With just two episodes left until Extreme Rules, the WWE presents "Monday Night RAW" this week live from the Century Link Center in Omaha, Neb.
With less than two weeks to go until Extreme Rules on May 22 at the Prudential Center in East Rutherford, N.J., it's sure to be a jam-packed edition of the flagship show. Stephanie McMahon and her brother Shane McMahon will once again be booking the show 50-50.
Here are five things to watch for heading into the show.
1) Family Affair
Roman Reigns is set to defend the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against AJ Styles in an Extreme Rules match in 13 nights and thus far the WWE has teased "The Phenomenal One" showing a more aggressive side after being passive last week. The feud goes beyond the two main event players as The Usos and the duo of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson are certain to get involved this week on "RAW." Reigns tweeted about driving Styles through a table last week:
I'd take a bullet for @WWEUsos any day. I told you, don't mess with The Family! #TableBomb #Raw
— Roman Reigns (@WWERomanReigns) May 3, 2016
2) Title Fight
One interesting development in the midcard is the Intercontinental Championship scene as contenders have piled up to take on reigning title-holder The Miz. Cesaro, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens are all in the mix and it appears likely it will all lead to a Fatal 4 Way Match at Extreme Rules. For what it's worth, the WWE recently ran a poll asking fans whom they want to see emerge as No. 1 contender and Cesaro was an overwhelming favorite.
3) Submission Sensation
While the likes of Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch have been victims of some questionable booking, Natalya has been pushed hard lately by the WWE. Charlotte will once again defend her WWE Women's Championship against Nattie at Extreme Rules in a Submission Match. With that feud set to continue, it will be interesting to see if Ric Flair flanks his daughter this week as he was held off of the WWE's weekend shows, according to Wrestlingheadlines.com. It's possible the WWE gave "The Nature Boy" some time off due to his bizarre airport behavior last month:
4) Midcard Maelstrom
There are two huge feuds developing in the midcard. Rusev has emerged as the new No. 1 contender for the United States Championship and is set to battle Kalisto -- likely at Extreme Rules -- for the U.S. Championship following the breakup of the League of Nations stable. It seems the "Bulgarian Brute" and his real-life fiancée Lana are getting some favorable exposure. Elsewhere, Chris Jericho seems destined to clash with Dean Ambrose -- likely with some sort of stipulation -- at Extreme Rules. The WWE has teased about the severity of "The Lunatic Fringe's" injury after "Y2J" took him out on "RAW."
5) Tag Team Turmoil
The New Day has new No. 1 contenders to deal with as The Vaudevillians (Simon Gotch and Aiden English) have been awarded the top spot in the division. This development came after Enzo suffered a serious injury during him and Big Cass' tag match with The Vaudevillians at Payback. Big Cass appears to be a major player going forward even without his tag team partner.
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