RAW Preview: 4-time world champion returns after 8 months, Rhea Ripley to face the woman who pinned her 23 months ago (15th April, 2024)

It's the second episode of RAW after WrestleMania 40 and WWE has an incredibly stacked show advertised for tonight. It's very rare that WWE announces this many matches and segments beforehand, but the fans now already have an idea of how the entirety of the show is set to play out.

World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest has a new challenger in 'Main Event' Jey Uso, who became the number one contender last week at the expense of Drew McIntyre - who we presume will have a full-blown meltdown tonight.

Apart from McIntyre, here is what you have to look forward to on what looks to be an epic episode of Monday Night RAW:

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#8. Sheamus is back in WWE after over half a year

Who will The Celtic Warrior target on his return?

Last week on RAW, WWE advertised the return of The Celtic Warrior Sheamus. He wrestled his last match in August of 2023 against Edge, who would go on to leave for AEW after that.

Sheamus' Brawling Brutes group is now a thing of the past, with Butch revitalizing his career as Pete Dunne alongside Tyler Bate, while Ridge Holland has gone to WWE NXT.

Now on a different brand and looking to make a statement, who will the 4-time world champion target in his return to WWE after 8 months away?

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#7. Rhea Ripley to respond to Liv Morgan's attack on her on RAW

Not many know this, but the last time the Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley was pinned was a whole 23 months ago. The last woman to do it? Her longtime friend/rival Liv Mogan.

Morgan and Rhea Ripley have such a storied history together in a short time that WWE had to put out a condensed one-hour-long YouTube video to show their rivalry.

With Ripley emerging as the undisputed #1 woman in WWE after taking care of Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 40, she was attacked last week by the woman to last pin her.

This week, we will see the Women's World Champion respond to Morgan to presumably kickstart their feud leading up to Backlash 2024.

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#6. Jey Uso takes on Finn Balor in the build-up to his World title shot

Will Jey Uso topple the former Universal Champion?

'Main Event' Jey Uso has CM Punk to thank as he is now the #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship. Damian Priest will be using every trick in the book to weaken his opponent before their world championship match and one of them will be to have Finn Balor face Jey on WWE RAW.

Jey Uso is no stranger to taking on former world champions, but he will have to do that tonight on the red brand to gain momentum for his big title shot.

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#5. Andrade takes on Dominik Mysterio on RAW

Will El Idolo continue to one-up Dominik?

Andrade emerged victorious alongside Rey Mysterio at WrestleMania 40 against Santos Escobar and Dominik Mysterio. Now, slightly removed from the LWO, Andrade will face Dominik in a big match tonight.

Dominik, for his part, will try to get his measure of revenge against Andrade, but the odds will favor the more experienced veteran who returned to WWE this year at the Royal Rumble.

Can "Dirty" Dom pull off the upset tonight on WWE RAW?

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#4. Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell face Maxxine Dupri and Ivy Nile again

What will Candice LeRae try to pull off tonight?

Candice LeRae has been an absolute menace in the last few weeks on Monday Night RAW ever since her verbal tirade on Maxxine Dupri. Her partner Indi Hartwell doesn't seem to approve of it, yet says nothing when confronted with the situation.

Maxxine and Ivy Nile have gained some momentum in the last couple of weeks, and the feud between the two teams will be coming to a head tonight.

Who will get the last laugh when it's all said and done?

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#3. Kayden Carter & Katana Chance face Chelsea Green & Piper Niven

Will the winner be one step closer to a tag team title shot?

Kayden Carter & Katana Chance won the Women's Tag Team Championships from Chelsea Green and Piper Niven late last year. Fast forward a few months, and neither are champions.

Chelsea Green has found herself on the receiving end of repeated beatings from Jade Cargill, and she looks to regain momentum this week against her old opponents.

The two teams will face off again tonight on WWE RAW to presumably determine who is closer to a tag team title shot.

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#2. What does Cody Rhodes have to say following the events of last week?

The events of last week have been certainly interesting. On the RAW after WrestleMania, Cody Rhodes was confronted by The Rock, who hinted to him that their story together was just beginning.

Before The Rock took his leave from WWE, he handed an object to Cody Rhodes - something Cody could spposedly recognize without even seeing what it was.

WWE SmackDown a few days ago saw two triple threat matches to set up a number one contender's match for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

The mini-tournament narrowed down to two final superstars - AJ Styles and LA Knight. In a WrestleMania 40 rematch, the two bitter rivals will go head-to-head on the blue brand this week to determine Cody Rhodes' opponent for the main event of Backlash in Lyon, France.

What will Cody have to say about the events revolving around him last week on RAW tonight?

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#1. Sami Zayn defends his Intercontinental Title against Chad Gable in Montreal

Can Sami Zayn overcome the ghost of February 2023?

The last time Sami Zayn was in a high-profile championship match in Montreal - it was Elimination Chamber 2023. In the main event, in front of his family and friends, he lost to Roman Reigns and failed to become the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.

Fast forward 14 months, and he is now the Intercontinental Champion after toppling Gunther off his throne to end his record-breaking 666-day run as Intercontinental Champion.

Given how big a role Chad Gable played in helping Sami Zayn win, it was only fair that Zayn granted him a shot at his title. The stakes couldn't be higher as RAW is in Sami Zayn's hometown and he will look to have a full circle moment by retaining his title in front of his family and friends.

But on the other side of the ring stands a hungry and determined Chad Gable. What happens when the bell rings will be nothing short of a spectacle.