WWE Raw: Potential Spoilers, Rumors, News and Preview for December 15

Superstars climb out of the wreckage from TLC, beginning a new journey that begins with the Dec. 15 edition of WWE Raw.

The aftermath of one pay-per-view bleeds into another, as the hype for Royal Rumble has already begun. Detroit's Joe Louis Arena will host Roman Reigns, John Cena and Nikki Bella, all of whom will go from celebrating to prepping for new obstacles.

Chris Jericho returns to guide the ship. 

Following a recent trend of one-off Raw general managers, Jericho will be in charge for the night. WWE announced Y2J's appearance last week:

As for what else to expect when WWE returns to the site of Night of Champions 2013 and Survivor Series 1999, backstage reports, Anthony Benigno's five-point preview on WWE.com and Twitter provide plenty of hints.

News, Potential Spoilers

Detroit is set to welcome the rarely seen world champ. As ProWrestling.net notes, "WWE is advertising Brock Lesnar for the December 15 edition of Raw."

That timing makes perfect sense, as WWE can now begin the Cena vs. Lesnar III build. Cena retained his spot as No. 1 contender with a win over Seth Rollins at TLC. WWE quickly took to promoting the upcoming title bout, airing a promo video for it on Sunday's pay-per-view.

On the same night that fans get a look at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in months, there's a chance they will also see a title that has been defunct since 2002.

Lana teased at the possibility of bringing back the European Championship. As Mike Johnson noted for PWInsider.com, "Lana posted a photo of a 'WWE European title belt' on social media before deleting it over the weekend."

Fans like Paul Jordan shared the photo after The Ravishing Russian did away with it:

Rusev had an easy night compared to his peers. He worked a short match that featured not a single collision with a ladder. Dolph Ziggler and Luke Harper, meanwhile, will enter Monday's Raw hurting thanks to what they did to themselves in their Ladder match.

As seen on WWE.com (video contains graphic images), the medical staff stapled a wound in Harper's head closed after that bout.

WWE's official website also provided updates for Ziggler and AJ Lee. The company's medical team used skin glue and bandages to treat a laceration on The Showoff's head. The company has shown in the past that it has no issue with making guys work the night after suffering injuries like that.

In AJ's case, her injuries were of the kayfabe variety.

The reports claim that AJ suffered a "chemical conjunctivitis" after Nikki Bella sprayed her in the eyes on Sunday. That points to the former Divas champ being out of action for Monday's Raw.

Credit: WWE.com

In another PWInsider report, Johnson writes that "We've also heard Big Show banged up his hip in the Stairs match with Erick Rowan." Big Show's prominence in the current storylines likely means he won't get a night off to let that hip heal.

He tried to cost Cena his match against Rollins, only to take a Superman punch from Roman Reigns. That gives the big man two high-profile enemies to look out for in Detroit.

From TLC to the Royal Rumble

With WWE having wrapped up its last pay-per-view of 2014, it will quickly point its compass toward next year's first big event. The Royal Rumble match already has its first official entrant in Reigns and its first title bout in Lesnar vs. Cena.

What of the Divas Championship? Signs are pointing to a new challenger stepping up to Nikki Bella.

Not only is AJ "injured" thanks to whatever Nikki sprayed in her eyes, but going with AJ vs. Nikki again would mark the fourth consecutive pay-per-view match between them. Benigno hints at someone else feuding with Nikki in his preview, writing, "It's just a matter of which femme fatale will step up to meet her, head-on."

Reigns has a match set for January's show, but he will certainly have some rivals in his way en route to that battle.

Attacking Big Show at TLC has to lead to The World's Largest Athlete seeking some payback. Rollins is in retribution mode as well. He tweeted that he was "robbed" thanks to Reigns' interference:

Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt's match followed that one, ending in odd fashion. An electric shock from a plugged-in TV put Ambrose down long enough for Wyatt to capitalize. It's unclear whether that rivalry is over or if both men will seek new targets heading into the new year.

In his five-point preview, Benigno asks, "What will The Eater of Worlds choose to do with his fully restored power and momentum?"

There is no confusion as to what Paul Heyman's role will be. With Lesnar stepping back into the spotlight, Heyman is sure to follow. 

In the past, he has been the bridge between editions of Raw that The Beast Incarnate misses. When Lesnar is around, he is the powerhouse's mouthpiece. Not surprisingly, that looks to be what's on tap for the TLC fallout show.

Benigno writes of Heyman, "It's almost a given he'll begin another barrage of mind games on Raw."

With more than a full month until Royal Rumble arrives, WWE is likely to lean on the verbal side of the Cena-Lesnar feud. There will be ample opportunity ahead to have those two men start slugging it out.

Whether those two brawl or not, Monday's Raw promises to be a "welcome back" party, with Reigns and Lesnar both stepping onto the stage again after extended absences.