5 Potential twists for WWE RAW: 14th January 2019

RAW had a very interesting start to the year. It didn't have a New Year's episode, but the first main event of 2019 saw Seth Rollins challenge Dean Ambrose for the Intercontinental Championship.

Since we're now in the new era and "immediate rematches" are a thing of the past (a very good decision, in our opinion), Rollins had to earn the title shot by pinning Dean Ambrose in a tag team match earlier that night.

He teamed with his two old rivals John Cena and Finn Balor to take on Dean Ambrose, Drew McIntyre, and Bobby Lashley. Lashley would cost him the match later that same night. A lot more has been happening on RAW as well, with the women's championship getting a high-profile first-ever match-up at the Royal Rumble, while conspiracies have been floating around as well! You read that right. Here are a few potential twists we could see on the red brand this week!

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#5 Bobby Lashley becomes Intercontinental Champion

Bobby Lashley has entered the fray

Seth Rollins had Dean Ambrose beat last week when he hit the curb stomp on the Intercontinental Champion. As it looked like he was on his way for a clean victory, The Almighty Bobby Lashley interjected and cost him the match.

He launched a vicious assault on Rollins and let Dean Ambrose win the match. Afterward, he sent Rollins through a table, making a clear statement. It's clear that Lashley still has a beef with Rollins, and he's now forcefully entered the Intercontinental Championship picture.

We expect Rollins not to win, and Ambrose, who knows? Lashley is long overdue for a title run since his return, so it's very possible that he could win the title and go on to hold it until WrestleMania at the very least. Who have you got for this match?

#4 Sasha Banks turns on Ronda Rousey

Last week on the first episode of A Moment of Bliss, we saw Ronda Rousey geeking out and praising Sasha Banks. Nia Jax interrupted and Sasha would come out, staking her claim to a RAW Women's title match. She told Ronda that she'd show her how to lose with honour and dignity.

She then earned a title shot at the Royal Rumble after beating Nia Jax. If you exclude the Charlotte Flair match at Survivor Series, this is by far Rousey's most high-profile match since joining WWE.

It's also a dream match, and don't be surprised if Sasha takes Rousey's kindness for granted. Corey Graves has always been telling us about how Sasha Banks is willing to stab anyone in the back, and she could turn on Rousey to try and get in her head. It would certainly draw more eyes to the feud for sure.

Tonight, Rousey and Banks team up to face Nia Jax and Tamina.

#3 There's an actual conspiracy against The Revival

The Revival has been incredibly unlucky in their pursuit of the RAW Tag Team Championships. They had their place taken against The B-Team in a RAW tag team title match (and the titles changed hands anyway), and in the last few weeks, they've found themselves on the losing end of back-to-back title matches thanks to two referee mistakes.

The first match against Chad Gable & Bobby Roode saw the wrong member of The Revival pinned, and last week in the lumberjack match, Scott Dawson's foot was clearly under the rope (as you can see in the photo above).

While it comes across as an unintentional mistake, the photo also reveals the glaring truth: the referee can see Dawson's leg. The Revival has stated that there's a conspiracy against them, and this week, we may find that there actually is a conspiracy by someone backstage against The Revival. This could lead to a very interesting story for The Top Guys.

#2 Alexa Bliss gets cleared, returns to the RAW title picture

Alexa Bliss hasn't been medically cleared to compete for a few months now, mainly due to facing reported multiple concussions. WWE is rightfully very strict about clearing superstars with concussions, and Alexa Bliss has been in a non-wrestling role since.

However, her recent interviews indicate that she's back training in the WWE Performance Center and is very close to recovery. Pre-concussions, she was in the title picture on SmackDown Live and RAW for two consecutive years (non-stop).

Last week, Ronda Rousey refused to shake Bliss' hand and is still cold towards the woman she dethroned to become champion. Since Alexa Bliss is no stranger to the title picture, don't be surprised to see her attack either Rousey or Banks and stake her claim to the RAW Women's title.

While Rousey vs Banks is a more attractive match-up from an in-ring perspective, adding Bliss to the mix would certainly draw a lot of interest as well.

#1 Braun Strowman reveals he's medically unfit to compete in the Royal Rumble

Admittedly, this is the unlikeliest of scenarios on this list. Braun Strowman hasn't been wearing a cast anymore, and that itself should indicate that he'll be medically clear.

However, the reported reason that Brock Lesnar and Strowman didn't have a physical confrontation last week was that they want to keep Strowman away from any action until the Royal Rumble. He hasn't even been wrestling live events.

With so much uncertainty, there comes the niggling doubt that Strowman's real long-term status could be unclear. Would it be worth the risk to injure Strowman long-term for one high-profile Royal Rumble match?

If Strowman was to announce that he's medically unfit to compete, that would certainly be a shock and cause a sudden change in plans for the Rumble (and perhaps even WrestleMania). They could give Lesnar a filler opponent in such a situation.

However, we still firmly believe that Strowman will make it to the Rumble.

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