WWE Raw: Potential Spoilers, Rumors, News and Preview for January 4

Roman Reigns will kick off the year in the lion's den as WWE Raw pits him against Sheamus with The League of Nations lurking and Vince McMahon donning referee stripes.

Reigns spent much of 2015 trying to wins fans over and snatch up the world title. He begins 2016 as the man atop the mountain, looking to build momentum en route to a likely WrestleMania main event.

First off, though, he has a WWE World Heavyweight Championship title match in front of him against an increasingly familiar foe.

McMahon set up this contest last week and named himself the special guest referee. That hints at the WWE headman at least trying to cheat Reigns out of his title. 

Bleacher Report's Donald Wood previewed the bout:

As noted on Gerweck.net, ratings have been up since McMahon re-entered the picture and Reigns has emerged as the top babyface. WWE will be hoping to continue that trend as those two men remain standing on center stage.

Monday's Raw is set to also feature updates on the Rumble match, tag teams chasing The New Day and perhaps the return of some underused talents. San Antonio, Texas, will play host to it all.

Twitter, backstage reports and James Wortman's five-point preview on WWE.com offer a number of hints of what to expect on the first Raw of 2016.

News, Potential Spoilers

Sin Cara ended last week's Raw with a dislocated shoulder. He toughed it out to finish the match with Big E, but didn't compete the next night during the SmackDown taping.

On F4WOnline, Dave Meltzer reported, "WWE officials stated that a full report is not in but the injury is not believed to be anything serious."

That certainly appears to be the case as Sin Cara battled in 12-man action during a house show last week, as seen on CageMatch.net. WWE may want to restrict him to light duty to allow him to heal more, but it looks as if he'll be available come Monday night.

Lilian Garcia will return to action, too.

The ring announcer has been dealing with illness of late. Garcia, though, tweeted that she's headed back to Raw:

There's a good chance fans finally see Curtis Axel on Raw as well. The wrestler has been completely absent from Raw for months, but may re-emerge to continue his shtick about not being eliminated from the 2015 Royal Rumble thanks to him officially being in this year's Battle Royal.

Wortman noted on WWE.com, "We've since learned that Curtis Axel—who claims he was never eliminated from last year's Royal Rumble Match—will also enter the fray."

Big Show is the other Superstar set for the Rumble. There's been some confusion about his position as he cut an unclear promo about being in the match. Is he just the first man to announce himself for the match, or is he going to be the first entrant that night?

Even backstage rumors don't provide a clear answer. 

Bryan Alvarez reported on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Wrestling Inc.'s Marc Middleton) that a source from WWE Creative at first told him Big Show would indeed be the first entrant in the Rumble. WWE later informed Alvarez that Big Show would not begin from the No. 1 spot. 

Expect Big Show to clear things up in San Antonio.

In addition to Axel, fans may also see some little-used talents step into the ring. Jack Swagger and Mark Henry teamed together on the last edition of Superstars, per the Internet Wrestling Database, in a win against The Ascension.

No word if this is a duo we'll see moving forward or just a temporary pairing.

Meltzer noted on the Sunday edition of F4WOnline Daily Update, "Natalya, who hasn't been in the ring in eight weeks, is in Corpus Christi for the house show. So that would seem like she's starting back tonight."

"

Surprise, #WWECorpusChristi! Look who decided to show up tonight! I had a blast. Let's do it again soon. pic.twitter.com/U29x4Lw7IA

— Bayley. (@ConvivialHugger) January 4, 2016"

Brock Lesnar isn't on the bill for Monday despite being set to compete at a house show in Houston this Friday. Instead, as Pro Wrestling Torch's James Caldwell noted, The New Day, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, The Wyatt Family, Kane and The Prime Time Players are advertised to appear on Monday's show.

Early Construction of the Royal Rumble Card 

John Cena may not be done with pursuing the United States Championship.

Last week, he had Alberto Del Rio dead to rights with the title on the line, but The League of Nations made the save. The disqualification result left Cena sans gold. The five-point preview hinted at the powerhouse possibly looking for another shot at Del Rio.

Credit: WWE.com

Wortman wrote, "With his last encounter with The Essence of Excellence ending in a disqualification, might Cena make another attempt at Old Glory early in the New Year?"

Otherwise, Cena may be switching focuses and looking to enter the Royal Rumble. So far, it's just Big Show and Axel set for the 30-man bout. 

Monday's Raw promises to add more participants, though. Wortman wrote, "Expect more Royal Rumble news on Raw."

If Tyler Breeze marches into that contest, he will do so without Summer Rae. The two broke up on last week's SmackDown.

And it looks as if fans will find out more of where those two are headed next. Wortman asked, "What new pursuits await these newly single socialites? Perhaps we'll learn more Monday night."

Raw should also provide clarity on the tag team championship picture. 

The Lucha Dragons appear to be on a collision course with the champs, knocking off The New Day several times in recent weeks. That is, of course, assuming that Sin Cara's shoulder is good to go.

The narrative of late has been that The New Day are frustrated by recent failures. The latest came on the last SmackDown when the trio lost to Kalisto and The Dudley Boyz. For good measure, the babyface sent Xavier Woods crashing through a table.

Monday's Raw should inform the audience whether The Dudley Boyz are still in the title mix or if The Lucha Dragons will push them aside.

And WWE will cap it all off with Reigns vs. Sheamus. It's by no means a dream match, but one that has added intrigue thanks to McMahon's involvement. It may also free up The Big Dog for a showdown with Triple H at the Rumble. 

In the ring, McMahon's bias and The League of Nations' cheating ways make for a difficult trial. As WWE's new No. 1 option, how well he and his fight against this throng of heels keeps viewers tuned in will be an even bigger test.