When:
United States: LIVE, Monday Night, August 8, at 8/7c on the USA Network
United Kingdom: Tuesday Morning, August 9, at 1AM on Sky Sports 5 HD
Where:
Honda Center
Anaheim, CA
Raw preview, Aug. 8, 2016: Friendly competition turns hostile
The lead-up to the anticipated SummerSlam clash between Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar pitted Raw and SmackDown Live against each other in a whole new way this past week. After The Viper invaded Monday night’s hottest show to attack The Beast, Lesnar retaliated against WWE’s Apex Predator the following night and put Team Blue on notice. How will Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and Raw General Manager Mick Foley maintain order this week?
Can Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley keep the peace?
Last week, SmackDown Live’s Randy Orton made a shocking appearance on Raw to hit Brock Lesnar with a surprise RKO (outta nowhere, naturally), an act of defiance that infuriated Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and Raw General Manager Mick Foley. The following night, not even a bolstered security force could keep The Beast from getting back at The Viper, who fell victim to an F-5 before both Lesnar and his advocate, Paul Heyman, were banished from the building by SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon and SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan.
Following those two attacks, tensions are high among management on both Raw and SmackDown Live. How will this uneasy climate affect other Superstars on Team Red? Will others add to this disorder? We’ll find out Monday night.
What does Sean 'Puff Daddy' Combs have in store for Raw?
A Bad Boy is coming to Raw!
As first reported by RollingStone.com, international recording star Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs will be a guest star on Raw! Combs is not unfamiliar to the WWE Universe, performing a memorable set at WrestleMania 29 in 2013.
What will Puff Daddy have to say when he shows up to Raw? Find out Monday night on the longest running episodic show in TV history!
Is Sasha Banks’ dream coming to an end?
On Raw’s first Mixed Tag Team Match of The New Era, Charlotte scored a pinfall victory over WWE Women’s Champion Sasha Banks by way of Natural Selection, an ill omen for The Boss as she prepares to defend her title against the brazen second-generation Superstar at SummerSlam.
Charlotte would take great pleasure in continuing to humiliate Sasha in the weeks leading up to The Biggest Event of the Summer, but The Boss never stays down when she’s beaten. Given what’s at stake at SummerSlam, don’t be surprised if Sasha is looking for some comeuppance to shift momentum back in her favor.
Will Seth Rollins need to rethink his strategy?
Seth Rollins tried to use mind games to get under Finn Bálor’s skin this past Monday night, claiming that his WWE Universal Championship opponent at SummerSlam was nothing more than a cheap imitation of The Architect. However, Rollins wasn’t necessarily feeling like “The Man” moments later, when Bálor responded with swift kicks to the stomach and the skull that forced the former WWE World Champion to retreat up the ramp.
Rollins made a statement later in the night when he defeated Sami Zayn with a Pedigree, but something tells us that The Architect’s most recent encounter with Bálor left more of a lasting impression than Rollins is willing to admit.
Is Big E out of action?
After Big E & Kofi Kingston picked up a victory over Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson last Monday night, the self-ascribed “Good Brothers” were anything but, attacking all three members of The New Day and injuring Big E worst of all, sending the powerhouse out of the arena on a stretcher.
It remains to be seen whether the WWE Tag Team Champions are officially down a member, as little is known about Big E’s condition at this time, but Anderson & Gallows certainly evened the odds as they continue to eye The New Day’s titles.
Does Kevin Owens truly have Chris Jericho’s back?
OK, so Chris Jericho’s pal Jimmin Marvinluder might not actually be a real person, but Kevin Owens certainly seems to have struck up an alliance with the first Undisputed Champion based on their conversation Monday night. Now that “The Best in the World at What He Does” has acquired some backup against Enzo Amore & Big Cass, how will “The Realest Guys in the Room” respond? Considering Jericho’s decorated history as a tag team competitor, Enzo & Big Cass might have their hands full against these haters.
Don’t miss Raw Monday at 8/7 on USA Network, and be sure to tune in to Raw Pre-Show at 7:30 ET, now available on all of WWE’s digital platforms!
