Adam Pearce to ban former WWE Universal Champion, Title reign ends, Goldberg’s back? 5 surprises for go-home episode of RAW before Royal Rumble

We are all set for the final episode of WWE RAW before Royal Rumble 2025. The star-studded affair will set the stage for the upcoming premium live event, with several big names looking to gain momentum. That said, Triple H may have planned a handful of jaw-dropping surprises on the red brand's go-home show before Rumble.

Here, we look at five massive swerves that can unfold on WWE RAW's final show before Royal Rumble. So, without further ado, let's begin.

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#1 Omos returns and declares himself for Royal Rumble

WWE Superstar Omos made waves in the pro wrestling industry when he debuted in Pro Wrestling NOAH, an ally of the Stamford-based company. The Nigerian Giant found a tag team partner in Jack Morris, and they defeated Naomichi Marufuji and Takashi Sugiura.

Omos recently confirmed that he is relinquishing one-half of the GHC Tag Team Title to Daga. He said that he had achieved everything he wanted to at Pro Wrestling NOAH and was now prepared to head back to WWE. The 30-year-old could appear on Monday Night RAW this week and declare himself for Royal Rumble.

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#2 Goldberg confronts Gunther

WWE Superstar Gunther recently defended his World Heavyweight Championship against Jey Uso at Saturday Night's Main Event. It was an entertaining bout that ended with The Ring General retaining his title.

We may see Gunther meet his next challenger on WWE RAW this week, and it could be none other than Goldberg. He last appeared on television at Bad Blood 2024 and was involved in a brief altercation with The Austrian Anomaly. Da Man could return on WWE RAW before Royal Rumble and set up a title feud with the World Heavyweight Champion, which could kick off his retirement tour.

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#3 Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh dethrone The War Raiders

The upcoming episode of WWE RAW will see Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh take on The War Raiders for the World Tag Team Championship. In an interesting turn of events, The Judgment Day urged Dominik to replace Finn Balor, who was absent from last week's show, in the tag team match.

The creative team could book a shocking twist to see The Judgment Day reclaim the gold. This would allow Dominik to achieve something that Finn Balor failed to do, which could fuel the growing rift between The Prince and Liv Morgan.

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#4 The Rock turns on Roman Reigns and stakes his claim at Ula Fala

Paul Heyman had previously indicated that Roman Reigns would return on WWE RAW this week, marking his appearance for the first time since the red brand's Netflix premiere.

The January 6 show also featured The Rock, who acknowledged Reigns as his Tribal Chief following the latter's win over Solo Sikoa in Tribal Combat. However, things could take a drastic turn on RAW's go-home show before Royal Rumble.

The Rock could orchestrate chaos if he makes a surprise appearance and challenges Reigns for the Ula Fala, effectively setting up their WrestleMania feud. This would help script the next chapter of The Bloodline, and it will be interesting to see how the saga would impact other members associated with the faction.

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#5 Adam Pearce bans Kevin Owens from WWE RAW

There is no denying that Kevin Owens has been notorious in his feud with Cody Rhodes. Both superstars have made appearances on WWE RAW and SmackDown over the last few weeks, roping in their old friends to argue their respective cases. Their latest meeting at Saturday Night's Main Event saw Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens feature in a contract signing segment.

While both superstars put their names on the dotted line, the segment ended with Owens trying to attack Shawn Michaels. Although HBK—the special guest moderator—ended the meeting with Sweet Chin Music, an angry KO may look to cause chaos elsewhere.

The American Nightmare is scheduled to make an appearance on the red brand this week. Owens would undoubtedly follow him to the show with a plan to wreak havoc. Thus, RAW general manager Adam Pearce may decide to ban Owens from the show before Royal Rumble, leaving him rabid to land a final blow before the highly anticipated ladder match for the Undisputed WWE Championship.