WWE Raw: Potential Spoilers, Rumors, News and Preview for January 12

The city that housed WrestleMania 30 welcomes the Jan. 12 edition of WWE Raw.

The Smoothie Center in New Orleans hosts as The Authority's reign continues, fans see the fate of WWE's "fired" stars and the world champ steps into the spotlight en route to the Royal Rumble.

Last week, Raw ended with confetti falling onto a solemn John Cena on a mock "appreciation night." On Monday, Cena has to shake off the disappointment of watching three teammates lose their jobs and focus on Brock Lesnar. The Beast Incarnate is headed for New Orleans.

The company has to contend with the College Football Playoff National Championship for ratings. The good news is that it will have plenty of star power. Can we also expect a few surprise faces as well?

Backstage reports, Twitter and James Wortman's five-point preview on WWE.com provide answers to that question and what to expect in general from Monday's Raw.

News, Potential Spoilers

As Nikki Bella, Paige and Natalya all look to position themselves atop the Divas division, they won't have to worry about AJ Lee. The former Divas champ hasn't wrestled since the TLC pay-per-view and revealed on Twitter why she's been out of action:

AJ offered no timetable for her return. It sure sounds, though, like she's not going to be on Monday's Raw, at the very least. 

A number of Superstars who recently worked house shows may be following her lead in missing the show.

Rarely seen David Otunga appeared on live events over the weekend, but that's going to be it for him. PWInsider's Mike Johnson reported on Monday, "Otunga made his first appearances for WWE since Wrestlemania at the weekend house show loop. We are told he is not booked for this week's TV and flew home this morning."

Darren Young and Alex Riley stepped into the ring again, too. As noted on ProFightDB.com, Riley took on Sin Cara and Young lost to Tyler Breeze at a live event in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Jan. 10.

Their low position on the WWE food chain means they will likely miss Monday's Raw, but they are clearly traveling with the roster and ready to compete. With three Superstars "fired" from the company, WWE may turn to either Young or Riley to round out the show.

Chris Jericho also worked some recent events this weekend, per Pro Wrestling Torch, but is not scheduled for any televised appearances. He tweeted a list of dates he would be working:

"

Signing my new #WWE contract! •Click link for preview• http://t.co/EBdIc2bd1g pic.twitter.com/hY01K83Ozs

— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) January 11, 2015"

Those are all house shows.

While The Big Easy doesn't look to have Jericho on tap, two big names will be joining the fray. F4WOnline reports, "Both Daniel Bryan and Brock Lesnar will be on Raw next week from New Orleans."

As for who will join them, Pro Wrestling Torch's James Caldwell notes that "injured star Randy Orton is no longer advertised" but that Cena, Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins, Kane, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns are all booked for Monday's Raw.

It won't be Jerry Lawler calling all the action those Superstars produce. The King is switching nights.

WWE announced on its official website that Michael Cole, JBL and Booker T will be Raw's announce team, while Lawler will move to SmackDown to work with Byron Saxton.

The Authority Reigns, Royal Rumble Looms

Expect Triple H and Stephanie McMahon to be central parts of the show once again. In their first night back in power, The Authority banished Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan as punishment for their alignment with Team Cena.

WWE will certainly milk all the drama it can from those three men fighting to get their jobs back, but will that happen as early as Monday night? The company may instead choose to play up the trio being "fired" by going a week or two without them onscreen.

That would still leave Cena to suffer the faction's iron fist. With Bryan back, he's likely to collide with the enemies he spent much of 2013 and the build to WrestleMania 30 fighting.

Add Ambrose to that list of potential victims of The Authority.

On Friday's SmackDown, Ambrose joined forces with Reigns to battle Big Show and Seth Rollins. That was after The Authority warned that whoever partnered with the powerhouse would suffer repercussions.

Wortman hints strongly that a run-in with Triple H and company awaits The Lunatic Fringe when he asks, "Will The Authority seek vengeance against Ambrose?"

Monday's Raw should also feature a healthy serving of Bad News Barrett.

Barrett reclaimed the Intercontinental Championship last week with a win over Ziggler. On SmackDown, things didn't go as well for the Englishman. He lost to Sin Cara but followed up the match by throttling the masked babyface.

Whether he gets another chance opposite Sin Cara or runs over someone else, it looks like Barrett is going to be doing some damage in New Orleans.

Wortman suggests as much in his five-point preview when he asks, "How will Barrett prove his dominance this week?"

The IC champ is one of five men officially entered in the Royal Rumble match, per WWE.com. He joins Rusev, Wyatt, Bryan and Reigns as part of the in-progress 30-man field. With the event just two weeks away, one has to assume that WWE will focus more on the build to that bout.

In regard to whether how much Monday's Raw will shape the Rumble, fans received a noncommittal hint from Wortman when he wrote of the match, "Perhaps more names will be announced this week."

The WWE World Heavyweight Championship match, now a Triple Threat bout with Rollins added to the mix, will earn plenty of spotlight as well. Monday marks one of Lesnar's rare appearances, so WWE is certain to make him a key component of the night.

Credit: WWE.com

Lesnar's reaction to Rollins' inclusion in the upcoming championship clash will be one of the biggest elements of Monday's Raw to watch for.

Rollins and Lesnar had an alliance earlier, but the fact that they are now set to face each other likely wipes that away. Does The Beast Incarnate go after Cena, Rollins or both?

Facing stiff competition on TV and armed with both Lesnar and Bryan on the lineup, count on WWE putting together a noteworthy edition of Raw.