Hot off the heels of the most electrifying WWE Monday Night Raw of the year following WrestleMania 29, CM Punk will be making his return, John Cena will be on-hand and Ryback will be making his presence known as well on April 15, 2013's edition of WWE Monday Night Raw.
Hailing from the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville, S.C., CM Punk is scheduled to be making his first appearance in what is effectively the new season of WWE programming following his highly-regarded match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania 29. Punk has reportedly been taken off live events and appearances for the time being as he is expected to take time off from the company to heal up injuries. But an appearance tonight could lend to speculation as to what the future holds for the five-time world champion in the coming months.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was expected to be in attendance on Monday in order for Brock Lesnar to attack him on-screen and set up an ongoing rivalry down the road, but due to injuries he sustained during his WrestleMania 29 match against John Cena, The Rock wasn't able to make it, throwing the future of the planned feud in doubt. However, that vacant spot could be filled by one potential dream opponent for Lesnar-former WWE Champion Dave Batista.
The six-time world champion, who left the WWE in 2010 to pursue an MMA fighting career, has been working to get back into ring shape, according to Wrestling Zone.com via The Wrestling Observer. In recent interviews, Batista has indicated that he is interested in returning to the WWE and rattled off names like The Rock and Lesnar as dream opponents for himself. Also due to appear in the Marvel big screen movie "Guardians of the Galaxy," a prequel to the sequel for Marvel's blockbuster hit "The Avengers", Batista could definitely draw interest and generate some buy rates for a possible Lesnar vs. Batista match on PPV.
World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler, fresh off his first title defense last week, caused a splash when he cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase against Alberto Del Rio last week. Due to appear Monday night with his title and entourage in tow, Ziggler will have many possible rivals for his title, including Del Rio, Jack Swagger and more, some of who will likely challenge him on Raw.
Fandango received the biggest pop of the year from the post-WrestleMania crowd, his theme song even racing up on the Billboard charts, cracking the No.3 spot on the Top Soundtrack Charts in the U.S. and trailing pop music star Taylor Swift in the UK Top 10 list. Will his momentum continue on Monday?
And after delivering a Shell-Shock to WWE Champion John Cena, Ryback will be on hand to explain his actions as this possible feud between two of WWE's top muscle-powered superstars continues.
TV Schedule
WWE Raw will air at 8 p.m. EST Monday, April 15, 2013 on the USA Network. For live chat and play by play commentary, go to WWE.com.
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