Tonight’s WWE Monday Night Raw takes over Madison Square Garden with a level of anticipation that has built throughout the week. The show marks John Cena’s final appearance on the red brand, and the atmosphere around the venue has been described as unusually busy given the number of major names backstage.

Brock Lesnar is expected to be in the building after flying into the area privately on Sunday night. Drew McIntyre has also been confirmed as present, adding to the list of top stars gathering behind the scenes. In addition, Roman Reigns, AJ Lee and Liv Morgan are all expected to be backstage, creating even more intrigue heading into the broadcast.

There is currently no confirmation that any of these names will appear on camera. Each has been away from WWE television for different reasons. Drew McIntyre was written out through a storyline suspension. Liv Morgan continues to recover from shoulder surgery from June. Roman Reigns and AJ Lee have been absent since their respective matches at Crown Jewel and Wrestlepalooza.

The ongoing Last Time Is Now tournament moves forward tonight. Solo Sikoa will meet a mystery opponent, coming off last week’s surprise return from Zack Ryder on SmackDown. A former World Champion is heavily speculated as a possibility for the reveal. GUNTHER is also set to return to in ring action when he takes on Je Von Evans in another tournament bout.

Elsewhere on the show, Becky Lynch will defend the Women’s Intercontinental Championship against Maxxine Dupri. Nikki Bella is scheduled to address her recent attack on Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer, an incident that has generated significant attention heading into Survivor Series season.

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