WWE Raw: Potential Spoilers, Rumors, News and Preview for April 11

Shane McMahon will seize the reins again on Monday's WWE Raw.

The prodigal son didn't earn control of Raw with a victory at WrestleMania, but got a trial run anyway last week. On April 11, Vince McMahon is again stepping aside to let his son oversee his premier show.

The Staples Center in Los Angeles plays hosts as Shane-O-Mac, Dr. Phil and The Dudley Boyz make for an odd assortment of characters.

Questions buzz as WWE gets closer to the Payback pay-per-view. Does Shane sticking around mean The Authority is on its way out? Is Roman Reigns slowly embracing a shift in character? Is the tag team division set to welcome a new set of faces, as it did last Monday?

Backstage reports, Twitter and the Raw preview on WWE.com provide several answers ahead of Raw.

On Tap

Monday's Raw is going to feel like a flashback to the days of the weekly guest host. TV's Dr. Phil is headed to the show in an attempt to drum up more mainstream coverage.

The psychologist will have plenty of potential subjects when he walks into the WWE world. The roster includes a self-admitted lunatic, a cult leader and a guy who spent years walking to the ring with his imaginary friend.

WWE is also set to welcome a musical act—pop-rock group, Hundred Handed.

Lead singer Jordan McGraw is Dr. Phil's son. It's likely than the two guest stars overlap in some way.

News, Potential Spoilers

Since Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows' departure from New Japan Pro Wrestling, rumors have persisted that the former Bullet Club members are on their way to WWE.

That could happen as soon as Monday night. Dave Meltzer reported on the Wrestling Observer daily update, "At last word, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows were scheduled to travel to Los Angeles for Raw. That may mean nothing given they were in Dallas and Houston last week for TV and not used."

That would further bolster a tag team division that saw Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady debut on last week's Raw, and The Vaudevillains debut on SmackDown. WWE could suddenly be rich with booking options.

Monday's Raw may also see the roster deepen by way of a return. PWInsider's Mike Johnson noted last Tuesday, "Titus O'Neil's suspension officially ends on April 10 so he should return by next week's TV tapings."

And a feud that was reportedly in the works for The Show of Shows is poised to blossom en route to Payback.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestling Inc's Marc Middleton), WWE originally planned to have Dean Ambrose and Chris Jericho battle at WrestleMania 32. That rivalry looks as if it's unfolding now instead. Jericho and Ambrose crossed paths on last Thursday's SmackDown, the two wrestlers glaring at each other.

Jericho furthered speculation by posting the following on Instagram:

Other than Shane-O-Mac, there are no surprise names scheduled for Monday's Raw. "Chris Jericho is advertised along with Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens and Bray Wyatt," as James Caldwell of PWTorch noted.

Early Payback Build

In a bizarre move, Vince let Shane control Raw despite him not winning the right to do so at WrestleMania. That was no one-off, either. Shane is back at the helm thanks to "overwhelming social media support":

What this means moving forward is unclear, but WWE did hint at the situation having an impact on The Authority.

The WWE.com Raw preview asked, "Will the risk-taking Shane-O-Mac have the opportunity to give us another crowd-pleasing edition of Raw? What might Shane's success last week mean for The Authority?"

Regardless of what happens with the McMahons, the show is assured the boost of fresh faces. Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin, Amore and Cassady all made their Raw debuts last Monday.

The one rivalry that is clearly on its way after those additions is The Realest Guys in the Room vs. The Dudley Boyz. Amore and Cassady immediately took aim at Bubba Ray and D-Von last week, sending stinging insults their way.

Count on that leading to animosity moving forward. It looks as if The Dudley Boyz will play welcoming committee to the newcomers from NXT, perhaps at the upcoming pay-per-view.

Another potential bout in the mix for Payback is Natalya challenging Charlotte. The two rivals collided last week in the midst of the champ's victory ceremony.

More contentiousness is coming. The Raw preview reads, "The Queen of Harts will undoubtedly have her sights set on the WWE Women's Title on Raw." The only question then is if that's a title match that fans will see on TV or one the company will save for Payback.

AJ Styles has a championship match in his future, too. He outlasted Kevin Owens, Cesaro and Jericho in a No. 1 contender's bout last week to earn the right to face Reigns at some point.

On the surface, that looks like an odd move. If WWE wants to convince the audience to accept Reigns as a top babyface, then why would it pit him against such a popular fan favorite?

That's likely because Reigns is headed for a heel turn. Since winning the world title at WrestleMania, he's been extremely smug. It looks as if he's morphing into a pride-filled villain.

As for Styles, expect plenty of spotlight to point at him during his quest for the gold. The Raw preview teased as much when it asked, "Will the globally renowned ring warrior continue to pick up steam this Monday night, live in Los Angeles?"

With both Styles and Shane on center stage, WWE Raw promises to be a blend of leaning on the past and marching toward the future.