ORLANDO — With a fanfare of trumpets, a spark of static electricity from his lightning fist and Pantene-worthy head of hair whipping in the wind, John Cena returned to Raw to announce his plans for 2019. He's only got one right now ... but it’s a biggie: Unwilling to be relegated to the sidelines again, the 16-time World Champion declared for the Men’s Royal Rumble Match, setting up a path to WrestleMania that will (hopefully) be much less fraught than last year’s tortured march to The Undertaker’s boneyard.

Of course, it’s never too early to begin the climb, which is why Drew McIntyre quickly made his presence known by confronting Mr. Free Agent and reminding Cena that there have been some changes to the pecking order since he last set foot on Monday nights. And with McIntyre sitting at or near the top after having broken The Shield, obliterated Dolph Ziggler and submitted Kurt Angle, The Scottish Psychopath was now set to make his name at the expense of the greatest of all time.

But before he could, Lio Rush appeared out of nowhere with frantic threats to sue Seth Rollins, who had beaten Bobby Lashley across the arena in a pre-show brawl before Cena made his entrance. Rush’s shrieks summoned The Kingslayer from backstage; Dean Ambrose was quick to follow, and Rollins and Cena quickly found themselves swallowed up in the ensuing brawl … until Finn Bálor sprinted down the ramp and singlehandedly evened the odds in a wild melee. Cena may have framed his absence to McIntyre as an act of charity, but he’s finding there’s no shortage of Superstars who stepped up to fill the void.