Latest Rumors and Preview for Final WWE Raw Before SummerSlam 2017

The final phases of construction for SummerSlam 2017 are near as Monday's WWE Raw is poised to set up a number of matches for the marquee pay-per-view.

Sasha Banks and Nia Jax will collide to determine the No. 1 contender for the Raw Women's Championship. Jason Jordan will continue to close in on the biggest singles match of his career. And the stop-and-start reunion of Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins remains at a crossroads ahead of Sunday's PPV.

Boston's TD Garden will host the beasts, bosses and bruisers of the red brand.

The go-home edition of Raw will see Banks return to her hometown. She's one win away from her second straight SummerSlam title bout. Should she knock off Jax, she won't be the only one securing a championship match.

By the end of the night, we should have a clear idea of who will be battling for the Raw women's title, tag team belts and Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam.

Backstage news, storyline analysis and the Raw preview on WWE.com help provide a look at what to expect on Monday night. The last Raw before the summer blockbuster will air at 8 p.m. ET on USA Network.

News, Rumors

Enzo Amore may be due for more losses as a result of all the backstage heat he's been experiencing. The Michael Jordan of Jargon has been the subject of a flood of rumors about behind-the-scene issues of late.

Sports Illustrated columnist Justin Barrasso added to that flood, detailing why Amore is reportedly disliked by some of his peers. In reference to a situation involving a stripper and social media, Barrasso wrote that the incident "left many of the Raw locker room disappointed in the way Amore is embarrassing himself and tarnishing their brand."

Credit: WWE.com

More and more, it feels as if what's going on with Amore backstage is going to adversely affect his career path.

A week after WWE revealed Scott Dawson suffered a ruptured biceps, it looks as if another Superstar is ready to come back after his own injury. Darren Young has healed after tearing up his elbow back in January.

James McKenna of Pro Wrestling Sheet reported Thursday: "Sources tell us Young had his evaluation this week and passed as expected; therefore he'll be able to make his return to WWE as soon as next week."

Raw Streaks

Akira Tozawa knocked off Ariya Daivari last week to keep his roll going. 

The No. 1 contender for the Cruiserweight Championship has seven consecutive wins to his name, per CageMatch.net. That's just part of a long line of victories for Tozawa, who boasts a .800 winning percentage on TV and PPV in 2017.

This kind of booking suggests WWE may be positioning Tozawa as the man to finally dethrone Neville as champ.

Mickie James, on the other hand, is about as far away from a contender as one can get. WWE has made little use of her since her return.

On the latest edition of Raw, James dropped a match to Jax and Dana Brooke.

That continued a pattern of defeat for the former women's champ. Per CageMatch.net, James is 0-5 in non-tag matches on Raw this year and 2-7 overall since the Superstar Shake-up in April.

That's such an odd way to use someone with the championship pedigree James has. 

Last Leg of SummerSlam Build

Alexa Bliss is waiting to find out who she will defend her title against at SummerSlam.

A shoulder injury to Bayley has forced WWE to adjust its plans. A new top contender is nearly crowned now after Banks and Jax each won Triple Threat matches last week to earn a spot in Monday's bout. It's a familiar matchup, one Jax has dominated in the past.

If the powerhouse can continue that pattern in Boston, she'll face Bliss at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, with the gold on the line. If not, The Boss will earn the rematch she's been seeking since Great Balls of Fire.

The Miz and Jordan's issues are set to continue along the road to SummerSlam.

An interview on a Miz TV segment two weeks ago got painfully personal. Jordan responded to The Miz's verbal jabs by laying out the heel and his goons.

The Miz demanded payback last Monday but ran into a freight train named Brock Lesnar instead. He'll surely be looking to hunt down Jordan again as their feud is a safe bet to lead to a SummerSlam IC title match.

Rollins and Ambrose don't have a spot on the PPV card yet, either.

But the amount of spotlight their tenuous alliance has been receiving makes it clear they won't be left out of the fun. Ambrose has struggled to trust Rollins, the man who betrayed and destroyed The Shield. He looked ready to reunite with his brother-in-arms, but The Kingslayer rebuffed him.

Monday's Raw will see their drama continue and perhaps the two men getting along for long enough to challenge Cesaro and Sheamus as a united front for the Raw tag titles.

SummerSlam's main event promises to get plenty of attention, too.

And Samoa Joe is sure to be at the center of whatever chaos precedes the Fatal 4-Way match for the Universal Championship. Last week, The Destroyer pounced on Roman Reigns during his Last Man Standing match with Braun Strowman.  

Will Joe leave someone else out cold in Boston? Regardless if that's the case or if Strowman, Reigns or The Beast Incarnate stand tall ahead of the PPV, recent history says that some compelling carnage is on the way.