Stephanie McMahon Invites Becky Lynch; Preview for February 4 Episode of WWE Raw

In case you hadn't noticed, the Road to WrestleMania 35 is underway, and WWE will continue to set the table for The Showcase of the Immortals with a February 4 episode of Raw featuring an appearance from Becky Lynch, the return to the ring of a Hall of Famer and a showdown between two of the brand's brightest stars.

But first...

Seth Rollins Out of Action

John Pollock of Post Wrestling reported Seth Rollins was not at weekend house shows because "he is said to be dealing with an issue that predated the angle with Brock Lesnar last Monday."

Furthermore, "he is off live events for the time being and not expected to be used on Raw this Monday to recover. We were told that he will only be doing promos with no physicality for the next month on television."

That first part is most interesting, though.

If Rollins has a health issue that predated his interaction with Lesnar on last week's show, that means he was either injured during the Royal Rumble match or the company knew when it decided to book him to win the titular match that he was dealing with an issue that would force him out of action for at least one month. 

So why bother?

The SmackDown brand could have benefited from having one of its stars win the Rumble and set up a WrestleMania showdown with the WWE champion, while Raw could have utilized the Elimination Chamber or Fastlane pay-per-view to tell Rollins' story and set in motion his storyline with Lesnar.

As it is, WWE Creative will now face a situation in which it has to drum up interest for a Universal Championship match in which the titleholder is rarely on television and The Architect, hardly a strong promo himself, has to carry the program from that end.

Here's hoping whatever ails Rollins heals relatively quickly so a guy who has been so instrumental to the overall quality of the in-ring product of the main roster can actually deliver the type of match both he and fans deserve come April 7.

Stephanie McMahon Invites Becky Lynch to Raw

A week ago, Lynch interrupted the post-match celebration of Raw women's champion Ronda Rousey and officially selected Rowdy as her opponent for WrestleMania.

Never one to pass up the opportunity to get involved in the hottest storyline in the company, Stephanie McMahon officially invited The Man to Monday's Raw, presumably for a face-to-face of sorts with the former UFC star.

Considering McMahon's long history with the Raw women's champion, perhaps this angle will be one in which the boss tries to lure Lynch to her side, only to have her attempts thwarted by a rebellious babyface.

Maybe Rousey and Lynch will get physical for the first time since The Man trapped Rowdy in her Disarm-Her finisher backstage before Survivor Series. 

Unless the goal is to put Lynch over as an anti-authority badass, this feels a bit too self-serving for McMahon, who has no reason to get involved in the issues between the Royal Rumble winner and her WrestleMania 35 opponent.

What's Next for Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle is no longer capable of performing up to the level he did even late in his TNA run. He looks slower, lacks that burst of energy and appears to be in pain every time he tries to do even the most basic moves in his once-expansive arsenal.

We witnessed as much last Monday night when he struggled his way through an unannounced match against Baron Corbin, during which he spent a lot of time on the mat in a rest hold.

The 1996 Olympian, one of the greatest wrestlers to lace a pair of boots, has begun to resemble NFL great Brett Favre in his final, miserable year with the Minnesota Vikings rather than the respected gunslinger he was with the Green Bay Packers.

Angle deserves a better sendoff than playing punching bag to Corbin and Drew McIntyre, and one can only hope that begins Monday.

It is possible Angle announces his retirement from in-ring competition and moves on to whatever it is he will do with the company next. The more preferable development, though, would be the start of one last run, culminating with a WrestleMania farewell, maybe against McIntyre, who humiliated him in their first match.

It remains to be seen exactly what unfolds, but one can only hope Angle gets to go out with dignity, his head held high and his legacy as one of the greats of WWE intact.

Jeff Jarrett Returns to Action

2018 Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Jarrett returned at the Royal Rumble and then appeared the following night on Raw. In both instances, he found himself on the receiving end of a beatdown courtesy of Elias.

Monday, the 51-year-old will battle the same opponent in his first official singles match on the flagship show since 1999.

Jarrett is one of those performers whose low-risk, old-school style translates across decades, so he will likely perform at a level higher than most his age would. The question is whether he is supposed to be the heel in this program or if WWE Creative inexplicably turned Elias after months of playing a babyface to no avail.

Elias may not have proved the most effective good guy, but he was never really given a chance, either. He lost to Baron Corbin, was beaten down by Bobby Lashley and only scored a victory in a gimmicky holiday match seen by only the most faithful Raw viewers.

Now seemingly a heel and feuding with Jarrett and "Road Dogg" Jesse James in a storyline straight out of the territorial days, one can only hope the charismatic star can find the momentum that has eluded him to this point.