RAW Preview: WrestleMania 35 rematch, Year-long undefeated streak to end?(January 13th, 2020)

Welcome to this week's edition of WWE RAW Preview! In the second episode of RAW of this year, we edge closer towards the Royal Rumble. It's that time of the year again and things are only going to get more exciting.

However, it isn't only the build to the Royal Rumble that excites us, it's the prospect of all that's happening right now. When looking at the two brands, it's clear that a lot more is happening on RAW (and that's only expected given it's an hour longer than SmackDown) and this week is stacked with matches.

We have a WrestleMania rematch, a trilogy match, a first-time-ever stipulation match and more. We say this more often than not, but it's not every RAW where so many matches are announced in advance. You could argue that it's a PPV quality show.

Without going much further, let's preview the upcoming episode of RAW and what you need to look forward to!

#6 AJ Styles vs Randy Orton

Except for WrestleMania, we can see this main eventing any PPV. Except we get it on free television! This match feels like it's been a long time coming. Ever since Randy Orton shifted to RAW, he's renewed his rivalry with AJ Styles and he's gotten under his skin to such an extent that he even cost him his United States Championship.

They last faced off on 16th December, which means it's been just less than a month since they had a match. On that occasion, Orton beat Styles with an RKO from a Phenomenal Forearm counter.

That means that Orton is now 2-1 over Styles and has a chance to make it 3-1. Who will walk out victorious on their fourth encounter? Will The OC make their presence known?

#5 Aleister Black vs Buddy Murphy III

This is already shaping up to be a classic. Aleister Black and Buddy Murphy were two top talents on SmackDown who didn't necessarily get the opportunity that they deserved. They've moved to RAW and Buddy Murphy picked a fight with Black.

On both occasions, it was the Dutchman Aleister Black who beat Murphy, but the Australian was no slouch either. He took Black to his limit and he had to dig deep to beat a very game, Murphy. However, the Australian isn't done with Aleister Black and on RAW, they're going to have a rematch, which we expect to be the best of the lot.

Moreover, there's a high possibility that Aleister Black's year-long singles undefeated streak could come to an end. He's yet to be pinned or submitted on RAW or SmackDown and if Murphy manages to do so, he'll make history.

Don't put it past Murphy. Remember that it was less than a year ago where he pinned the WWE Champion at the time - Daniel Bryan.

#4 The first-ever WWE Fist Fight match

The big question that everyone has been asking is about what this Fist Fight stipulation match is. As you know, it's the first time that this stipulation has happened and it's a rematch from last week's main event.

Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens were looking for a partner and they got the biggest one possible - recruiting the returning legend Big Show for the spot. He made a clear difference but his team would only win by DQ after their opponents were nearing defeat.

The Big Show will appear again tonight but we never know what could happen. We wouldn't be surprised to see the AoP take him out beforehand - believing him to be the biggest threat in the contest.

There have been rumblings that 3-time World Champion Rey Mysterio will join the fray. He still has some business with Andrade left and if he manages to take care of that on RAW, we won't be surprised to see him join the Kevin Owens & Samoa Joe alliance.

#3 Becky Lynch and Asuka to go face-to-face again?

Becky Lynch wants another battle with Asuka

The dynamic between Becky Lynch and Asuka is certainly an interesting one. Unlike her previous opponents, The Man isn't talking much trash. Apart from the surface-level hatred that Asuka seems to display, it appears that Becky Lynch has a level of respect for her Royal Rumble opponent.

That is, of course, because Asuka happens to be the only woman to beat Becky Lynch fair and square. It was a year ago at the Royal Rumble when The Empress made Lynch tap out to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship.

A lot of things have changed, of course, and Lynch is heading in as the defending Champion of the opposite brand this time. Asuka is a Champion in her own right, being one-half of the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions The Kabuki Warriors.

Last week, Becky Lynch got to smack Asuka in the face and walk away but we won't be surprised to see the Japanese star retaliate this week. Will it be an ambush from The Kabuki Warriors?

#2 Rusev vs Lashley

This will be the second time since the end of September that Rusev and Bobby Lashley will be in a formal match. The first time we had to wait until TLC and thanks to some help from Lana, it was Lashley who walked out the victor.

A lot has happened since then. Lashley and Lana tried to get married but Liv Morgan (and then Rusev) interrupted the wedding and it ended 2019 in the craziest way possible. Last week, Liv Morgan didn't make her presence known in the ring, but she did appear briefly backstage, teasing an appearance for tonight's match.

Lana and Lashley, meanwhile, got married as quickly as possible to have no interruptions and it appears as though they're now officially a married couple. Rusev challenged "Bob" Lashley to a match and he accepted, resulting in the second match between the two.

With Liv Morgan expected to make her presence known at ringside, will it be enough to prevent Lana from helping Lashley as she did at TLC?

#1 Brock Lesnar returns

He's back again! For the second time this year, Brock Lesnar returns to RAW. Last week, he took everyone by surprise when it was revealed by Paul Heyman that the WWE Champion plans to enter the Royal Rumble 2020 match!

And no, he won't be defending the WWE Championship at the Rumble. Instead, the dearth of challengers for him has seemingly led him to enter the Rumble match for only the fourth time in his career.

The last two occasions didn't go too well for him, with The Wyatt Family taking him out in 2016 and Goldberg humiliating him in 2017. He'll look to join the elite list of superstars to win the Royal Rumble twice - a list that includes Hulk Hogan, John Cena, Batista, Randy Orton, Triple H, etc.

The odds will be against him, however, and it's going to be interesting to see why he's around this week. We would have thought that we'll only see him on the week of the Rumble but if he is around on RAW, then expect someone to confront him.

Do you love to play crosswords, Wordle or other exciting games? We'd like to connect with you. Fill the form here!