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With the Royal Rumble upon us, it's that time of the year when almost every superstar has a chance at making history, as 30 men will fight in the rumble for a main event opportunity at WrestleMania. Everyone wants to carry maximum momentum heading into the rumble, and here's what we can expect from them in this week's shows:

RAW (Thursday 6:30 pm/ 10:30 pm IST):

CM Punk's WWE Championship is in serious jeopardy going into the Royal Rumble, where he defends the title against Dolph Ziggler. The conspicuous presence of Vickie Guerrero and Jack Swagger in Ziggler's corner was bad enough, and now John Lauranitis (who has some serious issues with Punk) has taken up the mantle of special guest referee for the match. The Second City Saviour will however have a chance to level the playing field when he faces Jack Swagger on Raw, and if he wins, Swagger and Guerrero will be banned from ringside in the WWE Championship match at the Royal Rumble.

Speaking of Jack Swagger, he will have the opportunity to win a title of his own when he faces Zack Ryder for the United States Championship. Ryder has been on song lately ever since he won the title from Dolph Ziggler, but this will be the first time the odds will not be in his favour, as the presence of Vickie Guerrero at ringside gives a massive advantage to the challenger. Will the highest trending superstar on Twitter successfully defend his gold? We will find out on Raw.

As far as championships are concerned, it was reported on WWE.com that Primo and Epico won the WWE tag team championships in a house show last week, and this week they will defend the titles in a rematch against Air Boom. Also, Kelly Kelly will be teaming up with Alicia Fox to take on the Bella twins in a Divas tag match.

Jack Swagger would be pulling double duty this week, as he faces a deranged John Cena. Cena has been disturbed lately by the antics of Kane, who has been trying every week to get inside Cena's head, trying to convince him to 'embrace the hate' and accept the hatred the WWE Universe has developed towards him lately. It would be interesting to see if the Cenation Commander-in-chief can focus on his opponent, and if the Big Red Monster will have something to do with the situation.

And finally, Chris Jericho will be in action this week for the first time since his return to the WWE. Especially since Jericho has not spoken a word ever since coming back from his sabbatical, the WWE Universe is eagerly waiting to see him in the ring, and this week on Raw we will find out if Jericho still has his old magic in him.

SMACKDOWN (Friday 6:30 pm/ 10:30 pm IST):

This week's SmackDown comes live from the Sin City, Las Vegas, and in tune with the atmosphere of the town, the stipulation of every match on the night will be decided by a roulette wheel. It will be a night full of surprises as the superstars on the roster leave their future entirely to chance for the night, and a stroke of luck might be the deciding factor in some rather important encounters.

One of such encounters will feature Daniel Bryan defending his World Heavyweight Championship against Mark Henry. Bryan had a lucky escape last week when Big Show accidentally ran over AJ Lee, ending their World Heavyweight title match with no contest. This week around, the champion will not have AJ supporting him in his corner, and it entirely depends on the roulette wheel of fortune as to whether the odds will be in favour of or against the champion, who is by convention the underdog going up against the World's Strongest Man. As far as Mark Henry is concerned, the former world champion is dying to get his hands on Bryan and the big gold belt, and it will be interesting to see if the wheel of fortune is of help or hindrance in his endeavor.

Another big match of the night will see Sheamus facing Wade Barrett. Barrett and Sheamus have been at loggerheads ever since Barrett injured Randy Orton, putting him on the shelf for at least a couple of months. Barr has constantly had the upper hand over the Celtic Warrior, mainly due to Jindar Mahal's constant interference. This week, the wheel of fortune might eliminate Mahal from the scenario, or perfectly legitimize his presence. Who will come out on top? Watch SmackDown to find out.

And finally, watch out for some exciting cross-country action as Ted DiBiase faces Hunico, The Usos battle the new tag team champions Primo and Epico, and Justin Gabriel goes one on one against the Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes.

All this and lots more to come this Friday on SmackDOwn.

NXT (Sunday 5 pm / 10:30 pm IST):

NXT airs from Sin City, and Titus O'Neil has promised some 'shocking revelations' , as he faces Darren Young in a no-disqualification match. Also, this week's NXT will be the veue for the in-ring wedding of Johnny Curtis and Maxine.

YouTube video of the week: Match: 2002 Royal Rumble

Triple H made his return from a career-threatening injury to win the 2002 Royal Rumble, after which he would go on to defeat Chris Jericho for the Undisputed WWE Championship.