WWE Monday Night Raw preview and schedule: January 17, 2022

Bengaluru, January 17: Another stacked edition of Raw is expected this week as the current number-one contender for the WWE Championship is set to respond to the champion ahead of the monumental clash at Royal Rumble 2022.

The GrIT Couple vs. The IT Couple storyline will continue to unfold on the show, while there will be fallouts from former tag champs breaking up their alliance. Team RK-Bro also seem to be on the verge of splitting up after dropping the tag team titles.

Plus, the Raw Women’s Champion will address about receiving a new challenger on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw that is set to take place at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Knock knock! Who's there?@fightbobby responding to #WWEChampion @BrockLesnar tomorrow night on #WWERaw!@HeymanHustle @The305MVPhttps://t.co/iXFLsf2VnQ

— WWE (@WWE) January 16, 2022

A highly anticipated face-to-face encounter between Royal Rumble opponents kicked off last week’s Raw where WWE Champion Brock Lesnar and Bobby Lashley had some heated arguments.

Lesnar won the verbal battle showing off his comedic style as he threw a knock-knock joke on his challenger whom he seems to be least bothered about.

After Lesnar left the ring, Lashley destroyed former Hurt Business members to send a message to the champion. Now, WWE.co has confirmed that The All-Mighty and MVP will be there on Raw to fire back on the comments made by The Beast, last week.

“The Conqueror spat those words back in the face of The All Mighty, cracking jokes at the expense of Lashley and writing him off as just a wannabe.

"This Monday, Lashley responds to Lesnar’s comments and looks ahead to the colossal showdown set to take place at Royal Rumble in St. Louis, Missouri.

"Will The All Mighty be as cordial this time when talking about the WWE Champion? Tune in to Monday Night Raw at 8/7 C to find out!”

The GrIT couple (WWE Hall of Famers Edge and Beth Phoenix) vs. The IT couple (The Miz and Maryse) in a mixed tag team encounter is all set for Royal Rumble 2022.

The Miz claimed to finish off the two legendary opponents, two weeks from now but his wife is seemingly not on the same page with him. As shown on a promo for this week’s Raw, Miz may be delivering some false promises to which he simply can’t live up to.

The friendship between @WWENikkiASH and @RheaRipley_WWE is OVER.

So what now?#WWERaw is LIVE TOMORROW NIGHT at 8/7c on @USA_Network! pic.twitter.com/Q3PI540tgk

— WWE (@WWE) January 16, 2022

Former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Rhea Ripley and Nikki A.S.H. failed to get on the same page as they featured in an in-ring interview.

The Almost Superhero wanted to secure a title rematch against tag champs Carmella and Queen Zelina, but Ripley wanted to go solo.

The two eventually decided to go separate ways but Nikki then decided to attack her former partner, viciously targeting Ripley’s throat.

Her statement was clear that “Almost Superheroes don’t need friends!” After these actions, it’s evident that The Nightmare will be coming after her on Raw.

#WWERaw Women's Champion @BeckyLynchWWE awaits an intriguing new opponent in @DoudropWWE at #RoyalRumble!https://t.co/RyRxdeTjM0

— WWE (@WWE) January 17, 2022

Doudrop defeated Bianca Belair and Liv Morgan in a number-one contender’s Triple Threat battle to get a shot at Becky Lynch and her Raw Women’s Title at Royal Rumble.

Lynch had a front-row seat for the match who ensured via an attack that Belair gets taken out of the equation. Once the match was over, Big Time Becks slapped her new challenger across the face and went for a Man-handle Slam.

But to her surprise, Doudrop countered and tossed the champion out of the ring, making a big-time statement. Now, WWE has announced that RAW Women’s Champion will react to her unconventional challenger on Raw.

What's next for #RKBro?@RandyOrton @SuperKingofBros https://t.co/vnpyKZAVAH

— WWE (@WWE) January 17, 2022

The rematch between Team RK-Bro’s Randy Orton & Riddle and Alpha Academy’s Otis & Chad Gable ended with the latter duo clinching their first tag team title win.

The winning moment was a defiant one where Otis gained a clean pin-fall win over the legendary Orton.

While this indicates a dominant title run for the new champions in the upcoming weeks, the dream run for Team RK-Bro could be coming to an end.

Will this sour defeat mark the end of this popular alliance or they find out a way to bounce back? We’ll find out as Raw delivers the second-last episode before The Rumble.