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WWE Raw 5/30/16 Preview by Mitch Nickelson

By Mitch Nickelson • Published 30th May 2016
TJR Wrestling

It’s the Memorial Day edition of Raw, so it’s only fitting that a certain someone is returning tonight. John Cena will be a huge focus of the show from Green Bay and according to WWE.com‘s official preview, he’s the big selling point to watch. Like usual, WWE’s preview points are bolded below, accompanied by my thoughts on each subject.

One big thing absent from WWE’s preview is the huge upcoming brand split. It’s been a few years since WWE has kept a separate Raw and SmackDown roster. There are many questions about how this new incarnation will play out. I’m not one to normally clamor for McMahon on-screen time, but they should at least take a few minutes of programming to give a few details.

What Does John Cena Have Planned For His Return?

The biggest talking point going into Raw is that John Cena will be back after five months out while rehabbing from the shoulder surgery he had in January. In typically superhuman fashion, Cena shaved an astonishing four months off of his recovery time. Either WWE intentionally flubs the expected time off in the beginning or the man is from the planet Krypton. Regardless, it’ll be interesting to see what direction he goes upon return.

I might be jumping to conclusions, but the current United States Champion sent out an interesting Tweet on Sunday…

Did Rusev upend Kalisto’s title run to set up a feud with John Cena for the title he made shine in 2015? No complaints from me if that’s the case. It would also explain why Rusev’s career has felt like it’s been in a bit of a resurgence as of late.

On Sunday night, Cena offered up this tweet to let us know he’s wearing some unique shorts given to him by popular talk show host Ellen.

Will Former ‘Brothers’ Collide?

I still would’ve liked a Seth Rollins babyface run, but who am I to complain about him challenging Roman Reigns at Money In The Bank for the WWE Title that he never lost? These two were in a feud together last fall when Seth freakishly hurt his knee in a match with Kane at a house show, so there’s plenty of unfinished business to settle.

There are no matches for Seth Rollins advertised before the big match on June 19th, but I am curious to know if he’ll have much of an in-ring presence beforehand. His wrestling return on Raw should be treated as a big deal so they should advertise that well in advance. As for this night, Rollins and Reigns should have some heated conversations as long as the physicality is kept to a minimum.

Can The Showoff Out-Grapple The Lone Wolf?

This is a bit of an odd feud by this point. First of all, Baron Corbin won their last match together at Extreme Rules. He did happen to use a low blow, but since it was a NO DQ match he technically did nothing wrong.

baron low blow

Ouch.

Last week on Raw, Dolph Ziggler challenged Baron to this upcoming technical wrestling match and then told him to watch his match later in the show…which he lost. I like Baron Corbin and Dolph is definitely the guy to make him look good in-ring on the main roster, but this is a feud that’s dragged on a tad too long. I’m sure they’ll put on a decent match together, but I’m more than ready for Baron to get his final win then move on to whatever his next step is.

What’s Going Through Charlotte’s Mind?

Charlotte kicked her dear daddy to the curb last week because she’s an ungrateful millennial or something. Ric Flair might not be by her side anymore, but Dana Brooke now is. Anybody who reads my stuff will know that I’m all in with Dana although there’s something lacking here. WWE is promoting that we might get more of an explanation as to why the daddy/daughter love is gone while I’m more interested in knowing just why the two ladies are now allies. Also, is Natalya still challenging for the Women’s Championship? The Flair family drama from last week makes me question just who’s currently vying for that belt.

Is Dudleyville “S.A.W.F.T.”?

The Enzo Amore concussion suffered during the Tag Team Tournament about a month ago put his and Big Cass’ rivalry with The Dudleyz on the shelf. Enzo’s well again, so it looks like everything’s a go with plenty of smack talk for everyone in Dudleyville. Bubba Ray & D-Von are definitely legends of the tag team division, but they’ve been on the wrong end of the win-loss record during this current WWE run. I’ll be happy when Enzo & Cass get put over by The Dudleyz. Then again, didn’t Colin handle them pretty easy by himself at Extreme Rules? It won’t feel like as big of a deal as WWE hopes it will when they finally win this feud. Bubba Ray and D-Von need to put these guys through a couple of tables so they look like more of a threat.

Who Will Emerge As The Final Money In The Bank Ladder Match Participant?

Alberto Del Rio was added as the sixth wrestler to the MITB Ladder Match on SmackDown last week joining Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Dean Ambrose, and Cesaro. That’s a really strong class of competitors. I’d be happy if any of these guys won it although I’m feeling ADR the least at the moment.

The last spot could easily go to John Cena since he’s not really doing anything at this point on the upcoming PPV. It could also go to Randy Orton since he’s due to return very soon as well. I do think this question will get answered on Monday night but if they wanted to save this spot all the way up until the event itself then it could end up being a cool surprise if it’s the right person.

What about Bray Wyatt? He’s been teasing a return on Twitter too. There are plots of options.

Thanks

For all the happenings on Raw, check out John Canton’s Raw Deal review right here on TJRWrestling.net on Tuesday morning.

Thanks for reading. Follow me on Twitter @MitchNickelson.