Things just keep getting worse for No. 1 contender Daniel Bryan, whose war with The Man going poorly at best thanks to WWE COO Triple H and his handpicked WWE Champion, Randy Orton. CM Punk isn’t faring much better thanks to Paul Heyman and Curtis Axel’s trickery; with Night of Champions fast approaching, how will the two Superstars last long enough to mount their respective challenges against Orton and the Axel-Heyman duo? We have a few theories on that and other matters.

Corporate scapegoat

Daniel Bryan tries to take down each member of The Shield in a Gauntlet Match.

Anyone who complains about his job evaluation got a solid dose of perspective last week when Daniel Bryan’s boss subjected him to a goon-squad beatdown from The Shield and Randy Orton, plus forced all Bryan’s co-workers to stand and watch. And all that’s for a guy Triple H says he likes. In any case, Bryan seems to have firmly set foot on the WWE COO’s bad side ( defacing Orton’s whip probably didn’t help), so what will the COO and the No. 1 contender have in store for each other this week?

Justice league

Can Dolph Ziggler withstand the punishment from The Shield in a Handicap Match? Will Big Show be able to watch silently ringside?

The Shield have been running rampant under the apparent blessing of The King of Kings, while one of their self-appointed enemies, Big Show, has seemingly been neutralized under threat of having his not-so-ironclad contract torn to shreds. Happily, there might be a way for Show to circumnavigate the red tape and get some measure of retribution against The Hounds of Justice: The WWE Tag Title Match he mentioned he and Mark Henry are levying against Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns. Might we see the two titans make a play for the titles this week?

Pipe Bomb(shell) fallout

AJ Lee tells the stars of "Total Divas" what she thinks of them in a scathing tirade on Raw.

Well, AJ Lee certainly learned a thing or two from her time on CM Punk’s arm. The “Black Widow” channeled The Straight Edge Superstar’s infamous pipe bomb by verbally obliterating the cast of “Total Divas” last Monday on Raw. To say the least, the Divas weren’t impressed. AJ’s no stranger to making enemies, but this is the first time she’s made so many at once; what lies ahead for her this week?

Where's Bray?

Bray Wyatt shares the disturbing story of "Sister Abigail," whose touch could save the world, but whose kiss burns it to the ground.

It has been some time since the WWE Universe witnessed Bray Wyatt in action; “The Man of 1,000 Truths” has been content of late to sit in the shadows, delivering platitudes and delving into his horrific origins rather than stepping into the ring himself. When might “The Eater of Worlds” return for another course between the ropes? And whom will he target?

The sins of the father figure

CM Punk takes on Curtis Axel for a chance to get his hands on Paul Heyman.

CM Punk got a free go at Paul Heyman last week after defeating Curtis Axel. However, the mad scientist came out swingin’ (if not smiling) when Axel handcuffed the former WWE Champion and allowed his boss to go to town with a Singapore cane. Even though Punk will officially have a chance to repay both men in a Triple Threat Elimination Match at Night of Champions, The Second City Saint is nothing if not impatient when it comes to his desire to beat up Paul Heyman. Smart money dictates that Heyman will take advantage of Punk’s rage and goad him into a trap. The only question is how. Tune into Raw Monday at 8/7 CT on USA to find out!