WWE Raw: Potential Spoilers, Rumors, News and Preview for January 5

The Authority saunters back into its kingdom on the Jan. 5 edition of WWE Raw.

The familiar group of tyrants are sure to dominate the first Raw of 2015, boasting of their return and settling scores with those who wished to see them gone. The show also promises to feature an Ambulance match, another look at The Ascension and Big Show's response to having a table flipped onto him.

Will The Viper be there as WWE rolls into Corpus Christi, Texas? Will fans see a Superstar who hasn't been on Raw since 2013?

Backstage reports, live event results and James Wortman's five-point preview on WWE.com help answer those questions and give fans a good idea of what to expect on Monday's Raw.

News, Potential Spoilers

Monday's Raw will likely sound far different than it usually does: It appears the show will be without one of its commentators. 

PWInsider's Mike Johnson reported on Jan. 1, "Jerry Lawler has been hospitalized the last several days due to a case of diverticulitis." Johnson noted that Lawler was expected to be released after a few days.

With Michael Cole and John "Bradshaw" Layfield fully capable of manning the announce desk for the night, it would be senseless to rush Lawler back to work. The man needs rest.

Jim Ross tweeted about how serious the illness is:

As for the in-ring performers who may show up in Corpus Christi, it may finally be time for Darren Young to get back on TV. An ACL injury kept him out of the ring for months, but he has started working live events.

His latest match came on Jan. 4. That night, per ProFightDB.com, Young defeated Alex Riley at a live event in Beaumont, Texas. Young is clearly healthy enough to compete, but that doesn't guarantee that the company will find a spot for him on Raw.

Riley's working a match is noteworthy as well. He has primarily been used as an announcer but has recently been called upon for wrestling duty every so often. Maybe he'll get tossed into the mix on Raw as well.

Randy Orton, on the other hand, won't be asked to do much, if anything at all.

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required; h/t Wrestling Inc), Orton is expected to have surgery soon to repair a deviated septum. The report notes that recovery time for the procedure is a few weeks.

Keeping Orton off TV will be no issue, as he hasn't appeared since suffering a thrashing courtesy of The Authority in November.

As James Caldwell notes for Pro Wrestling Torch, Orton is still advertised to appear along with Roman Reigns, Big Show and Kane. Brock Lesnar, however, is not on that list.

The Authority Returns, Rivalries Roll On

After making their Raw debut last week, The Ascension are set to compete again. Wortman writes of The Ascension in his five-point preview, "Who will be next to face these snarling Superstars?"

The answer could be no-name jobbers. That's who Viktor and Konnor collided with on Friday's SmackDown.

At NXT, The Ascension regularly ran over this type of competition. WWE could be repeating that strategy on the main roster, which is good news for indy wrestlers in the Corpus Christi area.

Monday's Raw will likely also feature the continuation of Big Show and Roman Reigns' rivalry. The intensity between the two powerhouses has escalated of late.

Big Show attacked Reigns on last week's Raw, leaving him trapped under an overturned announce table. Reigns sought an eye for an eye on the following SmackDown, making Big Show suffer the same fate.

While that rivalry is destined to pick up, it looks as if WWE is wrapping up the one between Dean Ambrose and Bray Wyatt.

As Wortman notes on WWE.com, Ambrose and Wyatt will battle in an Ambulance match, the first time WWE has put this kind of clash on Raw. Last week, the announcers last week painted this as the final battle between them.

Ambrose hinted at that as well in an interview with Michael Cole. In it, The Lunatic Fringe talked about moving on from Wyatt and the feud "coming to a head":

Once he's done with The Eater of Worlds, Ambrose, like many babyfaces on the roster, is sure to have issues with The Authority. The ousted faction came back last week after just over a month away.

Triple H and Stephanie McMahon returned to power courtesy of Seth Rollins' threat on last week's Raw to paralyze Edge and make him his hostage. The briefly exiled executives bring about a feeling of deja vu and could well be the answer to where Dolph Ziggler is headed next.

After knocking off Luke Harper several times, it looks as if Ziggler has moved on from that feud. The Authority looks to be his next rival.

Credit: WWE.com

Wortman writes, "Ziggler is likely among the Superstars that will face Triple H and Stephanie McMahon's wrath this week."

Ziggler surely won't be the power couple's only target. The Authority will have plenty of vengeance to hand out.

John Cena defied them and assembled a team at Survivor Series to push them out of power. Sting assured Team Cena victory that night. Daniel Bryan inspired the group's formation when Triple H refused to let the fan favorite become the face of WWE.

In news that won't make The Authority happy, Bryan announced his return to the ring last week in an emotional speech.

He also told fans that he is entering the Royal Rumble. That makes just two official entrants in that match. Expect to see more added to that list on Monday's Raw. 

Wortman asks, "Who will emerge to join Bryan and Reigns in one of the most anticipated bouts of the year?" That's a strong hint that the 30-man field will get some new additions.

Ambrose and Wyatt will both have a great shot at earning their spot as they look to stuff each other into an Ambulance and close their story together.