WWE ‘RAW’ Preview: Cena Faces Ryback, Lawler Returns

The biggest news of the night is Jerry “The King” Lawler’s return. WWE.com reports that King will be back on commentary with longtime broadcast partners Michael Cole and Jim Ross after a two month absence due to Lawler suffering a heart attack at ringside.

Originally set to be a part of a traditional Survivor Series elimination match, CM Punk and Ryback have been removed as team captains and placed in a triple threat match for Punk’s WWE Championship along with John Cena. There isn’t much need for a build up to this being that Cena and Punk have a long standing feud dating back more than a year, and Ryback is so over with fans at the moment that he barely needs drama to put interest in his matches.

At the closing of last week’s show, John Cena and Ryback had their first hint of confrontation when the two men locked eyes following their tag team victory. Now WWE.com is teasing that the face of the WWE and the potential future face of the WWE will face off again.

The Cenation Leader also has to deal with the incessant nagging of Vickie Guerrero over the AJ Lee scandal. Cena was allegedly involved with AJ while she was General Manager of “RAW.” But the storyline is tired and will hopefully end soon, putting the former GM back in the ring as a top Diva.

Punk’s place on his Survivor Series team has been taken by Wade Barrett, but Mick Foley has yet to name the fifth member of his team to replace Ryback. WWE.com claims that tonight is the deadline, so fans will have the answer from Ms. Foley’s Baby Boy by the end of “RAW.”

Brad Maddox will be in action as a competitor for the first time ever after Mr. McMahon offered the dishonored referee a $1 million contract if he could defeat Ryback tonight. With all the potential for Maddox to play the role of a mega-heel, there’s a good chance of foul play lending a victory to the underdog.