The Miz is a main-event star who can't ascend back to that level because the Intercontinental Championship is holding him back. He had a great exchange with World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus on Miz TV on SmackDown last week, so I would love to see him challenge The Great White after his feud with Big Show.

That means that the WWE needs to find someone for Miz to drop his title to. I initially thought it might be Ryback, but with his attention now focused on CM Punk, I'm not so sure. Ryback will need somebody to face once Cena returns, though, so I'm hoping the seeds are at least planted for a Miz vs. Ryback match at Hell in a Cell.

Who Was Responsible for Kaitlyn's Attack?

It has been quite a while since the divas division had a relevant storyline worth following, but the one currently involving Divas Champion Eve and Kaitlyn is quite interesting. Kaitlyn was supposed to face Layla for the Divas Championship at Night of Champions, but she was attacked prior to her match by an unknown assailant. Eve got the spot in the match instead and she made the most of it as she became the new titleholder.

Eve has since been making accusations regarding Kaitlyn's attacker, going so far as to suspend Beth Phoenix on SmackDown. General manager Booker T overturned the suspension, but Eve maintains that Kaitlyn was attacked by a blonde. Eve is clearly behind the attack, as she likely enlisted someone to do her dirty work, but it remains to be seen who it was.

You could say that the angle is a bit cheesy or cliche, but at least an effort is being made to get people interested in the divas division. That usually isn't the case, so I'll be keeping my eye on any developments. Whoever is ultimately revealed as Kaitlyn's attacker will likely become a partner with Eve, as it will be determined that she orchestrated the attack.

This storyline may carry on until Hell in a Cell, but we'll likely see some developments on Monday. I haven't really cared about the divas division since Laycool, so I'm hoping that Eve and someone like Natalya forge an alliance and take over what has been a fairly stale division.

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