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171 cities, 11 countries, 1286+ episodes and 25 years of iconic memories. WWE celebrates a monumental milestone of its flagship show this week and as expected, Vince McMahon and co. have left no stone unturned in making it feel like a PPV.
Being the go-home show for Royal Rumble is just an added bonus in what promises to be a satisfying experience in contrast to an otherwise tedious three-hour ordeal. An unending list of legendary returns, a title match and a host of the announcements that could turn the Rumble on its head; Raw is stacked and how!
Follow Sportskeeda's live coverage of Raw 25 right here.
However, the success of the nostalgic show depends heavily on these five talking points:
#1 The carnival of returns
Here's the list (caution: constant marking out may hinder you from getting to the end):
Stone Cold Steve Austin
The Undertaker
Chris Jericho
D-Generation X
Trish Stratus
Torrie Wilson
Jim Ross
Jerry Lawler
Jacqueline
The Dudley Boyz
Christian
Ric Flair
Maria Kanellis
Scott Hall
The Bella Twins
The New Age Outlaws
Eric Bischoff
Terri Runnels
Ron Simmons
JBL
Kelly Kelly
The Godfather
The Brooklyn Brawler
Michelle McCool
Brother Love
Boogeyman
Teddy Long
The Million Dollar Man
John Laurinaitis
Harvey Wippleman
Lilian Garcia
Jonathan Coachman
MVP
William Regal
Howard Finkel
Need we say more? Also, Hollywood exports, Rock and Batista are also expected to make surprise appearances if the word across the rumour mill is to be believed.
Three hours do seem less now, doesn't it?
#2 Braun Strowman is the greatest thing since sliced bread
Who would have ever thought that the Black Sheep would be the shining light that saves Monday Night Raw? Some dominant booking and a penchant for destruction have made Strowman the hottest thing in all of wrestling.
The Monster Among Men did it all last week. He flipped a tractor, took out an entire security team and manhandled botchmaster Michael Cole on a show that was built around the future Universal Champion. And this was after he nearly killed both Brock Lesnar and Kane in a freakish backstage segment a week prior to that. And yes, he nearly destroyed a $12 Million production truck. $12 MILLION!!!
The carnage will continue, though.
The Beast Incarnate and The Demon return this week with retribution on their minds and the insurmountable task of stopping a behemoth staring them in the eyes. Who will have the last laugh before the triple threat showdown in a week at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia?
#3 A new champion?
Roman Reigns will put the Intercontinental championship on the line this week against the man who brought the title back to relevancy, The Miz.
Every educated fan is well aware of WWE's grand plans of coronating the Big Dog as the undisputed face of the company at the Show of shows and for that to happen, he would need to drop the IC championship. WWE could not have asked for a better occasion to pull the trigger on the title change
The Miz is the favorite to regain the title for the 8th time, one short of Chris Jericho's record 9 title wins. An interesting twist would be if The Undertaker appears to avenge the heartbreaking WrestleMania 33 loss by screwing Reigns over and setting up a possible Rumble rematch.
#4 A mini-invasion
While John Cena may currently be a free agent, his heart and soul undeniable lies with SmackDown Live. The Cenation leader is scheduled to grace tonight's historic occasion with his lively presence and if the scenario mentioned in the previous slide doesn't come to fruition, the seeds of the dream match that has been rumored since the beginning of time could finally be planted.
It's said that WWE has plans much greater than the WWE Championship for 16-time World Champion and with the Franchise player and the Phenom on the same building, there is only one sensible conclusion.
Moving along from the speculation, many of the top SmackDown Superstars will drop by their rivals' den for one night only. The New Day, Usos, AJ Styles and Charlotte Flair will represent the blue brand in the festivities with some mouth-watering showdowns possibly in the pipeline.
A Mini Bullet club reunion is just one of the angles we're certain to witness.
#5 Royal Rumble additions
So far, WWE has confirmed 12 names for the Men's match while 17 current superstars have been locked in for the first time ever women's bout. The room for more entrants announcing their participation tonight in the wake of some big-name comebacks has heightened the anticipation for both matches.
Trish Stratus and Kelly Kelly have already hinted at their availability. Chris Jericho and The Undertaker would only add to the star-power of the match while Batista and a returning MVP are the wild card predictions.
The 25th anniversary Raw is a blockbuster show in the making, but will WWE deliver? Sound off in the comments section on your predictions.
