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As the WWE RAW brand builds to the Royal Rumble, the necessity for surprises has to be felt more strongly than before. It is true that RAW Legends Night drew in a big viewership figure because of the inclusion of WWE Superstars such as Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, but not every week can be as strong, without surprises.
But the advantage with a scripted show like WWE RAW is that the creative team controls the narrative, and as a result, the story can be molded and amended as they wish. These five surprises could certainly happen during the course of this week's show.
Be sure to leave a comment and let us know which of these surprises you'd personally like to see in the section below. Why do you think SmackDown's viewership figures have been so much stronger than WWE RAW even without any legends in the roster?
Weigh in with anything that's on your mind in the comments section below.
#5 AJ Styles confronts Triple H on WWE RAW, setting up a prospective WrestleMania match
AJ Styles recently caught up with WWE Now India and revealed that the next guy he wants to face is Triple H.
Hear it in his own words:
"Triple H is definitely the next guy I’d like to face at some point if it could happen, maybe not. But it was an absolute pleasure to be in the ring, or not necessarily the ring, the Boneyard with the Undertaker," said Styles.
Could the two men get into some kind of confrontation or scuffle on WWE RAW this week? It could set the stage for a massive match at WrestleMania in April.
Would you like such a match to take place in a cinematic environment, or should it be a straight-up contest?
#4 Jinder Mahal returns to WWE RAW with the Singh Brothers to promote WWE Superstar Spectacle
Jinder Mahal could return to WWE RAW in a big way this month and maybe insert himself into the thick of things with Sheamus and Keith Lee. Obviously, Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal share a lot of history, which can be touched upon at a later date.
But additionally, Jinder Mahal's appearance on WWE RAW could also be a device to promote the upcoming WWE Superstar Spectacle show that's being launched on 26th January, India's Republic Day. A whole host of WWE Superstars will be a part of the event, and one of the central attractions for the show is none other than Jinder Mahal, possibly the most notable star of Indian origin.
Jinder Mahal could show up and pick up an easy win over Angel Garza or R-Truth on this week's episode on WWE RAW. Just to garner momentum for the upcoming show.
Who should Jinder Mahal go after next after arriving on WWE RAW? Would you like to see him take on Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship?
#3 Keith Lee asks Triple H to team up with him to go after the WWE RAW Tag Team Championships
Last week on WWE RAW, Keith Lee and Triple H shared a moment backstage, which harkened back to Lee's days in NXT. The internet does not usually agree on everything, if anything at all, but this was the one occasion that everyone seemed to enjoy.
To keep Triple H on TV as an active performer, because that seems to draw in the older fans, one has to believe that a tag team between him and Keith Lee could be a good idea. The two of them could wage wars against The Hurt Business and go after the WWE RAW Tag Team Championships.
Yes, if this happens, we'll probably have to get used to some really lame name such as 'The Limitless Game' or 'The Limitless Assassins', but the positives will far outweigh the negatives. One has to imagine that Keith Lee, too, will be thrilled at the prospect of having Triple H in his corner as his partner.
#2 Randy Orton and Nikki Cross form an alliance to go after Alexa Bliss on WWE RAW this week
It's criminal to have Nikki Cross in the WWE RAW roster and not do anything at all with her because, as we've seen from her time in NXT and then on the main roster when she was allied with Alexa Bliss, that Cross can be entertaining. On this week's episode of WWE RAW, Randy Orton may just ask her for backup to take Alexa Bliss down. Yes, we're unlikely to see a man assault a woman on WWE RAW, which is why The Viper may ask for Cross's assistance.
Yes, during the feud with Edge, Randy Orton did deliver an RKO to Beth Phoenix, and Alexa Bliss can certainly take one, but it just makes sense to use Nikki Cross if she's doing nothing at all right now.
Cross can also go heel, which will be a nice departure for her, where she can actually try the 'Twisted Sister' character that she employed while in NXT. What do you think?
#1 Omos wrestles his first-ever WWE RAW match, squashing Drew Gulak for good
Some consider WWE RAW Superstar AJ Styles to be the best in-ring performer in the world, and Hall of Famer Kurt Angle is certainly one of his fans. But in this particular section of the article, we shall, instead, talk about AJ Styles' gigantic bodyguard, the extremely big and equally suave man known as Omos.
Thus far, Omos has just been cast as AJ Styles' bodyguard, preferring not to speak unless it is necessary. Last week on WWE RAW, we saw how Drew Gulak's Royal Rumble dreams came to an end at the hands of AJ Styles, who beat him in no time.
Could a stipulation be made by Adam Pearce that for Drew Gulak to enter the Royal Rumble, he has to beat Omos in a singles match? Of course, Gulak comes up short again in this attempt on WWE RAW.
But it'll give Omos the best dance partner for his debut match because Gulak can work circles around most people in the roster.
