WWE RAW Preview: April 1st, 2019

The road to WrestleMania is officially set to come to an end tonight. It's surreal to think that we're already on the final RAW before WrestleMania 35, and things are getting more excited than ever.

Sure, we've seen plenty of episodes of RAW which have been filler, but do not sleep on this one, because it's going to be jam-packed and happening from start to finish. Last week's RAW ended with Drew McIntyre reigning supreme over Dean Ambrose once again.

This week, things are going to go down in a big way. We have rivals teaming up with each other, a legend returning after years, Kurt Angle's last-ever RAW match, intense stand-offs, the return of Brock Lesnar, Batista and more. It's the go-home RAW to WrestleMania, and not only will we get an epic episode, but we're set to have a clear direction for WrestleMania, with yet another match potentially being announced. Here is what you need to know about RAW and what to expect tonight.

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#8 Bitter rivals team up against the Riott Squad

Tonight will see a battle of three big egos against the most cohesive unit in the women's division - The Riott Squad. The three women headlining WrestleMania - Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair do not get along at all, yet they've been put together to take on Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan.

While the three of them are clearly on another level individually, it's going to be extremely interesting to see how they act as a unit. You can guarantee that there are going to be missed tags, tension, and perhaps it'll all break down into one big brawl. The Riott Squad are smart and know this can happen, which is why even Ronda Rousey could get pinned for the first time ever.

#7 Beth Phoenix returns to action after 6 years

Beth Phoenix will return to the ring for the first time since late 2012, as she and Natalya team up with The Boss 'N' Hug Connection to take on Nia Jax & Tamina and The IIconics. The latter are making their Monday Night RAW debut, managing to weasel their way into a title match.

Either way, the 8-woman tag team match is going to be exciting, and we know for a fact that the action isn't going to end there. There is guaranteed to be a post-match attack of some sorts, but the question is, will the champions be able to make a statement and stand tall?

If they do get beaten down and another team stands tall, it's not a good look at all for Sasha Banks and Bayley. Despite this, they're still the odds on favourites to retain the titles at WrestleMania.

Are you excited for the WWE legend Beth Phoenix's return to the ring?

#6 Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre are set for a stand-off

Roman Reigns, as expected, accepted Drew McIntyre's WrestleMania challenge despite the fact that McIntyre requested him not to for his own sake. Reigns is not a man to back down from a challenge, and the main event saw Drew McIntyre brutally defeat Reigns' brother Dean Ambrose in a Last Man Standing match.

With a big chip on his shoulder, Roman Reigns is set to make a statement to Drew McIntyre as they have one last stand-off before the show of shows. McIntyre has been on an absolute tear, and it's going to be interesting to see who walks out with the most momentum heading into WrestleMania.

Roman Reigns won't take any insults just standing, so you can fully expect a war of words and the fists to be unleashed between the two superstars as they try to gain an upper hand on one another.

#5 Batista is back...will he get what he wants?

Batista is a man of his word, and he will, in fact, be appearing on the final episode of Monday Night RAW to respond to Triple H. Last week, Triple H revealed a letter that Batista sent him, stating that if Triple H loses, he would have to retire.

Triple H accepted this challenge, stating that if he couldn't beat Batista, then he would be better off retiring anyway. Triple H did accept that Evolution was formed for his own gain, but reminded The Animal that it was Evolution that took him to World Championship success.

With the two set to have a face-to-face on RAW tonight, will Batista use his "Guardians of the indies" security team like last time, or will he stand in front of Triple H man-to-man, now that The Game has given him what he wanted the most?

#4 The RAW Tag Team Championships are on the line

Ricochet & Aleister Black are all over the place, and if they continue at the rate that they are now, they could find themselves with more than one tag team championship in hand. They won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in NXT, earning an NXT Tag Team Championship match against The War Raiders at NXT TakeOver: New York.

It's absolutely crazy given that they're in the thick of the RAW Tag Team Championship picture as well. Holding multiple victories over The Revival, the current champions have only held on to their titles thanks to nefarious tactics.

However, Aleister Black & Ricochet have the chance to walk into WrestleMania weekend as RAW Tag Team Champions. There's no RAW tag title match announced for WrestleMania yet, but after what happens tonight, we may very well get a clear picture of what to expect.

#3 Will the Demon emerge from the man?

Last week, Finn Balor had a good one, when he managed to secure his spot at WrestleMania in an Intercontinental Championship match. He was set to face Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush in a handicap match to secure the spot, but since Rush wasn't cleared, they instead turned to Jinder Mahal, a decision that would come to haunt Lashley and his hype man.

Balor is as quick as ever and used his wit and agility to secure a win after a coupe-de-grace to Mahal. Now that he's secured his WrestleMania match, the big question is as to whether the Demon King will emerge for WrestleMania 35.

Tonight, we're going to find out if Finn Balor intends to bring The Demon King back for the show of shows. If he does, then Lashley might as well go ahead and kiss his Intercontinental title reign goodbye.

#2 The Beast is back

Brock Lesnar has actually decided to grace us with his presence this week, showing up to work for once. With one last episode of RAW before WrestleMania, he's set to have a face-off against Seth Rollins.

Now we won't dwell too much on what to expect, because Brock Lesnar's appearances are very formulaic - Lesnar shows up with Heyman, Heyman cuts the same promo that he's been cutting for the last five years, Lesnar bounces around, and Lesnar leaves.

However, this week, Seth Rollins isn't going to simply let that happen, and last week he made a big statement by intimidating Paul Heyman. With Rollins set to have the biggest match of his career in less than one week, will he allow Lesnar to get to his head, or will he manage to make a statement and get inside The Beast Incarnate's head?

It's going to be a thrilling confrontation.

#1 Kurt Angle's last-ever RAW match

One last time!

Kurt Angle says his farewell to WWE and pro wrestling this Sunday as he has his final-ever match against Baron Corbin. On his retirement tour, he's been the most active since he returned in 2017, facing dream opponent after dream opponents, such as Apollo Crews, Chad Gable and AJ Styles.

This week, in his last-ever RAW match, he's chosen to face SmackDown's Rey Mysterio, an old-time rival. There's no doubt that the two have a lot of respect for one another, and it's going to be an incredible match.

All we can hope is that we don't see interference from the likes of Baron Corbin or Samoa Joe. The last thing Kurt Angle needs for his final RAW match is an interference. Even if this were the main event, it would be a worthy one.

Hopefully, Angle gets the match he deserves before the show of shows, where he says farewell for good.