Imagine if the new NFL season kicked off the day after the Super Bowl. That is the same atmosphere WWE has tonight for Monday Night Raw following its biggest weekend of the year: WrestleMania.

Following Cody Rhodes finishing his story at WrestleMania, WWE continues to introduce this new era tonight on “Raw after Mania,” dubbed the biggest Raw episode of the year.

It’s the biggest Raw because anything can happen. It’s usually a reset. Surprise returns and debuts are typically sprinkled throughout the show, with major storyline developments that will carry WWE programming through the summer. It’s truly a can’t-miss show but nothing is advertised yet. That allows our imagination to run wild and we want to predict what could take place tonight on Raw.

5 — Whoop That Trick!

Trick Williams is the hottest act in NXT right now. After his main event win at NXT Stand and Deliver over Carmelo Hayes, it wouldn’t surprise me if Trick was the next person in line to challenge Ilja Dragunov for the NXT Championship. However, Raw is in Philadelphia and Trick Williams was on the Philadelphia Eagles before his WWE journey began. Capitalizing on Trick’s momentum, the new Triple H era, and the city of Brotherly Love, I see Trick being a surprise call-up to the main roster.

4 — Two championships change hands

On WrestleMania Night 1, we saw two new champions crowned. R-Truth finally had his WrestleMania moment as Awesome Truth won the Raw Tag Team Championships, a wise decision for WWE to split the tag team titles. And later that evening, Sami Zayn ended the historical reign of Gunther to win the Intercontinental Championship.

I believe both these title runs could be short-lived. Awesome Truth doesn’t strike me as a tag team to hold these championships for months, and WrestleMania felt like just a moment for R-Truth (well deserved, by the way). It wouldn’t surprise me to see Awesome Truth be tricked into defending these titles against a heel tag team and losing the championships as quickly as they got them.

Which turns my attention to Sami Zayn. Before going to the ring for his heavyweight bout against “The Ring General” Gunther, Chad Gable reminded Zayn he promised him and there’s a debt to be paid. Gable trained and prepared Zayn for the moment, so Gable is likely expecting an Intercontinental Championship match. Gable could call in this favor for tonight’s Raw and leave with the first singles championship of his career.

3 — Judgment Day implodes

Yes, I understand Rhea Ripley retained her Women’s World Championship and Damian Priest cashed in to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. Judgment Day is as hot as ever and has carried WWE for quite some time. With the uncertainty surrounding the Bloodline’s future, Judgment Day might be the most dominant faction in WWE right now. But if you pay attention, there have been subtle hints of the group’s fracture.

Dominik Mysterio has been in cahoots with Legado del Fantasma. Finn Balor has gone from a lead role to a supporting cast member, especially seeing his former tag team partner win the World Heavyweight Championship. JD McDonagh sacrificed himself for Judgment Day on Night 1 and is always the sacrificial lamb. Ripley and Priest are prime for singles runs and can make it on their own, which was the entire point of creating Judgment Day, was to propel both into the main event scene.

Another story to keep an eye on is the pending debut of Tama Tonga. He could be a part of the next chapter in The Bloodline, or he could play a vital role in WWE’s inception of the Bullet Club with AJ Styles, Finn Balor, and Tama Tonga uniting with the Good Brothers.

2 — Cody’s ally turns heel for his first challenger

The only problem with Cody Rhodes defeating Roman Reigns at WrestleMania to finish his story is deciding the next chapter. If you look at the roster, Cody doesn’t have a challenger. Roman Reigns likely doesn’t have his rematch at Backlash. Solo Sikoa isn’t ready. Gunther just lost the Intercontinental Championship but likely will receive his title opportunity at Bash in Berlin when the company travels to Germany in August. What can Cody Rhodes do in the meantime?

Cody was met with an overwhelming amount of support during and after his match. Jey Uso, John Cena, The Undertaker and Seth Rollins all assisted Rhodes in fighting off The Bloodline, while the likes of Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Randy Orton among others came to celebrate with Rhodes in the ring after the main event. Cody needed help to take down The Bloodline because it was bigger than him. Others were willing to help to take down Roman Reigns. But now that Roman is gone, will Cody have people by his side?

When you’re the champion and on top of the mountain, you have a target on your back. The easiest way to get Cody’s first challenger is to turn one of his allies against him. Kevin Owens or Randy Orton, who both fell short last night against Logan Paul for the United States Championship, would be perfect candidates to turn on Cody Rhodes tonight on Raw. Owens has a history of turning on his allies, like Sami Zayn and Chris Jericho. Orton brought Rhodes into Legacy and guided Rhodes in Cody’s early years on television.

The story is there. Pun intended.

1 — The Rock turns on Roman Reigns

We didn’t get the turn at WrestleMania. Cody Rhodes had his moment uninterrupted and The Bloodline didn’t overshadow Rhodes. Now how can WWE build the inevitable showdown between The Rock and Roman Reigns? Whether it takes place in Saudi Arabia, at SummerSlam, or next year’s WrestleMania, it is bound to happen.

Both Roman Reigns and The Rock may take time away from television and disappear for a little while. The Rock alternated his schedule to be a weekly attraction on the buildup to WrestleMania, while Reigns has carried the company on his back since August 2020 as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. A break is well deserved for both and you can revisit this moment or story at any time. But to create buzz for a potential showdown, it should happen tonight on Raw.

The Rock, a member of TKO’s Board of Directors and Roman’s cousin, is disappointed in Roman Reigns for letting the championship leave the family. Out of frustration, The Rock deems Roman Reigns unworthy of his Tribal Chief status and turns on Reigns. How does the rest of The Bloodline react? Who do they side with? A lot of buzz can surround WWE following this turn, and with the most eyes on tonight’s Raw, this is the night to do it. Carry on the momentum from the company’s biggest WrestleMania ever.

So those are five bold predictions for tonight’s Monday Night Raw. What are you expecting to go down tonight? Let us know in the comment section below.