WWE continues to load up for what should be a special edition of Monday Night Raw on January 7.
In addition to having Hulk Hogan make his long-awaited return to the show, PW Insider is reporting that fellow Hall of Famer Ric Flair will also be part of the broadcast.
It has been reported that Hogan will be part of the show to honor the late ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund, who passed away last Wednesday morning.
Though not official, Flair could be coming to the show to do the same thing. He had a long relationship with Okerlund as well, dating back to their time together in Minnesota. Okerlund was also in WWE and WCW with Flair and was at his side for many of his best interviews and promos.
Ric Flair Pays Tribute to 'Mean' Gene Okerlundhttps://t.co/FqZxq14pUn pic.twitter.com/reLpeNmsre
— Wrestling on ComicBook.com (@WrestlingOnCB) January 2, 2019
Okerlund’s passing brought on reactions from a bevy of Superstars and personalities from the world of professional wrestling. Considered by many to be the voice of WWE for many years, Okerlund’s passing has taken a toll on the WWE Universe, promising that Monday will be an emotional event.
In addition to Flair and Hogan, both John Cena and Brock Lesnar are expected to be on hand for the first Raw of 2019. That could give the company a significant boost in television ratings, which fell to record lows in 2018 for a variety of reasons.
Cena missed much of 2018 as he has transitioned into a role of part-time Superstar while he films movies, but he did return on the most recent episode of SmackDown in a segment and match with Becky Lynch.
https://twitter.com/BeckyLynchWWE/status/1080293849929400320
Lesnar, the current WWE Universal champion, will likely be on hand to build his upcoming title defense against Braun Strowman at Royal Rumble.
It should be noted that Raw will be going up against the College Football National Championship Game, so having as many additional viewers as possible will be beneficial.
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