WWE is advertising the following on their official website for tonight’s RAW:

“Following Seth Rollins’ betrayal of his Shield cohorts, how will Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns address the actions of their former “brother” tonight on Raw? Also, what “blockbuster announcement” does The Authority have planned to kick off the show? For exclusive analysis, don’t miss Raw Pre-Show at 7:30 p.m. ET on WWE Network.”

As noted earlier in an exclusive SEScoops.com report, Daniel Bryan will not be able to wrestle at the upcoming Money In The Bank PPV, thus he will likely be stripped tonight on RAW.

WWE.com has a new article up looking at potential new members of The Shield, now that Seth Rollins has left the faction. The article looks at NXT Champion Adrian Neville, Big E., Dolph Ziggler, Cody Rhodes, John Morrison and Daniel Bryan as possible replacements for Rollins.

Following the success of the article, the website added a poll where fans could vote on the six aforementioned names. At last check, the results for the poll saw 43 percent voting for Bryan, 17 percent voting for Morrison and 7 percent voted for “none.”

WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan is also getting in on the action, hinting that The Shield might need a dose of Hulkamania, brother:

The Shield just might need Hollywoods services brother WWE4Life. HH

— Hulk Hogan (@HulkHogan) June 9, 2014

• Details On The RAW Script For Tonight — Matches Planned, etc. [READ HERE >>]

– Seth Rollins tagged with his new Evolution partner Randy Orton against Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose at Saturday night’s WWE live event from Las Cruces, New Mexico. Reigns and Ambrose won by disqualification and as you can image, Rollins got nuclear heat from the crowd.

– WWE.com acknowledged Tamina Snuka’s recent knee surgery to repair her ACL and meniscus. Typical recovery time for that procedure is 3-6 months.

– The “Summer TV Preview” issue of Entertainment Weekly magazine listed the WWE Network as #10 of their “Must List.” The article stated:

“The expanding archive features almost every show the company has ever run. Finally, Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 3 in 1987 and Chyna’s title victory at No Mercy 1999 are never more than a few clicks away.”

Two big matches are being considered for the upcoming WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Aside from the tentative Daniel Bryan vs. Kane match and the Money in the Bank ladder match, WWE is also planning Seth Rollins to face his former partner Dean Ambrose and Randy Orton to compete against Roman Reigns.

The idea is that Reigns vs. Rollins would take place at Battleground in July, leading into the rumored Reigns vs. Triple H match at SummerSlam.

WWE Money In The Bank takes place on Sunday, June 29, 2014. As always, we’ll have live coverage the night of the show.

• BACKSTAGE NEWS: Is The Undertaker RETIRED?! Find Out HERE! [Read >>]

(Credit: F4WOnline.com)

This week’s edition of WWE Raw took place in Indianapolis, IN and was the post-Payback episode of the longest running weekly episodic television show in history. The card featured a total of nine matches, including a contest between John Cena and Kane, as well as a Money in the Bank qualifying match between Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio.

The show also featured two incidents that will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the storyline for weeks to come. A lot of questions were answered, but many still remain. Here are five questions that need to be answered following this week’s edition of Raw.

5. Is Cesaro Going to Challenge for the Intercontinental Championship?

On this week’s Raw, Cesaro abandoned his partner Bad News Barrett, leaving him helpless against the team of RVD and Sheamus. After the match, Cesaro stood on the stage staring at Bad News Barrett, perhaps alluding to an upcoming feud between the two for the IC strap.

This feud could help both parties, as it would provide Barrett with a worthy opponent to work with, while also allowing Cesaro to challenge for the company’s second most important title. With rumors of Cesaro being the top contender to win the Money in the Bank briefcase, there are a few directions they could take with the King of Swing, and fans would likely welcome any push.

4. Will WWE Listen to the Fans and Push Dolph Ziggler?

One of the biggest injustices of the past year has been Dolph Ziggler’s demotion to the midcard. After finally cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase, Ziggler won the World Heavyweight Championship from Alberto Del Rio on the Raw after WrestleMania last year.

His reign would ultimately be cut short following a concussion, and after a few harsh words directed at John Cena, Ziggler’s burial was a certainty. He hasn’t been able to claw his way out of the doghouse since, despite calls from fans to give him a push.

There were chants for Ziggler during the match between Big E and Rusev at Payback, and it seemed like he might finally get back on track during a Money in the Bank qualifying match against Alberto Del Rio on this week’s Raw. The hopes of Ziggler fans around the world were quickly dashed, however, as he was forced to tap out to the Cross Armbreaker and it looks like Dolph has become a permanent fixture at the bottom of the card.

3. Who Benefited More from Their Feud: John Cena or Bray Wyatt?

During their last man standing match at Payback, John Cena literally buried Bray Wyatt after slamming him through a crate that was conveniently placed at the foot of a table.

Now that it appears their feud is over, one has to wonder which superstar benefited more from the program. It is hard to argue that any victory could put Cena over more. Wyatt used the program to get himself over with the audience, but he ultimately looked weak in each of their contests.

Wyatt lost two of the three matches, and his one victory came with the help of Harper, Rowan, and a child. Ultimately, Cena did not gain anything from the feud, and Wyatt is just as over as he was before and looked weak throughout, so I would say that neither guy really benefited.

– Following the WWE SmackDown television taping on Tuesday night in Cincinnati, Ohio, a six-man tag-team dark match took place that saw Big Show, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose defeat The Wyatt Family.

– For those who have asked, Dolph Ziggler’s new ring trunks, which he wore this past Monday night on RAW, says “Over It” on the back.

– WWE Hall Of Famer Nick Bockwinkel has stepped down as the president of the Cauliflower Alley Club due to health issues. Former Killer Bees member Brian Blair will now serve as the president going forward.

After last niight’s WWE RAW show went off the air, Triple H, Randy Orton and Seth Rollins stuck around for a little while longer as officials checked on Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. HHH and Orton shook hands and embraced with Rollins a few more times, confirming their new alignment.

After that, John Cena and Bray Wyatt came out. Wyatt sang, “he’s got the whole world in his hands,” while Cena sang a remix of the song, “you’ve got no penis in your pants.”

The two eventually had a little post-show dark match, which Cena ended up winning via the Attitude Adjustment.

Seth Rollins turned on The Shield during the main event segment on the post-WWE Payback edition of RAW.

Instead of the originally scheduled Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns main event, Triple H revealed that he had a “plan B.” After saying that, Seth Rollins attacked both Reigns and Dean Ambrose with a steel chair, blasting them repeatedly with it. HHH and Orton stood at ringside all-the-while smiling in approval as they saw their plan come to fruition.

They end up joining Rollins in the ring to attack Reigns and Ambrose some more.

Backstage News On Seth Rollins Turning On The Shield

The new issue of WWE Magazine features a fan Q&A section where Dean Ambrose refers to Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns as his “former partners.” When asked which WWE Superstars make him laugh, he replied:

“My former partners, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns. I was probably the class clown of the group so I’d usually start the joking and ribbing. But those two are hilarious. Daniel Bryan is funny too but more because he’s funny looking.”

While this is by no means a sign that The Shield is breaking up any time soon, it’s a strong indication that The Shield was in fact planned to break up around WrestleMania time, as was rumored earlier this year.

Here’s a screenshot, courtesy of SEScoops discussion community member Undertaker316:

– While still unofficial, WWE has been planning on a Randy Orton vs. Dean Ambrose match for WWE RAW this coming Monday night in Knoxville, Tennessee.

– As we noted recently, Scott Hall checked himself into the hospital earlier this week, but has since been released. Hall will be shooting footage for the WWE Network on Tuesday in Atlanta, Georgia.

Currently there are three matches officially announced for the upcoming WWE Payback pay-per-view on June 1st in Chicago, Illinois. Those matches are The Shield vs. Evolution in a No Holds Barred Elimination match, John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt in a Last Man Standing match and Bad News Barrett vs. Rob Van Dam for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

Other matches likely for WWE Payback include The Usos vs. Luke Harper & Erick Rowan for the WWE Tag-Team Championships, Paige vs. Alicia Fox for the WWE Divas Championship, Sheamus vs. Cesaro for the WWE United States Championship, Adam Rose vs. Jack Swagger, Rusev vs. Big E. and Summer Rae vs. Layla with Fandango as special guest referee.

As far as the No Holds Barred Elimination main event, a possible scenario being considered is one that would see Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins eliminated early, leaving Roman Reigns to make a huge comeback on all three Evolution members by himself.

The match will be Batista’s final match in WWE for several months, and based on plans for the future, could be one of Triple H’s last for a while as well.

• DIRECT LINK: Photos Of A BRAND NEW TNA Knockout — And She’s *HOT*! [View Here >>](Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

The undercard singles titles are all chilling across the pond these days, as Bad News Barrett, Sheamus, and Paige all won championships in recent weeks. New champions are a welcome sight in the WWE these days, especially considering how stale the previous champions’ runs had become.

Dean Ambrose’s reign as United States Champion will likely be the forgotten reign in years to come. He held the title for almost a year while only defending it a few times before finally dropping it to Sheamus during a battle royal a few weeks back.

The same holds true for Big E and the Intercontinental Championship. Although he did not hold the title as long as Ambrose held his US Championship, his reign was unmemorable and he engaged in no meaningful feuds during his months with the title. As for AJ Lee, her run with the title seemed fresh at first, but she eventually ran out of challengers and it seemed like the right time to crown a new champion.

Ambrose held the title for almost a year and hardly ever defended it.

With recent undercard title reigns being unmemorable, it leads one to wonder if unification is the answer. One of the primary reasons the titles go undefended is because it is difficult to have too many stories going at once, especially meaningful ones that involve championship contests. This leads to champions holding insignificant titles like the US Championship as a way to legitimize or build up the character, but in reality, the title does little because it goes undefended.

One of the best options would perhaps be to unify the United States and Intercontinental Championships. By unifying the titles into just the Intercontinental Championship, it could make the title seem important again. In the Attitude Era, the title held importance, with fans knowing that most superstars who held the strap were on their way to the main event.

That is not the case anymore, however, as the title is thrown on random superstars in an attempt to build interest, but then creative puts in no further effort. It is a little sad that the most interesting thing to happen involving the Intercontinental Championship in recent months was a tournament to crown a number one contender that did not even involve the champion at all (except for a few clips showing him standing in the back, angrily looking at a monitor).

– According to one report, when Sheamus kicked Dean Ambrose during the WWE United States Championship battle royal on Monday’s RAW, it was supposed to be the beginning of his heel turn. Apparently fans haven’t quite caught on to that fact yet, so it will be interesting to see if they make it more apparent this coming Monday, or if they continue a slow-build sort of heel turn for “The Celtic Warrior.”

– It’s being said within WWE that John Cena has made it clear that he would like to work with Big E. at some point, possibly after this year’s SummerSlam pay-per-view.

– Speaking of Cena, he recently hit a new social media milestone, as he now has 25 million friends on his official Facebook page.

– Sheamus won a 20-man battle royal on WWE RAW on Monday night — last eliminating Dean Ambrose — to become the new WWE United States Champion.

– Speaking of the new U.S. champ, as previously reported, he apparently fell asleep during Extreme Rules on Sunday night. He commented on those reports via his official Twitter account, writing the following tweet.

I swear, wasn't having 40 winks during the Rusev #ExtremeRules bout… That said, I am very well rested for #Raw tonight.

— Sheamus (@WWESheamus) May 5, 2014

According to one source, the television main event for tonight’s post-Extreme Rules edition of WWE RAW will be The Wyatt Family vs. The Shield, with Evolution as the guest timekeepers.

Already announced, as previously reported, is a 20-man battle royal for the WWE United States Championship.

WWE COO Triple H just announced that tonight’s RAW will feature United States champion Dean Ambrose putting his gold on the line in a 20-Man Battle Royal. As per a tweet from Triple H, the match will kick off the broadcast:

Just announced for 8pm on Raw
Epic 20 man over the top rope battle Royal for the US Title …..#Raw #BestForBuisness

— Triple H (@TripleH) May 5, 2014

WWE.com has updated the official RAW Preview for tonight as well:

“The Authority has now decreed that Ambrose must defend his United States Championship in a 20-Man Battle Royal tonight on Raw. Will The Hounds of Justice’s Lunatic Fringe be able to outlast 19 other Superstars in this unexpected collision? Tune in tonight to find out.”

Join us here later tonight for live coverage of WWE RAW.

On paper, last night’s card seemed like nothing to write home about. After all, Daniel Bryan was defending his title against a superstar who peaked a decade ago, Bray Wyatt and John Cena were meeting in a rematch from WrestleMania, and other than Evolution vs. the Shield, the rest of the matches seemed like they could turn out to be throwaway contests. The event was basically the furthest thing from a throwaway, however, as it was a well-executed pay-per-view that was filled with worthwhile matches.

The Hounds of Justice stole the show during the match of the night.

Evolution vs. the Shield was the clear highlight of the night, as expected. Each superstar involved in the match put on an excellent show, but the star of the match was without a doubt Seth Rollins. While Triple H, Randy Orton, and Dean Ambrose were battling in the crowd, Rollins dove from the top of the entranceway to take out his Evolution foes, allowing for Roman Reigns to handle Batista in the ring and secure a Shield victory. The match was perfectly executed and is an immediate match of the year contender.

The main event between Daniel Bryan and Kane greatly exceeded expectations. This one seemed like it could be forgettable, as the outcome was never really in doubt and Kane is not exactly a main event superstar anymore. However, both superstars performed well together and the backstage spots were something that resembled contests from the Attitude Era.

In the end, the match even involved a flaming table, although the crew botched this spot a bit by running in with the extinguishers before Kane was even on fire, but hey, what can you do? Overall, it was a great culmination to the night and certainly much better than I was anticipating.

The following are highlights of a recent IGN interview with Seth Rollins:

On The Shield playing off each other well against The Wyatt Family: “Yeah, definitely. From the first time we had any sort of interaction with them, when we were over in the UK last November, there was definitely some crazy electricity that was going on. We knew that once we got into it that it was going to be awesome. I think it exceeded whatever hype it had laid in front of it, and that’s really tough to do nowadays, to have a match where people wanted to see that. They were genuinely like, “Damn, I want to see that. That’s going to be awesome.” So I was really happy we got the opportunity to do that with those guys.”

On the energy in the crowd when they had their first confrontation with The Wyatt Family: “Yeah, that’s what we live for. Those moments are what we do it for. That’s what keeps us coming back. It’s a rush every time we come down the stairs and through the crowd and get in the ring and have a great match. It’s special moments like that where you can’t describe the electricity; it’s a lighting-in-a-bottle sort of thing. That’s what keeps you coming back and really why you do it. Make people really feel something; that’s pretty impressive. That’s an awesome thing to be able to do.”

On if he’d prefer to stay with The Shield for a bit longer before the inevitable split: “I definitely do. I think there’s a lot of life left in The Shield, especially with the different direction the crowd has taken on with us. I think there’s a long way to go for us as a group — as individuals as well. There’s no reason we can’t advance in both situations. I think people assume that for whatever reason there’s an exclusivity to being a single star and a great stable. But for me it’s never about that. We can all grow as individuals, and we can all be big stars in our own right. The Shield can be as big as it’s ever been. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.”

Check out the complete interview at IGN.com.

The following is a non-spoiler match listing for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, which was taped on Tuesday night and will air on Friday, May 2, 2014 on the SyFy Network.

– Rob Van Dam vs. Jack Swagger

– Alexander Rusev vs. R-Truth

– The Wyatt Family vs. Sheamus & The Usos

– Damien Sandow vs. Dolph Ziggler

– Big E. vs. Titus O’Neil

– Dean Ambrose vs. Ryback vs. Curtis Axel vs. Alberto Del Rio

For a complete spoiler report for this week’s WWE SmackDown, click ahead to page two …

– It was confirmed on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW that on this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, which is taped on Tuesday night and airs on Friday night on the SyFy Network, WWE United States Champion Dean Ambrose will be defending his title in a three-on-one handicap match against Ryback, Curtis Axel and Alberto Del Rio.

– Jim Ross tweeted the following about the opening segment on tonight’s edition of WWE RAW:

The opening segment on #RAWSTLOUIS was memorable..creepy..provokes thought. Like a blind date…

— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) April 29, 2014

Following Monday’s Extreme Rules “go-home” edition of WWE RAW, here is your latest official WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view lineup for this Sunday night.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship
– Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kane

Faction vs. Faction
– Evolution vs. The Shield

WWE Intercontinental Championship
– Big E. (c) vs. Bad News Barrett

WWE Divas Championship
– Paige (c) vs. Tamina Snuka

Steel Cage Match
– John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt

Handicap Match
– Alexander Rusev vs. R-Truth & Xavier Woods

Pre-Show “WeeLC Match”
– Hornswoggle vs. El Torito

Rumored
– Rob Van Dam vs. Cesaro vs. Jack Swagger

Make sure to join us here this Sunday night for the absolute best live WWE Extreme Rules results coverage.

The following are highlights of a new SLAM! Wrestling interview with Seth Rollins:

On The Shield’s recent babyface turn: “It’s just how things happen. It’s been an interesting transformation, I suppose. But to be honest with you, we really haven’t done much different. We just started targeting different people, I suppose. By that association, the fans just started to get with us. It’s been fun. It’s been a side to take for sure, but I think it’s something that we’re all pretty excited about.”

On the young crop of WWE Superstars in the company today: “I think that with this new generation of guys, you talk about the Wyatt Family, you can talk about Daniel Bryan, the Usos, you can throw Cesaro in there. There’s this next generation of dudes who are hungry, man. The Shield, coming into WWE, we wanted to change what was going on. We had seen the business stagnate for a good five years at least. Just guys not coming in being hungry, and not wanting to make change, not wanting to ruffle any feathers, feeling like they’re walking on eggshells. Myself, Ambrose and Reigns, we were never like that. We’re all alpha males, that type personality. We all want to be the best, be number one. From the very outset, we were just going to work harder than everybody else, put on better matches than everybody else, cut better promos than everybody else, be more interesting than everybody else. We didn’t really care who that pissed off. I think that attitude resonated with a lot of other guys that we came across, especially in developmental — and they brought that attitude up here with them. It’s really a great time to be a WWE fan, because you’ve got a lot of very invested performers who are willing to make that sacrifice, to make that change.”

On Daniel Bryan’s rise through the ranks: “People say he ascended so quickly, but he’s been in WWE for what, four years now? And before that he was on the indies for over decade. He’s a guy who, if anybody’s put in the time, it’s him; if anybody’s had a slow build to where they’re at, it’s him. It definitely seems like a skyrocket, just because of all the attention the Yes Movement has gathered, the way he’s been positioned over the last six months particularly. But like I said, he’s worked so hard, and I’m super happy for him. He deserves it. I’m real proud of him as a performer and as a friend.”

On he and Dean Ambrose helping Roman Reigns: “He’s smart enough to listen. He’s smart enough to pay attention and pick up little things. He’s someone who’s a student of the game. He played football before he got here. He didn’t spend as much time doing this as we had, but it’s in his blood. His family’s a huge part of this business. He’s just a guy who’s built for it. It’s just part of him. We spend a lot of time in the car and a lot of time in the ring together, and stuff like that, so if he’s not learning, then something’s not right. But I think it’s pretty clear that over the past 18 months that we’ve been teamed up up here that his progression and his development has been accelerated, to say the least.”

You can check out the complete interview at Slam.Canoa.ca.

The following is a non-spoiler match listing for this week’s edition of WWE SmackDown, which was taped on April 22nd in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and will air this Friday, April 25th on the SyFy Network.

– “The Great Debate” between Paul Heyman and Cesaro.

– Cesaro vs. Jack Swagger

– Natalya vs. Tamina Snuka

– Curtis Axel vs. Jey Uso

– Luke Harper & Erick Rowan vs. Goldust & Cody Rhodes

– Fandango & Layla vs. Santino Marella & Emma

– The Shield vs. 11 WWE Superstars

For a complete WWE SmackDown spoiler report for this week, click ahead to page two …

When the Shield debuted over a year ago, Roman Reigns was like the shadowy muscle of the group. He was the least featured member of the trio. He was given few lines during their promos. Yet he was always there to deliver a devastating spear or triple powerbomb when needed.

With the rich indy wrestling history of both Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose, it is no surprise that they were expected to carry most of the load during the early days of the stable. After all, Roman Reigns was a former football player and started wrestling in 2010, whereas both Ambrose and Rollins had been wrestling since the early 2000’s.

Reigns does have a rich family history though, as he is a member of the famous Anoa’i family that includes past superstars such as Yokozuna, Rikishi, and The Rock, so it is not like he was a complete stranger to the world of wrestling.

After his dominating performance at last year’s Survivor Series, it seemed obvious that there were big plans for Roman Reigns.

A little over a year ago, it appeared that Dean Ambrose was the member being groomed for a breakout solo career. He was considered the de facto of the group and is the only member of the group to win a solo title while Rollins and Reigns shared the Tag Team Championships.

Something changed last fall, however, and it appeared that Reigns was the one gaining momentum in the Shield after Ambrose seemed enter a lull. Coincidentally enough, it was as soon as Rollins and Reigns lost their championships that his push began. The first hint that he was going to be a breakout star was at last year’s Survivor Series, where he was the sole survivor and dominated the competition, eliminating four opponents during the contest.

Reigns later eliminated the most competitors in Royal Rumble history during the 2014 contest and he has not looked back since. With the Shield now entering into a program with the newly reformed Evolution, there are reports that the ultimate goal of the feud is to set up a matchup between Triple H and Roman Reigns at this year’s SummerSlam. The reports make one wonder: is Roman Reigns ready for a massive solo push?

Shield member Dean Ambrose spoke to Eric Goldman of IGN.com during WrestleMania weekend. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

The Shield Turning Babyface: “You know, we never went out of our way to do anything that is… We’re doing the exact same thing that we’ve always done; we’re just focusing it in a different direction. Our destruction is now pointed at the same place as fans — our enemies that are in our sights are the same people who fans might see as enemies. Look, we haven’t changed anything we’ve done, and we don’t do anything any differently; it’s just positioned in a different way, so people might feel a different way about it.”

When They Realized The Shield Was Getting Over: “I don’t know that I can remember a first moment with us, but it was really early on when we could tell… Actually, you know what? I say that, but it was probably TLC 2012. That was our first real match together, and it was our first match in WWE. For myself that was my first match in WWE, so it was nearly a decade buildup to this one match. It took me that long to get here.”

“For the other guys, they have their own personal journeys and stuff. Whatever it took to get there, that was the first time we were really going to find out — you know, the crowd was going to see, and we were really going to find out ourselves just how well we could work together, because we were all on the same page. We knew we could trust each other, and we all had faith that we could deliver, but that was the first time any of us I think probably really felt that chemistry between us. It was so seamless and so easy, probably easier than we thought it was going to be. That was probably the moment where we were just like, ‘Yeah, this is a thing. This works.'”

There’s much more to the interview, including Ambrose’s thoughts on the energy surrounding WrestleMania weekend, WWE crowds and more.