What to Expect from the Dec. 16 Edition of Raw
The final pay-per-view of the year—the often-anticipated Tables, Ladders & Chairs—was hosted on Sunday night, and the WWE is now well and truly on the road to the Royal Rumble in January.
With just three more episodes of Raw to be aired in 2013, Monday's show will feature all the fallout from TLC, as a number of scenarios unfolded.
CM Punk did the impossible—with a little bit of help from one member of The Shield—whilst Daniel Bryan was beaten by Bray Wyatt and his demonic family in a good match.
Most importantly, though, the unification of the championships went ahead, and there will likely be some big emphasis placed on that John Cena vs. Randy Orton match on Raw Monday.
Lets take a look at what to expect from Raw.
Brodus Clay to Cement a Heel Turn
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It's a shame the Slammy Awards were hosted this past week on Raw rather than Monday; otherwise, Brodus Clay would have picked up one for "Most Bizarre Match to Have at a Pay-Per-View."
While tensions have been teased amongst Tons of Funk for a couple of weeks, things came to a head at TLC when Clay was beaten by R-Truth after his entire clan—Sweet T and the Funkadactyls—all walked away from him at ringside.
Clay would actually be quite useful as a heel, and his size and stature certainly leans to him working better as a heel than as a face.
How the WWE goes with it is unclear yet. But you would expect a spot at some point through the night where Clay cements his turn.
Big E Langston's Momentum to Keep Going After TLC Developments
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Perhaps a few people expected Damien Sandow to cause a bit of an upset at TLC, and become the new Intercontinental Champion.
However, that was clearly never going to happen, as Langston is in the midst of a huge push within the company.
With one undisputed champion at the top of the WWE, the IC title should now be restored to its former glory—as WWE's secondary title.
With Langston in possession of the belt, expect his momentum to grow and his position within the company to go from strength to strength.
As there is just one champion at the head of the company, expect some credible challengers to go after Langston's title.
The Tag Division to Build on a Good Night
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As well as the Intercontinental Championship, the tag team titles were another championship that enjoyed a positive night at Tables, Ladders & Chairs.
The Rhodes Brothers retaining the title may have come as a surprise to a few people, but it did reinforce that there are some great teams waiting in the wings to challenge Cody and Goldust.
Ryback and Curtis Axel—although being first to leave the elimination tag match—will be a strong force in the tag division over the coming months. And then there are The Real Americans.
This humble writer quite fancied Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro finally getting their hands on the belts at TLC, but it wasn't to be. With a face tag team keeping possession of the belts, though, it does keep the door open for Zeb Colter's men.
The Shield's Factions to Continue
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We finally got the answer to one of WWE's big questions on Sunday night—when would The Shield split?
Although it wasn't a defining answer, Roman Reigns' spear on Dean Ambrose will almost certainly be the beginning of the end for this remarkably impressive stable.
It was a spear that enabled CM Punk to get an improbable victory over the trio, and you would anticipate that, on Monday night, we will get an answer from Reigns as to what it means for the future of The Shield.
A babyface turn is supposedly planned to be in the pipeline for the monster Reigns, and this seems like an effective way to kick that off.
Daniel Bryan to Leave the Wyatts Behind, Hopefully
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WWE's most popular guy right now is Daniel Bryan. The main event on Raw last week proved it, and his ring entrance and subsequent performance at Tables, Ladders & Chairs proved it even more.
Although he came up short against The Wyatt Family, there should be no need for Bryan to go after revenge.
Bray and his family could now quite easily go after a new target—and they have Bryan to thank for turning them into a stable that could take over from The Shield when they split.
Bryan is destined for a return to the title picture, you would hope—his popularity cannot be wasted. WWE have an absolute Superstar on their hands, and having him align—or continue to feud—with The Wyatt Family would be bad for business.
Vince McMahon to Begin to Exert His Authority
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It was incredibly refreshing to see Vince McMahon return to WWE TV on Sunday night at Tables, Ladders & Chairs.
Vince will no doubt play a huge role in "The Authority" storyline moving forwards towards WrestleMania 30, and you would expect him to remain a permanent fixture on our screens right through to the pay-per-view next year.
That would obviously mean Vince will be on Raw Monday, and he may well have questions over Triple H's handling of the company since he and Stephanie McMahon began to influence proceedings.
Vince is a guy who will still generate heat or props from a crowd, and how WWE uses him moving towards WrestleMania is incredibly interesting.
A New Challenger to Emerge to Face Randy Orton
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Would the WWE stick or twist with their idea to unify the belts at Tables, Ladders and Chairs? That was the question many people wondered heading into the pay-per-view on Sunday.
As it turned out, they stuck. They went with the idea and now just one man stands as a champion of the company—Randy Orton.
If they were going to go with the idea, Orton was the only logical choice. He has been working well as a heel in recent weeks, and it appears as if he will continue to side with Triple H as the "face of the WWE."
Now WWE needs an anti-authority figure to step forward and kick the new belt off with a bang. Everyone will have their own opinion as to who that could be, but Daniel Bryan or CM Punk would be perfectly acceptable—and popular—choices.
Whether Bryan is returned to the title picture so quickly is up for debate. Punk's confrontation with Orton at the end of Raw last week could be an indicator that it is he who steps up.
Whatever the scenario, Raw will make for compelling viewing.
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