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WWE News: ‘Monday Night RAW’ Preview — Shane McMahon Runs The Show Again

By Dustin Murrell
Published on: 03:32 PST, Apr 11, 2016

It’s barely been a week since WrestleMania 32, and it appears that Vince McMahon may be starting a new chapter in the history of WWE. Despite losing to The Undertaker last Sunday, Shane McMahon is back in charge of WWE Monday Night RAW for the second week in a row. Stars from previous eras like Taker, Triple H, and Brock Lesnar haven’t showed up to any WWE tapings since WrestleMania weekend in Dallas, while an internet darling like AJ Styles challenges for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and a handful of stars from NXT are already making an impact on the main roster’s product.

After last week’s WWE Thursday Night SmackDown, it appears that WWE is already shifting their focus towards WWE Payback, as new feuds continue to develop. While Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens do not appear to be finished with each other, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady are starting a program with the Dudley Boyz. Apparently through with King Barrett, the faction wars in WWE continue as The League of Nations must contend with The Wyatt Family. And Charlotte seems to be starting an angle as the first WWE Women’s Champion alongside WWE Divas veteran Natalya.

What follows is a fresh look at WWE.com’s official Monday Night RAW preview. Each week, it provides the WWE Universe with a heads-up in regards to the assumed events that will take place on the WWE’s flagship program, live on the USA Network.

WWE Monday Night RAW Preview

WWE is testing the waters with some new names in some major roles on the main roster. While that’s exactly the kind of thing that the “nutty” audience from last week’s post-Mania Monday Night RAW would love, how will a more “mainstream” WWE Universe from the Staples Center in Los Angeles react to the new faces?

Can Styles claim Reigns’ WWE World Heavyweight Title?

AJ Styles has taken a path in the WWE unseen since days of WCW and the Monday Night Wars. Back then, a star could crossover to WWE and immediately become a big-time player. Nowadays, as attested to by guys like Samoa Joe, Austin Aries, and Shinsuke Nakamura, most stars that have made a name for themselves outside of WWE are required to prove themselves in NXT before showing up on the main roster.

WWE RAW: AJ Styles
AJ Styles is the No. 1 contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, currently held by Roman Reigns [Image via WWE].
AJ Styles, however, made his debut at the Royal Rumble, and will be challenging for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on a WWE pay-per-view event less than four months after his initial introduction. How will this good ol’ Southern boy be received by the fans in Los Angeles?

Will Shane McMahon bring us another “money” Raw?

Whether or not the ratings reflected it, the WWE Universe in Dallas last week loved the show when Shane McMahon was in charge. Has Vince (in real life or in character) finally realized that it’s time for someone else to take the reigns?

Even if Triple H and Stephanie are the ones legitimately pulling the strings backstage, can we expect Shane-o-Mac to become a regular part of Monday Night RAW going forward?

What does Dr. Phil have planned for Raw?

When was the last time someone complained that Monday Night RAW didn’t have enough unrelated celebrities making appearances? Couldn’t Dr. Phil have been better used during the counseling sessions between Team Hell No a few years ago?

For whatever reason, WWE continues to load Monday nights with personalities from other industries that the WWE Universe has no reason to care about. What will they do with Dr. Phil tonight?

Are the Dudley Boyz “Sawft”?

While The New Day is one of the most popular tag teams in quite some time, there’s a new charismatic tag team in town that could eventually give the preachers of positivity a run for their money (and their WWE Tag Team titles).

Much like Chris Jericho, Big Show and Mark Henry, the Dudley Boyz seem to have embraced their role as active-yet-legendary talent that is mostly being used to put over the younger talent. A program with Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady could prove to be very entertaining.

Is Goldust ready for his close-up?

For whatever reason, the WWE continues to put veterans R-Truth and Goldust in situations hoping that they’ll continue to provide comedy gold week-in and week-out. There have been mixed results.

Obviously, it’s either going to result in the two WWE Superstars becoming a tag team or beginning a feud. Either way, the eventual pay-off seems questionable at best.

Will The Wyatt Family seal The League of Nations’ fate?

The faction wars continue within the WWE Universe, as The League of Nations (now sans King Barrett) will now be forced to deal with The Wyatt Family, who had a very minor role over the recent WrestleMania weekend.

WWE Payback (Bray Wyatt)
With their faces gracing the promotional material, what does WWE have planned for The Wyatt Family at WWE Payback next month? [Image via WWE].
If Alberto Del Rio and company must now deal with Bray Wyatt’s army, where does that leave The New Day? Who will be challenging for the WWE Tag Team Championship?

Can Natalya knock Charlotte off her pedestal?

While Lana has shown that she’s ready for in-ring competition and former WWE Divas Champion Maryse is back on the scene, things are heating up in the WWE Women’s division. With a newly re-branded title for them to chase and the NXT Women’s Championship showcasing matches like Asuka vs. Bayley, how fired-up will Charlotte and the rest of the division be?

WWE Divas: Charlotte and Natalya
Now that WWE has re-branded their female title as the WWE Women’s Championship, will Natalya prove to be a worthy competitor for Charlotte? [Image via WWE].
While she has recently been stuck doing product placement segments and promoting Total Divas, Natalya is back in the spotlight, feuding directly with Charlotte. Will they hold off on the title match until WWE Payback?

Where To Watch

WWE Payback airs live on the WWE Network on Sunday, May 1 at 7/6c.

WWE Monday Night RAW airs live on the USA Network at 8/7c. Replays of WWE RAW aren’t made available on the WWE Network until several weeks after the original air date. However, a 90-minute version of Monday Night RAW is available to stream on-demand the following day with a Hulu Plus subscription.

[Image via WWE]

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