We’re rapidly approaching one of the most exciting episodes of Monday Night Raw in years, as Vince McMahon is scheduled to “shake things up” on the show this week. As one might expect, an appearance from the big boss — and the announcement that change is on the horizon — has led to plenty of speculation as to what is going to happen tonight at 8 p.m. EST.
The most obvious thing that’s likely to take place is the firing of Baron Corbin. He lost the match to Braun Strowman last night at the TLC PPV event, so he will no longer have power. Presumably, McMahon is going to appoint a new Raw General Manager. Surprisingly, there hasn’t been any reliable speculation about who could take Corbin’s place.
Logically, one might assume that Kurt Angle might take his job as GM back — but that wouldn’t necessarily be as exciting as someone new coming in to take over the position. We could also see Alexa Bliss promoted to the General Manager position, as she’s already in charge of the women’s division. On the other hand, she was given that position by Corbin, who is no longer in charge, so part of shaking things up could be removing her from power.
The first rumor going into Raw actually tells us a great deal about how WWE handles its creative direction. As it turns out, the decision to bring Vince McMahon to the show came late last week, according to PWInsider , so this does appear to be a direct reaction to the bad ratings and negative feedback from fans. One issue many fans have with the show is the lack of consistency and continuity in the storytelling. This may not be changing if WWE creative is making major moves like this at the last minute.
After an intense battle against @WWERollins , a LUNATIC is now your #ICChampion ! @TheDeanAmbrose #WWETLC https://t.co/25vEi0Io3V pic.twitter.com/kfsj7mB7TT
— WWE (@WWE) December 17, 2018
The biggest rumor heading into tonight’s episode of Raw is that Vince McMahon will actually announce a draft tonight. This would completely shake up the roster, and open up a bunch of fresh new pairings. This rumor comes from Cageside Seats , however, PWInsider notes that this is just speculation, and nothing is confirmed as of yet. The term “shake up” being used specifically adds to that speculation, as the WWE usually calls its draft a “Superstar Shake-Up.”
Another big rumor is actually related to one of last night’s matches. According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio , Vince McMahon was “furious” over the fans reactions to the Rollins versus Ambrose match at TLC last night. If that’s the case, it could further influence some of the moves that are going to happen tonight.
