It’s all about The Shield these days after the black-clad attackers from Survivor Series revealed their (vague) motives in an interview with Michael Cole last week on Raw. The NXT trio declared themselves to be protectors of justice, but even as they insist they’re not on Paul Heyman’s payroll, the skeptics remain unconvinced. Elsewhere, Team Hell No reached a fork in the road, and as it turns out, John Cena does kind of like like AJ Lee. Hard to blame him, all things considered. Here’s the five-point preview for this week’s must-see Raw.

Three-course meal

"The Shield" continue to wreak havoc in the WWE by attacking Kane, Daniel Bryan and Ryback on Raw.

So The Shield attacked again Monday night, and for the third time in two weeks, they left Ryback lying in a heap while WWE Champion CM Punk basked in their assist in taking down his titanic foe. But with Ryback’s WWE Title Match at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs fast approaching, we find it hard to believe the beast will tolerate any further tampering with his chances to relieve Punk of the WWE Championship. It wasn’t so long ago that Ryback was yelling “Feed Me Three!”; might we see Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns step into the ring against him sooner rather than later?

It was justified

Michael Cole tries to gain insight on the motive for the recent actions of Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins.

The Shield claims to be enforcers of justice in WWE, but we’re wondering their motivation in jumping Kane following The Big Red Machine’s RAWactive match against CM Punk last Monday night. Where was the miscarriage of justice that caused the lurking threesome to swarm the ring and attack an opponent completely unprovoked? And does the attack lend credence to the (previously denied) accusation that the trio is working for Punk and Paul Heyman? Frankly, we’re curious to hear what — if anything — Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns have to say for themselves.

Keep calm and hug it out?

Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston joins forces with WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No against the trio of Wade Barrett and The Prime Time Players.

Team Hell No looked like they had finally put their squabbles away in the name of the greater good last Friday on SmackDown when they buried the hatchet to help Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston knock off Wade Barrett & The Prime Time Players in a Six-Man Tag Team Match. Coupled with Daniel Bryan’s bold attempt to rescue Kane from The Shield last Monday on Raw, it looks like the beautiful friendship between the bickersome bros is taking a turn for the best. We think.

Cena and AJ, sittin’ in a tree …

The romance between John Cena and AJ Lee continues to blossom.

Well, that escalated quickly. Only two weeks ago, John Cena vehemently denied any and all allegations of inappropriate canoodling with AJ Lee while she was on the job as Raw General Manager. Fast forward to today, and the Cenation leader is snogging Miss Lee (who, by the way, is no longer Raw GM and free to date whoever she wants. It’s true. We checked) while fending off the ferocious sneak attacks of Dolph Ziggler all at the same time. That’s a mighty quick turnaround and we commend you, Cena, but now comes the potential fallout: Cena’s relationships tend to bring ruin on all involved, and Ziggler has already proven himself a stiff challenge for the relationship-saddled Cena. Will the 10-time WWE Champion buck history this time and balance business with pleasure accordingly? Or does The Showoff have him dead to rights?

The intimidation factor

Sheamus meets United States Champion Antonio Cesaro inside the Raw ring.

The World Heavyweight Championship Chairs Match between Big Show and Sheamus is becoming more and more of a mind game each week. The Celtic Warrior has been working himself up into fighting shape in full view of the giant, and Big Show retaliated last week by dismantling a steel chair with his bare hands right before Sheamus’ eyes. With TLC fast approaching, what will the two combatants have in store for each other this week? Tune into Raw on Monday, 8/7 CT on USA Network to find out!