What to Expect from the Festive Dec. 23 Edition of Raw
It's Christmas week, and that means the weekly edition of Raw is bound to be a festive one as we continue to build for the Royal Rumble pay-per-view in a few weeks.
With no challenger set in stone for Randy Orton and his WWE World Heavyweight Championship, expect some serious storyline developments in the pre-Christmas edition of Raw.
There is also likely to be an abundance of tag action—as per the previous few weeks—with competition heating up for Cody Rhodes and Goldust's Tag championships.
So, festivities aplenty no doubt, let's take a look at what we can expect from this week's edition of the show.
Sweet T vs. Brodus Clay to Continue
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Unfortunately, it appears as if Brodus Clay's heel turn will get more extended exposure on Raw this week. Whilst creative has been teasing it for a good few weeks, it finally came to fruition last week when Clay attacked Tensai/Albert/A-Train/Sweet T after he came up short against R-Truth.
Sweet T then continued Clay's losing streak on SmackDown as he beat his former tag partner in a remarkably short match.
Therefore, you would imagine Clay will get his revenge at some point in the near future—and Raw may well be that moment.
Quite where Clay is headed is unclear, but he certainly is better suited to a heel role than a face.
Christmas Puns Everywhere
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Perhaps the biggest guarantee about this week's Raw is that you're certain to see far too many references to Christmas.
If you don't like the festive season, then you may well be inclined to mute several parts of Raw this Monday, as it will be loaded with puns and tacky Christmas affairs.
Chief among them is the supposed Good Santa vs. Bad Santa match that was plugged on the show last week—or Mark Henry vs. Damien Sandow, as it would usually be billed in wrestling circles.
There will no doubt be a festive Divas segment, as well as your usual tacky characters—the Santino Marellas and Hornswoggles—coming out for the holidays.
Tag Team Frenzy Again
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The tag division has been enjoying a good solid few weeks of late. There have been plenty of good matches, with plenty of good teams staking a case to challenge for the titles.
On SmackDown, The Wyatts picked up a victory over the defending champions—who are now named The Brotherhood—to stake their claim for a shot should the opportunity arise.
No doubt on Raw there will be the likes of The Usos and The Shield in action, too, as the tag division continues to go from strength to strength.
The only question is, who will be the next challengers for the titles? We could have a clearer idea after Raw this week.
The Daniel Bryan Train to Keep on Rolling
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It's a pretty good time to be Daniel Bryan right about now.
He's the most loved guy in the entire company amongst fans—of that there can be very little doubt. After his feud with Bray Wyatt, which has thankfully been put to bed, he is now looking like he will be in the mix for the championships again after a sabbatical from the title picture.
Whether he faces Randy Orton at the Royal Rumble is another matter. John Cena may well get his rematch at the event, leaving Bryan to focus on the Royal Rumble match itself.
He would surely be one of the front-runners for that event if he is involved, and Raw will bring us more huge crowd reactions from Bryan, and no doubt another high-level match.
CM Punk to Continue to Lack Direction
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The problem with the Royal Rumble approaching is that there are quite a few Superstars who seem to be almost scratching around until the Rumble arrives.
That problem may well have been intensified by the unification of the championship belts, and CM Punk is one man who finds himself in a touch of limbo right about now.
His rivalry with The Shield was one that seemed to be thrown together in a scratchy fashion, and big things will no doubt be planned with WrestleMania season just around the corner.
Expect Punk to be again wrestling The Shield without any real purpose on Raw this week, with the Rumble fast approaching.
Orton and Cena to Step It Up a Notch Again
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One thing Randy Orton's match with Daniel Bryan did do last week was keep a door open for Bryan to potentially step into the title picture. A conclusive ending—such as a clean win for Orton—could have shut the door for Bryan, but the DQ win for the bearded one keeps his title chances alive.
Despite that, however, it would be very hard to envisage a situation where John Cena does not get his opportunity to fight for the newly unified championship at the Royal Rumble.
Anticipate Cena and Orton resuming their rivalry again this week, with the latter continuing to play the demonic, smart heel role, a role that he seems to thrive in.
Orton has been attempting to hide behind The Authority for a number of weeks now—that may come to an end soon, though, with WrestleMania season just around the corner.
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