WWE Raw: Potential Spoilers, Rumors, News and Preview for Aug. 11

Hulk Hogan is set to marshal the last leg of the road to SummerSlam on the Aug. 11 edition of WWE Raw.

The Hall of Famer comes bearing surprise special guests and likely a robust amount of references to the WWE Network when Raw travels to Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. The focus beyond Hogan's birthday festivities will be the SummerSlam hype. 

That will include the men involved in that pay-per-view's main event finally being in the same arena.

John Cena and Brock Lesnar will be back on Raw this week. They are both among those scheduled to appear on Monday's Raw, per WWE.com. Sheamus is on that list as well, so after missing two weeks worth of Raw himself, he too could be in action at Moda Center.

The action begins at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on USA Network. On the WWE Network, the Raw pre-show airs 30 minutes before that, and Backstage Pass comes on immediately following Raw's conclusion.

Twitter, backstage reports and James Wortman's Five-Point Preview on WWE.com offer a glimpse behind the curtain, giving fans an excellent idea of what to expect on the last Raw before SummerSlam.

News, Potential Spoilers

Hogan isn't coming to Oregon alone. He is reportedly bringing familiar faces from two different eras.

PWInsider's Mike Johnson reports that "the show will feature the first Raw appearance since 2002 for Scott Hall, who has been booked to appear alongside Kevin Nash this Monday." The report notes that Paul Orndorff, Jimmy Hart and Ric Flair will be at Monday's Raw as well.

Seemingly validating the above report, Hall teased an nWo reunion on Twitter:

The idea behind bringing back the group that was a key component in the Monday Night War for WCW is likely to drum up interest in the WWE Network. Seeing the nWo's founding fathers in the ring once more may get folks nostalgic to experience their heyday all over again. 

That's probably also what WWE has in mind with bringing Orndorff and Hogan together again.  

Last week, Triple H name-dropped the WWE Network to the point of excess. With names from the '80s and '90s in the house, it looks like fans can count on more of that on Monday's Raw.

According to PWInsider's subscribers-only section (h/t Wrestling Inc), WWE will continue to push the WWE Network and its $9.99 price. The company reportedly felt that it was close to getting $9.99 to become a buzzword. 

One fan tallied up the times someone mentioned the WWE Network on last week's Raw. 

Is that number going to be surpassed on Monday night? The one thing that is certain is that it won't be wise to play a WWE Network-centered drinking game.

SummerSlam, and specifically Stephanie McMahon vs. Brie Bella, will be getting plenty of attention on-air as well. That is reportedly not going to include McMahon beating up on any other Divas, though.

According to PWInsider (h/t Wrestling Inc), McMahon won't be having a warm-up match on Raw before her SummerSlam bout against Brie.

That puts McMahon on the list of roster members who won't be getting in the ring at Moda Center. That list, as fans found out at the end of last week, will include Alberto Del Rio. WWE announced on its website that it released Del Rio due to "unprofessional conduct."

WWE, via its Twitter account, responded to fans upset by the decision to let him go:

A giant may stand in Del Rio's place. Monday may be when fans finally see Big Show return to Raw. He joined forces with Mark Henry on last Friday's SmackDown.

With the tag team division in need of duos, it would make sense for WWE to keep this pairing together. That's bad news for RybAxel and Slater Gater, both groups sure to be huge underdogs against Big Show and Henry.

Celebration and Preparation

Moda Center will host a birthday party for Hogan, who turns 61.

That's WWE's way of attracting viewers to Raw. Raw, then, has to be the company's way to sell them on SummerSlam.

Expect a lot of Cena and Lesnar in the attempt to do that.

Since Triple H announced that Lesnar would be challenging Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, the feud has not seen both men standing face to face. The champion's and the challenger's schedules have had them miss a number of shows during the title bout's buildup.

That ends on Monday's Raw, when they are sure to collide. Wortman asks, "Will Lesnar get his hands on the Cenation leader early?" which hints at a physical confrontation between the two.

The WWE Twitter account did some hinting of its own:

As fantastic as the video package hyping their match was last week, their story is going to need some violence to truly draw fans in. Luckily, it's coming.

Fans have seen animosity aplenty between McMahon and Brie as of late. On last week's Raw, McMahon assaulted both of The Bella Twins.

That marked the second week in a row that their rivalry was in show's the final segment. Don't expect it to happen three straight times with Lesnar and Cena in the house, but it's clear that WWE is fully invested in this match and will pay it great attention on the go-home episode.

Count on Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton getting some love as well.

On last Friday's SmackDown, Ambrose chose a Lumberjack match stipulation for his and Rollins' SummerSlam clash. Monday's Raw should feature a response from Rollins. Wortman suggests as much when he writes, "How will Rollins prepare to meet his unhinged nemesis inside a cage of human flesh?"

History says he turns to Triple H to gain some advantage going into that battle. Perhaps, like an attorney choosing members of a jury, Rollins will ask to name who serves as the lumberjacks. 

Rollins and Ambrose's former partner will be involved in his own pre-SummerSlam collision.

Credit: WWE.com

Last week, Roman Reigns outlasted Kane in a Last Man Standing match, a result that compelled Kane to strip off his mask. Randy Orton spent last Friday's SmackDown in a grueling battle with Ambrose.

Before Reigns and Orton lock horns at SummerSlam, they will each be in pursuit of another victory. Wortman asking "Who will gain critical momentum in the lead-up to The Biggest Party of the Summer?" points to one or both of these enemies making a member of the roster their prey.

That feud and SummerSlam's others rivalries are set to stand in the spotlight. 

Hopefully, WWE does well to balance its hocking of the Network, embracing nostalgia and delivering a cliffhanger of a product before one of the year's biggest events.