What to Expect from the Jan. 20 Edition of Raw

Monday's edition of Raw is the final edition of the show before the first pay-per-view of the year—the Royal Rumble.

It promises to be a blockbusting edition of Raw, as it is the much-anticipated return of Batista to the WWE. As well as that, there will be plenty of promo work for the Rumble match—and the rest of the card.

The final Raw before a pay-per-view is often an important one, as it gives us plenty of ideas as to how successful the forthcoming show will be. With the Rumble being one of the most anticipated shows of the entire year, it makes for an exciting and interesting Raw.

Let's take a look at just what to expect from the final Raw before the Royal Rumble this weekend.

Plenty of Rumble Promos

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We may well lose count of the amount of WWE stars that will claim they are going to win the Royal Rumble on Monday's edition of Raw.

Naturally, as it is the go-home edition of the show before the Royal Rumble, there is bound to be plenty of promo work done to try to hype the show as much as possible.

That means the likes of Alberto Del Rio, Rey Mysterio and many more will all be telling us why they are best equipped to win the Rumble match—no doubt reminding us they have won the match in the past.

Of course, one of those promos will inevitably come from the mouth of Batista. That may well be the most anticipated promo of the lot.

The Animal to Explode Back onto WWE TV

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Without a doubt, the biggest segment of the show will be the moment when Batista appears in the ring.

His return has been pushed and plugged so much that it's impossible to forget The Animal is back on Raw days before the Royal Rumble.

Expect him to return to WWE TV with a serious bang, too. Creative won't simply have him come out and cut a promo, then head to the back. It will be huge—they've hyped it so much that it has to be.

He may well dismantle Alberto Del Rio after their Twitter spat. Or he could go after the man with whom he has had some classic tussles—Randy Orton.

Whatever happens, it will be pretty massive.

The Numbers Game to Continue to Work Against CM Punk

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It's looking increasingly apparent that The Authority's next target is going to be CM Punk. The former WWE champion has had his problems with The Shield for a number of weeks now, but last week things took an even more dramatic turn.

Punk's tag partners, the New Age Outlaws, ditched him in the middle of their match—which suggests they are firmly in the camp of Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and Kane.

Is Punk vs. Triple H on for WrestleMania 30? Perhaps. It would certainly be an interesting rivalry, as Punk fits the anti-authority character very well indeed.

No doubt we will see the numbers game stack up against Punk once again on Raw this week.

The Shield to Show Unity

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Will they split at the Royal Rumble, or won't they? That is perhaps one of the biggest questions in the WWE right now, and it concerns The Shield.

Of late, the trio have shown solidarity and strength—perhaps best epitomized by their dismantling of CM Punk on Raw last week, albeit in what essentially turned into a handicap match.

All the hype is surrounding Roman Reigns and what kind of an impact he will have at the Royal Rumble. It could be too early for a split, or it could simply be the right time.

In the final Raw before the Rumble though, expect more unity and strength from the group as they prepare for a Royal Rumble that could massively shape their careers.

The Shield are just another part of what is looking like a fascinating Royal Rumble card.

Bray Wyatt to Exact Revenge If Bryan Is Fit

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It was a massive swerve to end Raw last week, but the big question is whether Daniel Bryan will actually be on Raw tonight.

It was revealed he suffered a concussion during his steel cage match last week and barely remembered any of his remarkable turn against Bray Wyatt.

Many WWE fans will be excited to see that storyline develop on Raw this week, and hopefully Bryan is at least cleared to be in attendance to work some magic on the mic.

It would be a great shame if Bryan has to miss the Royal Rumble, and it would be a killer blow for his momentum. If he's on Raw tonight, expect the demonic Bray Wyatt to get some sort of revenge.