WWE Raw: Potential Spoilers, Rumors, News and Preview for November 16

The chase to be the next world champion continues on Nov. 16's edition of WWE Raw. Monday night boasts four tournament matches as fans find out which four warriors will make it through the next stage of the gauntlet that will crown the WWE titleholder.

Greenville, South Carolina, hosts the go-home show for Survivor Series that is set to answer a number of big questions.

Who will move on in the championship tournament? Will WWE be bold enough to take out either one of the favorites, Dean Ambrose or Roman Reigns? What exactly will the rest of the pay-per-view look like?

A backstage report provides a sliver of hope for a huge return. An interview with Paige confirms an absence from the women's division. Meanwhile, foreshadowing and Anthony Benigno's five-point preview on WWE.com provide an early glimpse of what's on tap for Monday's Raw.

Quarterfinals

The WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament's field is about to shrink from eight men to four with a quartet of intriguing matchups. Benigno's preview broke down each bout, so it appears that Monday's Raw will feature them all:  

• Cesaro vs. Roman Reigns
• Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler
• Alberto Del Rio vs. Kalisto
• Neville vs. Kevin Owens

Cesaro vs. Reigns has the potential to be one of the year's best matches. This is WWE's shot at delivering a jaw-dropping upset, but the heavily favored Reigns is likely just getting a rub by working against a highly talented worker who will help him create something special in the ring.

Ambrose is favored, as well. He's been closer to the WWE title picture than Ziggler, challenging Seth Rollins earlier in the year. 

The X-factor in that clash is Tyler Breeze. He and Ziggler have been feuding since Prince Pretty's arrival, and with him out of the running here, he may be looking to ruin Ziggler's chances, too.

Del Rio vs. Kalisto promises to be fun. Will WWE continue Kalisto's surprise run? Is this the beginning of a feud that is sure to be reminiscent of Rey Mysterio against Del Rio?

Neville and Owens is the one quarterfinal match that fans have already seen of late.

The two former NXT stars have worked well with each other in the past. The safe bet in terms of the outcome is Owens. Despite him being the intercontinental champ, it makes sense for a heel to make it further into the tournament to balance out the heel-face dynamic.

News, Potential Spoilers

Count on Nikki Bella remaining out of action.

F4WOnline (h/t Wrestle Zone's Bill Pritchard) reported in early November that Nikki was suffering from a number of injuries. WWE has not confirmed that Nikki is hurt, but one of her co-workers did. Paige mentioned on the Gorilla Position podcast that she expects Nikki Bella to be out for another six weeks.

It's less clear what's going on with Daniel Bryan, who hasn't wrestled since April due to concussion issues.

In October, Bryan told Meghan Sullivan of IGN that after two doctors offered different opinions about whether he could return, he was waiting for a third doctor to weight in.

Don Feria/Associated Press

There has been little word on that situation since. However, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestling Inc's Marc Middleton), Vince McMahon is reportedly going back and forth on whether or not to clear Bryan. The report speculated that this may indicate the test results are in, but are being kept secret.

So there's a slim chance Bryan returns, and his fans will surely be on Bryan watch every Monday night until more news emerges.

South Carolina will for certain see The Deadman step into the arena. Pro Wrestling Torch's James Caldwell noted Undertaker is advertised to appear on Monday's Raw.

Hyping Survivor Series 

There is some major construction to be done for the Survivor Series card. WWE's official website lists just five official matches for the PPV:

• WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament Semifinals (two matches)
• WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament Finals
• Charlotte vs. Paige (Divas Championship)
• Kane and Undertaker vs. Two members of The Wyatt Family

Last week on Raw, Paige responded to a loss to Becky Lynch by beating on the babyface and putting her in the PTO atop the announce table. That added animosity to a feud that badly needed it.

Monday night is WWE's time to continue in that direction and make the Divas title bout more personal, more heated. 

Survivor Series may also feature a second women's match. Sasha Banks and Natalya have been colliding of late. The Boss last attacked Nattie on last week's Raw, embarrassing her in England. 

As of now, the card features no traditional Survivor Series matchup. That would be a stunner even with the event moving away from being completely centered around those bouts over the years. If there is going to be one added to the mix, there are a few burgeoning feuds to draw from.

The New Day have had issues with the returning Usos, for one. Stardust and The Ascension have been stalking Cesaro in recent weeks as well.

WWE could easily throw a few of those names together and fill out the PPV with a five-on-five clash.

The one place where most folks expected a traditional Survivor Series match doesn't look to be delivering. The Brothers of Destruction are set to face two men from The Wyatt Family in a standard tag match. 

The five-point preview pointed to that remaining true rather than the match ballooning into something bigger.

Benigno wrote, "The Deadman and The Devil's Favorite Demon's opponents have yet to be selected from Wyatt's flock, but expect the battle lines to become clearer come Monday." That's an odd move considering Wyatt's crew is four deep, custom-built for the Survivor Series pay-per-view. 

And so Monday's Raw may boast WWE surprisingly sticking to its guns there, but the tournament matches have the potential to be good enough to make up for that disappointment.