WWE ‘Raw’ Preview: Two Former Champions Lock Up, Strowman Faces Roode, And More

The WWE will be in Houston, Texas, this Monday for Raw, and three complete matches have been booked thus far, and a tag team battle royal has been announced. More contests will surely take place, but as fans know, the WWE loves to announce matches during the show.

Money in the Bank is nearly two weeks away, June 17, and the promotion will likely be providing a few surprises and some solid bouts leading up to the event. With a 10-match card for Money in the Bank, there isn’t a shortage of angles to work with during the next two weeks. WWE.com recently released a preview of what we can expect during Houston’s Raw.

Last Monday, Bobby Roode faced Kevin Owens in singles competition. “The Glorious One” failed to reflect his nickname as Owens went over clean. After the match, Braun Strowman came down to the ring and attacked Kevin. Roode was cheering him along in the corner, but he got a rude awakening when “The Monster Among Men” shifted his focus. Braun beat down Bobby, and now, the two will square off on Raw.

On last week’s Raw, Finn Balor was in a rematch with “The Monster Among Men.” It looked like Balor was going to go over in the match but Kevin interfered and caused a disqualification. Because of this, Balor and Owens will meet in the ring this Monday. Both competitors are former WWE universal champions and they have great in-ring chemistry. Depending on what else ends up being booked, this could easily be the match of the night.

The WWE sure does want us to know that Natalya is good friends with “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey. Nia Jax is defending her title against Rousey at MITB, but this Monday she will face Ronda’s good friend. The WWE.com preview describes the setup for this match.

“This past Monday night, Raw Women’s Champion Nia Jax toyed with a local competitor to show Ronda Rousey the torment that awaits her in their title bout at WWE Money in the Bank, and when ‘The Baddest Woman’ on the Planet confronted ‘The Irresistible Force,’ Jax simply laughed in Rousey’s face and walked away — clearly unconvinced that the UFC veteran represents a true challenge in a WWE ring. After witnessing Nia’s disrespect toward her longtime friend and training partner, Natalya will lock up with the cocky champion on Raw in Houston.”

Because they keep reminding us of the “longtime” friendship, it may be safe to expect that Jax, who looks to be turning heel, will mercilessly beat down Natalya. Rousey has not been advertised for the event, so if she’s not on the show, she may look for retribution the following week. If she does appear during Houston’s Raw, we may finally see a physical confrontation between her and Nia this Monday.

The B-Team will also be in action and will participate in a tag team battle royal where the winners earn a shot to face The Deleter of Worlds for the tag titles. No other teams were mentioned for the battle royal, but it will likely involve those featured in the Memorial Day barbecue.

WWE Raw airs live on the USA Network at 8 p.m. EST.