WWE Raw: Potential Spoilers, Rumors, News and Preview for May 4

It's time to crank up the hype machine on the May 4 edition of Raw—WWE Payback is fast approaching. 

As WWE travels to the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, look for animosity to escalate between the trio of gladiators set to clash over the world title at the pay-per-view. John Cena and Rusev will continue their patriotism-soaked rivalry en route to their "I Quit" match.

The night could also feature a midcarder's heel turn, an update on Daniel Bryan and the newest King of the Ring's address to his subjects.

Kevin Owens' home province plays host as WWE tries to cram several storylines in the short space between Extreme Rules and Payback. What can we expect to see added to the show? What's on tap for the first Raw in May?

Arena reports, Twitter and James Wortman's five-point preview on WWE.com offer some possible answers.

News, Potential Spoilers

WWE has been teasing a Lana babyface turn. She's been playing to the crowd of late, which has angered Rusev.

That's possibly a precursor to her getting far more of the spotlight. Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t PWMania) reports that Eva and Lana are set for big pushes in the near future.

Fans will have to see if that push begins as soon as Monday's Raw. The story of her pulling away from Rusev would certainly garner her added spotlight.

Credit: WWE.com

Erick Rowan, of whom fans have seen very little of late, may be gearing up for a character shift as well.

According to CageMatch.net, Rowan wrestled Sami Zayn at two house shows over the weekend and teamed with The Ascension at a live event on Sunday. A collision with NXT's top babyface and alliance with a villainous team certainly point to heeldom for the big man.

It's not clear whether this arrangement was done out of necessity or if WWE is looking to make a change with him. Pro Wrestling Torch noted that during his match with Zayn on Saturday, "Rowan didn't get much heat. He's a face on TV and didn't do much to get the crowd to boo him."

Rowan, like Heath Slater, sits on the bottom of the WWE hierarchy and so is no safe bet to appear on Monday night, heel-turn-in-progress or not. Slater, though, may be looking to finally get a crack at John Cena.

His first attempt at answering Cena's open challenge ended with him taking an RKO right into the catering table. The next time out, Rusev walloped him on the way to the ring.

Slater tweeted that he's not through:

Daniel Bryan, however, may be through with the Intercontinental Championship. He has been out for weeks with injury. WWE has been strangely secretive about exactly what is wrong with him.

That leaves fans to speculate what might happen with the gold he won at WrestleMania. WWE.com features an article on Bryan and the future of the IC title. It hints at the possibility of The Authority stripping him.

The article also poses the question, "Will WWE fans learn of Daniel Bryan's (and the Intercontinental Championship's) fate ahead?" That's something fans will be on the lookout for during every Raw until the situation is cleared up.

Goldust isn't fully healthy, either. He tweeted that he was having his shoulder looked at:

Being banged up is likely a part of why WWE hasn't used Goldust much in recent weeks. 

Don't count on either Bryan and Goldust wrestling on Monday then. As for who will be in action, James Caldwell of Pro Wrestling Torch notes that John Cena, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Bad News Barrett, Bray Wyatt and Sheamus are among the wrestlers advertised for Monday's Raw.

Payback Build Continues

As he prepares to face Rusev in an "I Quit" match at Payback, Cena will stay busy by taking on Superstars hungry for his title. Wortman writes, "Cena remains a fighting champion and is determined to offer open challenges for his United States Championship each week."

Finn Balor is a dark-horse option to take on Cena. The NXT star told AfterBuzz TV that he was ready to answer Cena's challenge back in London but was beaten to the punch.

Should Ryback decide to answer Cena's challenge, he'll surely have to keep his head on a swivel. Bray Wyatt has pounced on him in recent weeks.

It's looking more and more like Ryback vs. Wyatt will be set for Payback at some point. Expect some violence courtesy of The Big Guy first, though.

Hinting at that, Wortman wonders in his five-point preview, "Might we see Ryback retaliate against Wyatt on Raw?"

And what awaits Bad News Barrett at the pay-per-view after winning the King of the Ring tournament? At the very least, it looks as if we'll get a speech from the squared circle's new monarch.

Wortman speculates that Barrett may make a royal decree or nail someone with a Bull Hammer.

Who will be his rival? Will he continue what he started during the tourney with Neville? That's uncertain, but Dean Ambrose, meanwhile, has a surprising foe ahead of him.

Ambrose looks set to take on The Authority. After Kane interfered with The Lunatic Fringe's bout against Seth Rollins on Thursday's SmackDown, WWE is apparently not done making those forces collide.

Wortman writes that Ambrose "likely has some plans to get even with The Authority on Raw."

As for Rollins himself, he may get a chance to watch the two men set to battle him in a WWE title match at Payback rip each other apart.

Randy Orton has reasons aplenty to dislike Rollins. Roman Reigns' issues with Rollins go back to last year. Monday's Raw may be focusing on the tension between Rollins' two challengers, though.

Credit: WWE.com

Wortman asks, "How will Reigns and Orton deal with each other as this crowded WWE World Heavyweight Title clash approaches?"

That's typical of Triple Threat matches: WWE wants to have all three men teeming with bad blood for each other to make for a more exciting bout.

Monday's Raw will offer Rollins and Company, along with Cena and Rusev, plenty of time to hype their matches, but with just two weeks left until Payback, count on the card growing by the end of the night.