‘WWE Monday Night Raw’ Preview: ‘SmackDown Live’ GM Daniel Bryan Visits Mick Foley
Despite the supposed exclusivity of the Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live rosters after the WWE Draft and brand extension, both Raw‘s Brock Lesnar and SmackDown‘s Randy Orton made their way on to their SummerSlam opponent’s show last week. The Raw General Manager Mick Foley failed to realize that The Viper would show up on Monday night, and the extra security on SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan’s show couldn’t stop The Beast Incarnate. As the rivalry between Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live heats up, will the feud between Foley and Bryan get personal?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnHITDpyJdc
Of course, there’s also plenty of drama surrounding the current and (potentially) future champions on the Raw roster. Seth Rollins will undoubtedly have a response to Finn Bálor, as the two WWE Superstars prepare to battle for the WWE Universal Championship at SummerSlam. Also confirmed for SummerSlam 2016 is a WWE Women’s Championship Match between Sasha Banks and Charlotte.
While it hasn’t been officially announced, all signs point to The New Day defending the WWE Tag Team Championship against Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows at SummerSlam, while it seems as though Roman Reigns will be challenging Rusev for the WWE United States Championship. With SummerSlam just around the corner, it’s likely that both matches will be made official on Monday Night Raw this week.
Below is a deeper look at WWE’s official Monday Night Raw preview for August 8. Each week, the WWE Universe is provided borderline spoilers in regards to the assumed events that will take place on the WWE’s flagship program, which airs live on the USA Network.
WWE Monday Night Raw Preview
As the WWE builds towards a huge SummerSlam weekend in two weeks, Monday Night Raw airs live from the Honda Center in Anaheim. As TV By The Numbers reported, Raw beat SmackDown Live in the ratings last week. Will a line-up that includes guests Puff Daddy and Daniel Bryan be enough to continue their streak this week?
Let's take a #honeymoon #Swim ?… Then Off to Monday night #Raw & then off to #WWEAustralia ??? @RusevBUL @WWE pic.twitter.com/cRn2J6lfBi
— CJ Perry (@TheCJPerry) August 7, 2016
What does Mick Foley have in store for Daniel Bryan?
WWE must have realized that a feud between Stephanie and Shane McMahon can only be rehashed so many times before the WWE Universe grows weary of the McMahon family drama. Bringing Mick Foley and Daniel Bryan back to WWE programming was the perfect move. With their friendly feud having just begun, whatever Foley has planned for his SmackDown counterpart could really set the tone for the months to come.
I liked a @YouTube video https://t.co/uECM68HHSD The battle lines are drawn between Mick Foley and Daniel Bryan: Raw, July 18, 2016
— Nigel Hagans (@RandomGame100) July 31, 2016
What does Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs have in store for Raw?
As much as Vince McMahon and the WWE love to bring in celebrities from outside the professional wrestling world, it’s not always a hit with the WWE Universe. When Drew Carey gave his speech after being inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame, he was practically booed out of the building. When Stephen Amell feuded with Stardust, the crowd seemed to be into it. If P-Diddy doesn’t bring something interesting on Monday night, the live WWE audience will certainly let him know how they feel.
So Sean Combs back to being Puff Daddy? What happened to P-Diddy? Or is WWE just that behind the times? #RAW
— WrestlingINC.com (@WrestlingInc) August 2, 2016
Is Sasha Banks’ dream coming to an end?
In the ongoing feud between WWE Women’s Champion Sasha Banks and former champion Charlotte, Ric Flair’s daughter got the last laugh on Monday Night Raw. While Charlotte teamed up with Chris Jericho, Banks teamed up with Enzo Amore. In the end, The Boss was pinned when she fell victim to Natural Selection. Will Sasha be able to regain the upper hand on this week’s Raw?
Will Seth Rollins need to rethink his strategy?
No feud epitomizes the WWE’s emphasis on the New Era more than Seth Rollins facing recent NXT call-up Finn Bálor for a newly-minted WWE Universal Championship. Last week, Rollins tried to psyche Bálor out by claiming to have done everything that Finn has done in WWE, only to have done it sooner and better. It didn’t end well for The Architect. How will Seth adjust his approach on this week’s episode?
“The only thing you’re gonna have handed to you at #SummerSlam is your a**” – @wwebalor #MondayNightRaw pic.twitter.com/bxbRETJfNy
— WWE UK (@WWEUK) August 2, 2016
Is Big E out of action?
One of the huge advantages that The New Day have had on their way to being the longest reigning WWE Tag Team Champions in history is the simple fact that they always have a numbers advantage over their opponents. With “The Freebird Rule” in effect, teams don’t always know which two members of The New Day they’ll be facing. On last week’s Raw, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows may have taken that advantage away, as they gave The New Day an unexpected beating that resulted in Big E being carried out on a stretcher. Could Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods be on their own against The Club at SummerSlam?
Does Kevin Owens truly have Chris Jericho’s back?
These days, neither Chris Jericho nor Kevin Owens has a lot of friends on the Monday Night Raw roster. But the two Canadian grapplers share a common hatred of Enzo Amore and Big Cass, one of the most charismatic teams in the WWE. With a SummerSlam tag team match likely to be set, will the sudden alliance of Jericho and Owens be strong enough to beat arguably the most popular tag team to ever come out of NXT?
But seriously Y2J and KO together? Sounds good as long as Chris doesn't shake Kev down for dry cleaning money again. https://t.co/2WcX94xbhj
— President Dog (@PresidentDogCH) August 2, 2016
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Where To Watch
WWE SummerSlam 2016 is set for Sunday, August 21. It will air exclusively on the WWE Network at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central. The SummerSlam Kick-Off Show will begin at 7 p.m. Eastern/6 p.m. Central.
Catching up on @WWE #Raw via @Hulu. https://t.co/ypYB1blVrt
— Kylo Ken © (@KyloKen_XA) March 16, 2016
WWE Monday Night RAW airs live on the USA Network at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central, with the Raw Pre-Show airing on the WWE Network at 7:30 p.m. Eastern/6:30 p.m. Central. Replays of WWE RAW aren’t made available on the WWE Network until several weeks after the original air date. However, a 90-minute version of Monday Night Raw is available to stream on-demand the following day with a Hulu Plus subscription.
[Image via WWE]