The road to WrestleMania, the WWE’s biggest event, begins at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, and Tuesday night sees the last show before that 30-man melee. The stakes are high, so don’t rule out a rare sighting of professional wrestling’s ultimate unholy terror: the only man to ever hold the WWE world title, the UFC Heavyweight belt, and the NCAA Division I championship, Brock Lesnar. Expect a scream of “Yes! Yes!” for the return of sharp-fanged underdog Daniel Bryan, and a reunion of sorts of the hounds of justice, the Shield. The company’s golden boy Roman Reigns reunites with the rip-roaring maniac Dean Ambrose against their former ally, the high-flying, belly-crawling treacherous snake Seth Rollins and the eerie, devastating charisma of Bray Wyatt (part True Detective, part human wrecking ball). Plus, with the fight on to be the next No. 1 contender, don’t rule out power-players like Cesaro making an impact.

WWE SmackDown, Tue., Jan. 20, 7:30pm. $15-100. Frank Erwin Center, 1701 Red River. 512/471-7744. www.uterwincenter.com. Visit ­austinchronicle.com for our interview with Cesaro.

This article appears in January 16 • 2015.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.