WWE RAW: Complete Preview, Rumors, News and More for August 13

With SummerSlam scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 19, WWE’s go-home edition of RAW will be the final chance for the company to make the fans go all-in on the summer blockbuster pay-per-view.

Brock Lesnar’s threats towards Shawn Michaels have resonated through the WWE Universe, and everyone is excited to see what drama will come to fruition on Monday night.

There are still five hours of televised WWE programming to fill before the big PPV, so the company better continue the stories or this week’s RAW will be the longest pre-hype show in history.

Don’t waste a three-hour Raw with filler, WWE.

Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX

When: Monday, August 13 at 8 p.m. ET

Watch: USA Network

Shawn Michaels vs. Brock Lesnar

From Day 1 of the feud between Triple H and Brock Lesnar, there was talk about getting Lesnar over as a major heel by allowing him to beat down Triple H’s best buddy, Shawn Michaels. It looks like that’s what we’re finally going to get.

Question on Everybody's Mind: Why not crush HBK sooner?

While the original plans were to build hatred for Lesnar and actually care about the long-term development of a character, they put the attack on HBK on hold so he could come back at RAW 1,000 and last week’s display of post-RAW affection.

Hype Meter: 5 out of 5 heartbreaker beatdowns

The WWE loves Michaels so much that they are willing to put their biggest story heading into SummerSlam on the backburner so that they can hand Mr. Hall of Fame (dumbest nickname ever) a plaque. The Kliq is at it again.

Deeper Dive: Shawn Michaels is back…again (WWE.com)

WWE Title Madness

With CM Punk starting to cut great promos on the regular again, last week’s RAW ended with Big Show standing over the other two men in the triple-threat match at SummerSlam for the WWE title.

Question on Everybody's Mind: Is Big Show a viable threat?

While there had been scuttlebutt earlier in the year about one final run as champion for Big Show, how RAW ends this week will reveal the WWE’s plan. If John Cena is the one standing tall at the conclusion of this episode, it will be CM Punk that retains gold.

Hype Meter: 4 out of 5 personality cults

All signs are pointing to Punk retaining the gold Sunday at SummerSlam, and that is a great thing for fans. The current reign has been excellent, and holding the title through SummerSlam likely means it will be Punk vs. The Rock at the Royal Rumble.

Rumor Mill: Wade Barrett getting huge push? (F4WOnline.com via WrestlingInc)

Pauly D Gets RAW

I can’t believe this is real, but Jersey Shore star Pauly D will be at RAW Monday night to help pump the fans up about SummerSlam. Leave it to WWE to get a guy three years past being relevant.

Question on Everybody's Mind: Speaking of irrelevant, where’s Charlie Sheen?

The WWE is doing everything they can to sell the social media aspect of the show now, and it’s taking away from the product. Instead of wasting time with a Jersey Shore segment, they should be building a secondary feud or giving merit to a secondary title.

Hype Meter: 1 out of 5 fistpumps

There are many ways that the WWE could play this appearance, but all signs point to terrible. The only ways that this could be salvaged would be to have Pauly D and Daniel Bryan in a shouting match or Damien Sandow chopping the Jersey Shore star down verbally.

Rumor Mill: No more Daniel Bryan/Charlie Sheen angle? (Figure Four Online via NoDQ.com)

Check back for more on the World Wrestling Entertainment as it comes, and visit Bleacher Report’s Wrestling Page to get your fill of WWE/TNA. For more Wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics you just can’t miss (some language NSFW).

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