Raw airs tonight (Nov. 17) with a live show from Madison Square Garden in New York City. This is the sixth episode of Raw during the seven week build to Survivor Series, which takes place on November 29.
It’s the end of an era in WWE, and big surprises are coming tonight
WWE’s shows in Madison Square Garden are always special, and tonight is no exception. This is John Cena’s final episode of Raw during his WWE farewell tour, and Cena himself says it’s the end of an era.
WWE very likely has some big surprises in store for its fans at MSG, starting with John’s implication above that he will wrestle tonight. If this really is John’s last ever match on Raw, perhaps there will be a surprise opponent. Is Cena willing to put his new Intercontinental championship on the line in an open challenge so everyone can see who walks through that curtain to answer his call? John is kicking off the show, so we won’t have to wait long to find out. He also needs an opponent for Survivor Series, so there should be an angle tonight to sort that out.
One surprise that’s definitely happening is the reveal of another mystery wrestler in The Last Time Is Now tournament, because Solo Sikoa is matched up against a surprise opponent tonight in the opening round. Will the mystery man be someone who has history with John? Will he fare any better in the tournament than Zack Ryder did last week against LA Knight?
The biggest surprises of the night may involve the men’s War Games matches. Each of the teams needs one final member to join, and there is lots of speculation about Roman Reigns and Austin Theory Brock Lesnar taking those spots. If WWE is bringing Reigns and Lesnar in for War Games, there is no better place to reveal that surprise than at MSG.
It’s less obvious that there is a surprise in store for the women’s War Games teams, but there has been some talk about AJ Lee possibly returning tonight at Madison Square Garden. Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch is defending the gold on Raw against underdog Maxxine Dupri. Could AJ return tonight to screw over Lynch and/or challenge her for Survivor Series?
Make sure you don’t miss out on all these potential surprises tonight on one of the most highly-anticipated Raw episodes of the year.
The rest of the card
GUNTHER returns to Raw tonight to face Je’Von Evans in The Last Time Is Now tournament. Can Evans pull off a miracle upset against the former world heavyweight champion, who also happens to be the favorite to win the tournament?
WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella will be on the mic at some point tonight to explain why she blindsided Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer last week. Will the fans chant mean things at Nikki as she comes up with excuses for her heel turn? Is this the start of Bella’s push back to the top of the women’s division for one more title run?
Other stuff to keep an eye on
– Now that Dirty Dom is down in the dumps after losing the Intercontinental title last week, will deadbeat dad Rey Mysterio challenge that little shithead son of his to a AAA Mega Championship match at Survivor Series in their hometown of San Diego?
– Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY are scrambling to fill out the rest of their War Games team after Charlotte Flair pulled herself out of the match. Is there time left for Alexa Bliss to convince Charlotte to change her mind? Will WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Asuka and Kairi Sane force Charlotte’s hand by putting her friend in danger? What if Bayley and Lyra Valkyria ask to take the final two spots on the babyface team?
– WWE World Tag Team Champions AJ Styles & Dragon Lee desperately need a team name. Is AJ Styles being too picky by rejecting “AJ Lee” and “Dragons with Style”? Will they lose the belts before settling on a name?
– Will Sheamus run into John Cena tonight to let him know that he plans to win the Intercontinental title from him in his WWE retirement match? Will WWE finally reveal a bracket for The Last Time Is Now tournament so we can see if Sheamus will have to go through GUNTHER in the next round?
– World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk let Jimmy Uso join his team at War Games, and Jey Uso doesn’t seem too thrilled about it. Will Jey show any more signs of a potential break with Punk and Cody Rhodes tonight?
– Now that Drew McIntyre is joining up with Logan Paul and The Brons for War Games, will Drew make an appearance on Raw tonight and get back to the good old days of trolling CM Punk?
– Where the f*** is Omos? Could he be Cena’s last ever opponent on Raw?
What will you be looking for on Raw?
