WWE Monday Night Raw 8/22/11 Preview: 5 Things to Expect During Tonight's Event

It's that time of the week again, and the biggest Superstars in the WWE are set to grace our television screens tonight on WWE Monday Night RAW.  

With a full Monday ahead of us, we're here to break down the five major things the WWE Universe can expect out of tonight's event.

As the vast majority of you reading this are well aware of, last week on RAW Kevin Nash made an appearance and explained his actions at SummerSlam, insisting that his close friend, WWE COO Triple H, was the one who ordered the hit on CM Punk after he became the Undisputed WWE Champion.

Controversy followed, as earlier that night Triple H claimed that he only gave Nash the tickets to watch the show, and was clueless as to why he attacked Punk.  This has the makings of a classic whodunit, as the only thing we are sure of is that the text that ordered Nash to attack whomever won the WWE title unification bout came from Triple H's phone, not necessarily Triple H.

Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and John Laurinaitis are all plausible suspects when it comes to who sent the text message to Nash.  Tonight on RAW, will we get more insight on who sent the text, or even why they sent the text in the first place?

This, and much more, is what we can expect out of tonight's WWE Monday Night RAW broadcast.  Check out the following slides as we break down the five things to expect out of tonight's event. 

What's Next for R-Truth and John Morrison?

It took John Morrison a handful of matches to get back to his winning ways, but last week on RAW he finally scored a win over R-Truth, who put him out of action months ago.  

The match between Morrison and Truth last week was fun, and a great start to the show.  The big question in regards to these two though is: "What's next?"

Morrison's injury came at what can only be described as an unfortunate time.  He was coming off a great performance against John Cena and The Miz in the main event of Extreme Rules—a three way steel cage match.  Morrison was rewarded with what was set to be an extended feud with R-Truth, where R-Truth made his heel turn.  

Immediately after the kick off of the feud, Morrison was sidelined with a neck injury.  R-Truth has gone on to become a classic comedy heel, and one could only imagine that Morrison would have also been able to benefit from the feud.

I won't pretend to have the answers in regards to what the WWE intends to do with these two Superstars.  They may continue the feud after seeing how well the two clashed last Monday, or they may look to position the two men elsewhere. 

What I do expect, is that one way or another, we'll have a good idea of what the WWE's intentions are with these two by the end of the night.

Kelly Kelly's Continued Reign over the WWE Divas Division

WWE Divas Champion Kelly Kelly has been on, dare I say, a bit of a tear in the Divas division since winning the championship.  Last week on RAW, Kelly Kelly teamed with Eve Torres, and they went on to defeat the Bella Twins.

I, like most fans, have been critical of the Divas division as of late, but Kelly Kelly has been improving, and I can certainly appreciate that. 

She won't be dropping the belt any time before Night of Champions, where I have a hunch that she'll be facing Beth Phoenix once again.  Whether or not she'll pull out the victory when the night comes remains to be seen.

Keep an eye out for some development in the Kelly Kelly/Beth Phoenix feud.  Kelly Kelly's reign at the top of the Divas division won't end tonight, but her winning streak might if she runs into "The Divas of Doom" Beth Phoenix and Natalya.

Vicki Guerrero Expanding Her Clientele

Last week on RAW, we saw the rift continue to grow between WWE United States Champion Dolph Ziggler, and his manager Vicki Guerrero.

Jack Swagger spoke with Vicki after defeating Alex Riley, complimenting her skills as a manager, and suggesting that she take on more clients.  

Judging from the body language between the two of them, Vicki may be in Swagger's corner as soon as tonight.

Yes, many people cannot stand Vicki Guerrero.  That is the point.  We're supposed to loathe her screeching voice, and chuckle at her every time she makes a fool of herself.  She plays her role very well, and would be a great tool for getting some of the mid-card heels heat.  Look no further than Dolph Ziggler for proof that she gets the job done.

If we don't see Vicki with a new "client" tonight, I'll be shocked, but we'll at least see her taking big steps in that direction

Significant Developments in the CM Punk/Kevin Nash Situation

Last week, CM Punk was ready to stand toe-to-toe with Kevin Nash after their verbal sparring match on RAW.  

Punk was looking for answers, and has opted to devote his time to search for them, rather than chasing the Unified WWE Championship he lost to Alberto Del Rio when Del Rio cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase after Kevin Nash demolished Punk at SummerSlam.

Following the confrontation with Nash, Punk met with Triple H, then ran into Stephanie McMahon Helmsley.  Stephanie's disdain for Punk is painfully obvious, but the feeling is certainly mutual.

Keep in mind that we don't know how the meeting between Punk and Triple H went.

Nash met with John Laurinaitis while Punk was with Triple H.  What was discussed between the two behind closed doors?  We may find out tonight.

Last week, the rumor dropped that the WWE may be booking Kevin Nash vs. CM Punk at Night of Champions.  Should this be the case, the WWE will be putting the spotlight on this high profile feud, and significant developments will be underway tonight.

WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio Positioned to Face John Cena at Night of Champions

The final moments on Raw last week revealed what many suspected: that Alberto Del Rio's first feud as WWE Champion would be against none other than John Cena.

After defeating Rey Mysterio, Del Rio continued his assault, which prompted Cena to run in and chase the champion off.

Cena unleashed a tirade on the mic against Del Rio where he made it very clear that he has no respect for Del Rio's tactics, and doesn't consider him a true champion.

Cena finished by saying that Del Rio's destiny was John Cena whipping his...you know.  It was certainly nice to see some raw emotion coming from Cena.

Tonight, we'll surely see some progress made in this feud.  With Night of Champions less than a month away, the build for the main event should begin to pick up this week.  

What I'll personally be keeping an eye out for though, is John Cena's charisma.  If he can keep rolling with the tone and emotion he had last week, he may make a fan out of me yet.