We're just a couple of weeks away from the highly anticipated WrestleMania 40! Cody Rhodes acknowledged in his promo that the final shows ahead of the event can be "awkward," as it simply feels like fans are just waiting for the big event around that time. Yet Monday Night Raw proved there may still be plenty of elements to keep an eye on ahead of the WM40. The WWE has its foot on the gas and is moving forward with twists in its storytelling, and those who tuned in for Raw probably saw quite a few moments that could hint that surprises are in store for the upcoming WWE event.
Wrestling fans undoubtedly picked up on a couple of big moments, but did they catch everything that happened? Following the broadcast, let's out what we here at CinemaBlend made note of. We're also going to add in some speculation about what these moments might mean for the biggest two nights in pro wrestling.
Paul Heyman Was Spotted Backstage With Drew McIntyre
As The New Day and DIY argued on camera, eagle-eyed fans likely spotted Drew McIntyre talking to the Wise Man, Paul Heyman, in the distance behind them. Heyman didn't have a segment on Monday Night Raw, so why was he deliberately framed mid-conversation with McIntyre? If I had to guess, Heyman is making some offer to McIntyre for aid in his title match for the Heavyweight championship in exchange for additional protection for Roman Reigns. McIntyre has felt confident he'll defeat the champion Seth Rollins, but I would think the heel would love any additional assurances of a victory that he could get.
Andrade And Dominik Mysterio Were Seen Talking Backstage
Toward the end of Raw, Andrade and Dominik Mysterio could also be seen speaking with each other in the background during Chad Gable's pep talk with Sami Zayn. The WWE addressed this moment in a digital exclusive, but Andrade remained cryptic about what the whole exchange was about:
The assumption is that Dominik is trying to recruit Andrade to join The Judgment Day, but what if Dirty Dom has other plans? After Dom's assist to Santos Escobar on SmackDown, I think it's possible that he could be trying to build his own faction that's separate from The Judgment Day entirely. It'd be pretty shady to do, but what else can we expect from the guy who was booed at his own wedding?
CM Punk Confirmed He'll Be Ringside During Heavyweight Championship
CM Punk has largely avoided Drew McIntyre since he injured his arm at the Royal Rumble, but the latter's continued trolling on social media finally prompted Punk to return and fire back. Punk shared a lot of interesting sentiments, some of which related to swearing and WWE's eventual move to Netflix. What was most interesting, though, was his announcement that he'd be on commentary during the Heavyweight Championship match. Both Seth Rollins and McIntyre had strong reactions to Punk's return, so it only seems right for him to be there. I also wouldn't be surprised if he gets involved in the match in some way, injured arm or not.
John Cena And Stone Cold Were Shown During The Rock's Beatdown Of Cody Rhodes
Based on social media reactions, WWE fans seemed to love the latest Monday Night Raw, and I think what sent it over the top was The Rock's big beatdown of Cody Rhodes at the end of the show. There was one intriguing shot that really had fans talking, as it showed the fight in progress while pictures of Stone Cold Steve Austin and John Cena could be spotted on the truck in the background.
That could be a coincidence but, as has been the case for the past year, the WWE has leaned into using background images as teases for what's to come. Also, John Cena has openly expressed interest in appearing at WrestleMania 40 and, for a while now, I've theorized that Stone Cold will aid Cody Rhodes at the main event. Could two of wrestling's biggest icons show up to combat the power of The Bloodline? As WrestleVotes pointed out, why would WWE use that truck for production when it went to the trouble of making specific trucks promoting WrestleMania 40? Right now, we can only speculate on whether these teases could indeed lead to surprises, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that that's the case.
WrestleMania 40 is just a couple of weeks away, so be sure to tune into Monday Night Raw on USA on Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET and SmackDown on Fox on Fridays at the same time for more clues about what may happen.
