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WWE Monday Night Raw returns to your screens tonight with a new episode coming live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
It’s a new year for the WWE and this will be the first episode of Raw in 2023. We have a big show to look forward to as the new year unfolds with two title matches on tap for tonight.
How to watch Monday Night Raw
Date: Monday, January 2
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Network: USA Network
Live stream: USA Live Stream, USA App
What to watch for on Monday Night Raw
Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair will open up the new year with a title defense as she’ll go one-on-one with Alexa Bliss. This story has developed since the two were on the winning team at Survivor Series WarGames in November. Bliss earned herself a title shot and while she appeared to still be friendly with Belair, she would show signs of aggression as part of still being partially possessed by The Fiend from a few years back. This came to a head during a sitdown interview on Raw a few weeks ago where Bliss smashed a glass vase over Belair’s head. We’ll see who walks out as the champ here in Nashville.
United States Champion Austin Theory will also put his title on the line tonight as he will defend against Seth Rollins. These two, along with Bobby Lashley, traded the U.S. title throughout the back half of 2022 and Rollins earned this opportunity by defeating Lashley in a No. 1 contender’s match a few weeks ago. Since losing his Money in the Bank briefcase, Theory has shown more of an edge as a character and has repeatedly attacked Rollins. These two should go their separate ways after this match, so it’ll be interesting to see who comes out on top.
January means that it is officially Royal Rumble season and with the show taking place at the end of the month in San Antonio, it’ll be interesting to see how they begin to build towards the big event. Coincidentally, Cody Rhodes appeared on last week’s clip show to offer an update on his injury and his plans for 2023. Hmmm, I wonder if the company is signaling something here?