Tonight, on the With Spandex WWE Raw open discussion thread:
With Alexa Bliss’ top challenger Bayley out with a separated right shoulder, Sasha Banks will battle Nia Jax to determine which Superstar will challenge Little Miss Bliss for the Raw Women’s Championship at SummerSlam. Meanwhile, the strange saga of Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins continues after a surprising change of heart by both The Lunatic Fringe and the former turncoat who now seeks his forgiveness. Tune in to Raw this Monday, live at 8/7 C on USA Network. (via WWE.com)
Our five-point preview:
1. Last week, Bayley came out to explain how she was legitimately injured and out of SummerSlam, and got legitimately booed by the crowd. Watch this, With Spandex: You can actually pinpoint the second when her heart rips in half. As a result, we have a new No. 1 contender for Alexa Bliss’ Raw women’s championship to crown tonight, between Sasha Banks and Nia Jax. My money is on the zombie.
2. Big Cass has been getting more and more orange with each passing week of his heel run. What shade will he be this week? I’m voting Goldfish Cracker, but I could see Moldy Tangerine as a viable dark horse candidate. I hope his SummerSlam opponent the Big Show doesn’t mind washing all that bronzer off his hands every time they scrap.
3. The Finn Bálor/Bray Wyatt feud will undoubtedly continue tonight, even though Balor himself said Wyatt’s not a big enough threat to warrant the Demon appearing. At this point, I honestly have to wonder if we’d be better off with Husky Harris than Bray Wyatt. At least that guy was in the Nexus.
4. Two weeks ago, Seth Rollins tried to get Dean Ambrose to forgive him, and Ambrose blew him off. Last week, Dean Ambrose tried to get Seth Rollins to forgive him — by extending the Shield fist, even! — and Rollins blew him off. Tonight, the tension will continue to build, as Rollins will be about to board a plane to Paris to take his dream job with Ralph Lauren and Ambrose will show up at the airport, get through security and profess his love to him for the first time in their complicated relationship, only for Rollins to respond, “I have to get on the plane. I can’t do this right now, I’m sorry.” Tune in at SummerSlam to see if Rollins does, in fact, get off the plane. (Side note: Dean Ambrose definitely still has a landline with an answering machine.)
5. Oh, right, the SummerSlam main event: WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar isn’t advertised for this SummerSlam go-home show, which seems like a pretty dang big misdirect, so expect him to finally get physical with the other three combatants in this Sunday’s fatal four-way: Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe, and Poochie The Rockin’ Dog.
We’re including 10 of our favorite comments from tonight’s open discussion thread in tomorrow’s Best and Worst of Raw column, so comment as much as you can and reply to your favorites with a +1. That’ll nominate them for consideration. Otherwise, enjoy the show!
