The RAW after WrestleMania has come to be known as the best RAW of the year and based on previous years, it is pretty safe to say that expectations are pretty high for the upcoming post-WrestleMania episode.
The post-WrestleMania RAW has given us its share of memorable moments, from emotional retirement speeches to major debuts and shocking returns. If WrestleMania is the Superbowl of Sports Entertainment, the episode of RAW the following night is the start of a whole new season and anything can happen.
So what are the rumblings saying that we could expect to see this year?
There has been some speculation that either The Big Show, Mark Henry and/or The Undertaker will ‘officially’ be retiring after this year’s WrestleMania.
Mark Henry’s recent return has had a fairly lacklustre reaction from the WWE Universe, so I doubt anyone would care about hearing him say ‘farewell’.
The Big Show has had a stellar career, holding multiple Championships and being involved with many storylines dating back to the Monday Night Wars, but of late, he seems to be an after-thought and a spot filler.
He’s transformed himself and gotten into great shape, but if this is the end for The Big Show, no one is making a big deal about it.
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If the Undertaker is retiring, the impact would be on the same level as when Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair ‘retired’ from the business and The Undertaker deserves a similar send-off. Will he get it?
We still don’t know who his opponent will be at WrestleMania and if he’s retiring, it would need to be someone worthy of a final match.
The Undertaker has always been a phenom and he deserves a proper send-off on par with the level of his performance and dedication to being The Undertaker. This close to WrestleMania, it doesn’t feel like The Undertaker’s potential retirement is getting the attention it deserves.
So there is a chance that the post-WrestleMania RAW won’t be used for anyone to say “Goodbye” and if that’s the case, that leaves the door wide open for the WWE Universe to be introduced to some new talent.
2016 saw Enzo & Big Cass, Apollo Crews and Baron Corbin make the jump from NXT to the main roster. In the years prior, we also saw the debuts of Rusev, Paige, Goldberg and even Marc Mero. Who could potentially debut in 2017?
Elias Samson recently lost a “Loser Leaves NXT” match during an NXT taping. His persona and style never really took off in NXT but “The Drifter” had an air about him that demanded an audience take notice which could help him make an impact on RAW.
If the WWE Universe had a choice, Shinsuke Nakamura would be the most likely candidate to debut on RAW, but would he fit in that roster?
Could a debut in SmackDown be more likely? The brand split could have an impact on if someone gets to debut on RAW or not. Shinsuke has said he would like to get back in the ring with AJ Styles who is currently on SmackDown, so we may not see Shinsuke until Tuesday night.
Another possible debut is Kenny Omega. Taking a break after what many consider the match of the century against Kazuchika Okada at NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 11, the rumour mill was all abuzz about Kenny Omega potentially coming to the WWE.
He has recently returned to NJPW, supposedly eliminating the prospects of him appearing in the WWE post-WrestleMania, but if one thing is true about wrestling and the post-WrestleMania Raw, it is that you never know what might happen.
Some of the most memorable post-WrestleMania Raw moments have come from the unexpected return of one of the WWE’s big Superstars. Brock Lesnar, X-Pac, RVD, Batista are all wrestlers who returned to the WWE the day after WrestleMania.
The list of potentially returning Superstars is extensive. Finn Balor could be cleared to return after being off due to an injury for almost a year.
Kurt Angle could announce an in-ring return after being inducted into the Hall of Fame and what seems to be even more of a possibility now that they’ve left TNA, we could see The Hardy Boys return to the WWE the night after WrestleMania 33.
With some big question marks still on the page when it comes to what matches we will see at WrestleMania 33, what will happen on RAW the following night is anyone’s guess... but that part of programming is what makes the post-WrestleMania RAW the best show of the year.
Anything can happen.
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