WWE Raw: Potential Spoilers, Rumors, News and Preview for Sept. 29

The slow road to Hell in a Cell continues on the Sept. 29 edition of WWE Raw.

Rivalries continue to intensify and challengers are set to demand their shots and gold, all without Chicago's favorite son or the world heavyweight champion. WWE visits the Allstate Arena in Chicago once again, promising to at least begin to shape the upcoming pay-per-view.

It's unclear who will be in pursuit of Goldust and Stardust's cosmic key. Fans also don't know how much more NXT/WWE overlap they will see or what the company has in mind for John Cena. Monday's Raw should answer some of those questions.

It's a show that will be worth watching for the crowd reaction alone. The CM Punk-adoring Chicagoans are going to have to lend their support elsewhere now that he's gone.

Hints WWE has planted, backstage reports and Anthony Benigno's five-point preview on WWE.com help compose a sneak peek at what to expect on Monday's Raw.

News, Potential Spoilers

Last week's "next generation" tease turned out to just be a promotion for WWE 2K15. Will we see the NXT stars set to star in that game ignite the Chicago crowd?

More NXT crossover is still something WWE has at the ready but hasn't used the last few weeks. According to PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson, Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville and Tyler Breeze were all backstage at last week's Raw. None of them appeared on the show.

They remain on the periphery of the main roster, though.

Per PW Torch, Zayn and Breeze wrestled at a WWE live event in Youngstown, Ohio, on Sept. 27. Meanwhile, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, that same night, Neville competed against Tyson Kidd, as reported by ProWrestling.net.

A fan shared this shot of Neville in the ring in Atlantic City:

"

I'm having the time of my life. Here's @WWENXT champion Adrian Neville at #WWEAtlanticCity pic.twitter.com/OF5D3y1dRE

— Double double U-E (@HAHAHASSAN) September 28, 2014"

It would be odd to continue to have those top prospects travel with the company only to sit them backstage. And it'd be tough to find a better crowd to bring Zayn and company out in front of than Chicago. The passionate and vocal fanbase is sure to treat them well.

Strangely enough, the NXT champion is more likely to appear on Monday's Raw than the WWE world champ.

Per Nick Paglino of Wrestle Zone, the arena is not listing Brock Lesnar as advertised talent for the show. He may not be around for a good while, either.

According to Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required) (h/t Wrestling Inc), Lesnar is not currently scheduled to work Hell in a Cell. If that's the case, there's no need to use his limited dates on promoting the pay-per-view. The focus could instead be on the climb to the No. 1 contender's spot.

Constructing the Hell in a Cell Card 

There is not yet a single official match set for Hell in a Cell. WWE still has just under four weeks to announce and build whatever bouts will comprise that show, so it's not yet necessary to hurry things along.

Many expect Nikki and Brie Bella to clash at at the event, as the two sisters' relationship continues to worsen.

On last week's Raw, Nikki demanded that Brie change her last name. It sounded like a clear indication that we're headed for a "Bella name on the line" match between them.

Should their story center around the Bella name this week as well, that will serve as a strong hint that it will be up for grabs when they collide. Let's just hope that the name rights aren't stuffed into a briefcase and hung from a pole.

It's less clear what path WWE has Cena taking.

Without Lesnar around to tangle with, he may be getting tossed into the feud between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. Last week, Cena chased after Rollins and had some tension with Ambrose.

In the section of his five-point preview about Cena, Benigno focuses on the former champ's relationship with those two members of The Shield.

It would seem that the best route for Hell in a Cell would be to stick Ambrose and Rollins in a cage together, but maybe Cena could be thrown in there as well. There's little chance Cena gets left off the card, and there's no obvious foe to have him face if Lesnar is absent.

Could we then get a Fatal 4-Way Hell in a Cell with Randy Orton, Ambrose, Cena and Rollins all battling for the right to challenge The Beast Incarnate?

Even if their rivalry gets crowded, Ambrose and Rollins promise to be a prominent part of Monday's Raw. 

After Ambrose stole his Money in the Bank briefcase on Friday's SmackDown, Rollins promised to get revenge. He promised to do something worse than when he smashed Ambrose's head into a pile of cinder blocks a few weeks ago.

It sounds as if he'll at least try to outdo that savage act.

Challengers Emerge

The Intercontinental Championship and tag team titles should get some airtime as well.

On Friday's SmackDown, Cesaro earned the right to challenge Dolph Ziggler for the IC title. He lost, but he had his hand wrapped around the bottom rope as Ziggler pinned him. 

WWE fans know that kind of controversy generally means there is a rematch coming. 

The question is, will it come on TV, as we've seen happen on both Raw and SmackDown this past week, or will this be a match set for Hell in a Cell? Pay attention to whether The Miz is still in The Showoff's face in Chicago or if Cesaro is made Ziggler's clear top rival.

As for the tag champs, they may be done with rematches for the moment. Even though their tag title match against The Usos ended in non-definitive fashion (Goldust purposely got disqualified by whacking his opponent with the championship belt), Goldust and Stardust may be seeking new foes. 

Benigno hinted at that, asking in the WWE.com preview, "Who's the tandem to step up and challenge them?"

Beyond The Usos, there aren't many viable options in terms of babyfaces to fill that role. Los Matadores seem like too much of a stretch here. Perhaps this is where WWE finally commits to Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods' group. 

That trio has been relegated to house-show duty as of late. Unless WWE has The Wyatt Family go after the titleholders despite being heels or continues giving The Usos chances, Woods and company are the best option.

Some fans will be hoping for that and for the NXT stars to step into the spotlight, but the only thing certain about Monday's Raw is that CM Punk's name will fill the arena. Chicago will be chanting for a man who won't be showing up.