5 Things to Watch for on the Oct. 29 Edition of WWE Monday Night RAW

The WWE Universe is now left with more questions than answers after Hell in a Cell.

There is no doubt that the most-talked-about person in the WWE right now is referee Brad Maddox, who helped CM Punk retain his WWE Championship against Ryback.

Fans are hoping to find out the motive behind his actions.

It was quite obvious heading into Sunday that Punk vs. Ryback was the focal point of Hell in a Cell, and that was proven true. It wasn't a great technical contest by any means, and it probably could have gone a little longer, but the WWE found a way to have Punk retain his title, make Ryback look strong and get fans buzzing about what might happen on RAW.

That isn't the only thing worth monitoring on RAW, though, as there were plenty of other intriguing results at Hell in a Cell. Also, RAW's managing supervisor, Vickie Guerrero, says that she has photo evidence of an alleged affair between former RAW general manager A.J. Lee and John Cena.

I'm not really sure where this storyline is heading, but it will definitely be something of interest.

Here are the top five things that you should keep an eye on as you're watching the Oct. 29 edition of Monday Night RAW.

What Was Brad Maddox's Motivation to Help CM Punk vs. Ryback?

WWE Champion CM Punk beating Ryback through unfair means at Hell in a Cell wasn't necessarily a surprise, but the way in which it happened most definitely was.

Rather than someone like Brock Lesnar breaking into the cell in order to assist Punk, someone who was already in the cell screwed over Ryback. Controversial official Brad Maddox hit Ryback with a low blow and helped Punk come out on top with a fast count.

The conclusion of the match was shocking to say the least, as the possibility of Maddox doing anything other than officiating the contest simply didn't register with me. In fact, I didn't even take notice of the fact that Maddox was the referee until he assisted Punk. Maddox was actually the official who missed Punk's foot being on the rope when John Cena beat him in a tag team match last month.

There is obviously something to his involvement.

Maddox was thrown around like a rag doll by Ryback after the match, so it is uncertain whether or not he will even be present, but the situation will have to be addressed in some manner. My guess is that Punk and Paul Heyman will pretend like they have no idea why Maddox did what he did, and he will ultimately be the fall guy.

But there is something bigger at work.

I have to believe that Vickie Guerrero is perhaps working with Heyman as they have had several encounters over the past several weeks, and she was likely the one in charge of putting Maddox in that match. The WWE could potentially go in any number of directions with this angle, though, so I'll be very interested to see what happens on RAW.

What Dirt Does Vickie Guerrero Have on John Cena and AJ Lee?

On last week's edition of RAW, former RAW general manager, A.J. Lee, was essentially forced to resign from her position due to accusations that she was fraternizing with a WWE superstar.

It was later revealed that Vickie Guerrero was the one who tipped off Vince McMahon and the board of directors, and the superstar who was part of the alleged affair was John Cena.

Cena maintained that they simply had a business dinner together and nothing more, but Vickie claims to have photos that prove otherwise. I'm certainly not a fan of this angle thus far, but any storyline that involves Cena is obviously going to get a lot of airtime. It figures to be the biggest thing on RAW this week, aside from the CM Punk situation.

Since Vickie hasn't technically been named general manager of RAW, that spot is still up for grabs, and I have to believe that A.J. remains in the running. It seems like Vickie doesn't actually have any evidence. There will likely be a power struggle between her and A.J. once that is proven to be the cae, resulting in a five-on-five match at Survivor Series, with each diva representing a team.

Something similar happened at WrestleMania as Team Johnny and Team Teddy faced off. Survivor Series is the perfect venue for that type of match, so we'll likely see another one. It doesn't seem as though this angle really has any legs, and my guess is that it's simply meant to keep Cena relevant while he isn't wrestling and further the feud between Vickie and A.J.

Will a New No. 1 Contender for the WWE Championship Be Determined?

There was a lot of time to build feuds and angles during the six weeks between the Night of Champions and Hell in a Cell.

That won't be the case between now and Survivor Series.

WWE's final "Big Four" pay-per-view of the calendar year is merely three weeks away, and that means the creative team will have to get to work quickly in order to set up the card.

The most uncertain situation right now is the WWE Championship picture. CM Punk retained it on Sunday, but both Ryback and John Cena have legitimate claims as the No. 1 contender.

Ryback was screwed at Hell in a Cell by referee Brad Maddox.

Cena won a tag-team match over Punk last month due to a bad call by Maddox, as Punk's foot was on the rope.

While that could potentially lead to a triple-threat match at Survivor Series, I'm not sure if the WWE really wants to keep Ryback in the WWE Championship scene.

He has gained a great deal of popularity over the past couple months, but Cena was obviously the first choice to face Punk at Hell in a Cell. He simply couldn't because his elbow took longer to heal than hoped.

Since Vickie Guerrero is temporarily in charge of RAW, she could decide to make one of them, both of them or neither of them the No. 1 contender.

Or she could even set up a match between them.

I believe that a match between Cena and Ryback will be scheduled on RAW, but I would be very surprised if it happens. The most likely possibility is that Ryback gets taken out prior to the match, allowing Cena to become No. 1 contender by default.

Will Brock Lesnar Make an Appearance?

Many members of the WWE Universe expected Brock Lesnar to make his return to a WWE ring at Hell in a Cell to help CM Punk retain the WWE Championship.

That wasn't the case.

Referee Brad Maddox was Punk's ace in the hole instead, and fans were left wondering how, or if, Lesnar will fit into the Punk and Paul Heyman partnership.

As much as I would have liked to have seen Lesnar break the cell door off its hinges and attack Ryback on Sunday, that might have been a bit too predictable.

There weren't a lot of options for the WWE to book its way out of a tough situation, but utilizing a crooked referee was one way to do it. Lesnar interfering would have made a lot of sense due to his past with Heyman. By the time the main event started, many fans figured Lesnar's involvement was a foregone conclusion.

Lesnar may not have played a part at Hell in a Cell, but I do believe that he will return on RAW tonight. There haven't been any reports that Lesnar is expected to be at RAW, but waiting one night to use him would make a lot of sense. Having him make an impact tonight would get people interested in RAW for next week, so WWE would essentially be guaranteed consecutive weeks of good ratings.

My prediction is that while Cena is waiting for Ryback to come to the ring for a No. 1 contender's match, the camera will cut to the backstage area where Ryback will be laid out. The camera will then pan upward to reveal Lesnar standing over a prone Ryback. Reintroducing Lesnar that way would allow the WWE to save one of his dates, and it would be even more shocking than had he showed up at Hell in a Cell.

Will Ric Flair Make His Long-Awaited WWE Return?

It was uncertain whether Ric Flair would ever return when he retired from the WWE several years ago.

Rumors are now running rampant that the Nature Boy could be back in the fold as soon as tonight. There are no concrete sources reporting that Flair will definitely be on RAW tonight, but according to WrestlingNewsWorld.com, he wants to come back to the WWE.

It's a real possibility since tonight's RAW is in his hometown of Charlotte, N.C.

Flair fell out of favor with TNA several months ago and his contract officially expired last month. It is unclear if he has any type of no-compete clause, but that may not be an issue since he wasn't an active in-ring competitor. Flair appeared at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony earlier this year when The Four Horsemen were inducted, so he obviously still has plenty of interest in the company.

The one thing possibly holding the WWE back is a lawsuit that TNA filed against the WWE for allegedly tampering with contracted TNA wrestlers.

There isn't any proof that the WWE did so, and I'm not sure if that litigation still has legs, but it could be a stumbling block. If the WWE has the means to bring Flair in tonight, however, I believe that it will.

The reaction to Flair in his hometown would be absolutely huge, and there is any number of things that the WWE could do with Flair.

The most logical would be for him to usurp Vickie Guerrero and become Dolph Ziggler's manager. The two of them are very alike, and Flair would be great for Ziggler in his pursuit of the World Heavyweight Championship. I don't want to get my hopes up in case Flair doesn't return, but it is something that I would love to see.

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