WWE Raw: Potential Spoilers, News and Preview for Jan. 2

Powerhouses will stand on center stage as the first WWE Raw of 2017 unfolds.

Goldberg will return with his eyes pointed toward the Royal Rumble, Braun Strowman will get a chance to smash his rival into dust and Roman Reigns' quest to become a double champion is sure to be a key part of Monday's show.

Tampa, Florida, will host as the red brand looks to start off the year with a memorable night.

Goldberg's latest return will help with that endeavor. He will be key to WWE's build to the Royal Rumble pay-per-view on Jan. 29.

Can WWE continue its effective presentation of him on TV? Has a former member of The Social Outcasts reverted to an old version of himself? Will Strowman maintain his winning ways?

Social media updates, storyline breakdowns and the Raw preview on WWE.com help provide some answers before 2017's first Raw hits the airwaves on Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network.

On Tap

The clock can't save Sami Zayn this time.

Zayn survived against Strowman at Roadblock: End of the Line for 10 minutes to earn a win. This time around, he has to face the monster in a Last Man Standing match, as WWE announced last week.

An enraged Strowman has spent the past two weeks rampaging on Raw, tearing up equipment backstage and hurling men around with ease. The behemoth will now look to feast on the underdog he never believed deserved to be in the same ring as him.

Florida is set to welcome Goldberg as well.

As noted on last week's Raw, the former WCW wrecking ball will return to the red brand again. He and Brock Lesnar are both set to enter the Royal Rumble match, and the hype for that event will kick off in earnest with Goldberg's arrival.

WWE did an excellent job of making each Goldberg appearance last year feel momentous. That will get tougher to do moving forward, as the novelty of his presence will begin to wear off.

News, Potential Spoilers

Raw may be getting its general manager back. Red brand GM Mick Foley missed last week's show, and rumors about him undergoing hip surgery emerged afterward.

Foley cleared up the situation in a Facebook post, explaining that he needed surgery but hasn't decided to go through with it yet. He also wrote, "I should be back for almost every episode until that moment comes when/if the company decides to go in a different direction."

And we could soon see the return of Curtis Axel's Hulk Hogan-inspired gimmick.

WWE abandoned the AxelMania shtick last year after controversy brewed around Hogan. The company, though, is at least testing the waters with the act.

As Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc noted, a number of fans remarked that Axel returned to the AxelMania gimmick at a house show in St. Louis last week.

Fan Matt Thomas shared a photo of Axel in his Hogan-themed garb:

The WWE Universe will be waiting for another return on Monday night. Emma is set to step into the Raw spotlight after a repackage of her gimmick, as we have seen during months' worth of vignettes.

But when will the wrestler soon to be known as Emmalina actually arrive?

WWE has teased her re-debut but has yet to deliver. Her video packages continue to advertise her as "premiering soon."

Raw Streaks

Strowman will enter his bout with Zayn with ample momentum.

The big man has dominated on the red brand. Strowman has rattled off five Raw wins in a row, per CageMatch.net. And his .815 winning percentage on TV bouts last year says a lot about how WWE views him.

The Golden Truth has resided on the opposite side of the food chain.

It's clear WWE views R-Truth and Goldust as nothing more than comic fodder for other teams. Their record to close out 2016 confirms that.

Per CageMatch.net, The Golden Truth has suffered four consecutive losses on Raw and is 3-10 in its last 10 bouts overall. Its latest defeat came against Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.

The heels used The Golden Truth as steppingstones as they move toward a tag team title shot at some point. As for R-Truth and Goldust, they aren't likely to experience victory often in 2017.

Royal Rumble Build

A focused, seething challenger is charging toward Rich Swann.

The Royal Rumble's likely Cruiserweight Championship match looks to be Swann taking on a recharged Neville. WWE had long asked Neville to sit on the bench before inserting him into the cruiserweight division late last year.

Neville has bowled over his peers thus far and has a non-title victory over Swann to his name.

The Raw preview on WWE.com asked the obvious next question: "After defeating Swann, has Neville earned a WWE Cruiserweight Championship opportunity in the near future?"

That's the direction WWE should go in. Neville's heel turn has energized him. He and Swann could have an engaging feud that will help propel the cruiserweight division.

The Raw Women's Championship picture is equally clear. Bayley is en route to a title showdown with Charlotte Flair.

After beating Flair in non-title action three times, Bayley finally lost to the champ last week. The defeat, though, came with a sizable asterisk next to it. Flair's protege and goon, Dana Brooke, cheated to help bring Bayley down.

The Raw preview asked what Bayley's next move will be: "How will she respond to The Queen's machinations?"

Monday's Raw will also focus on the growing rivalry between universal champ Kevin Owens and United States titleholder Reigns.

Reigns vs. Owens—with KO's buddy, Chris Jericho, suspended in a shark cage—will headline the Royal Rumble PPV. Up to this point, the feud has been tepid. WWE has to make the issues between these men much more personal.

Owens has to be more dastardly. Reigns has to suffer more to generate more pathos. There's a load of work to be done with this story to avoid Raw kicking off the year with an underwhelming main event picture.