WWE Raw: Potential Spoilers, Rumors, News and Preview for May 9

Championship chases will be the foundation of WWE Raw on May 9.

A trio of challengers are looking to swoop in on The Miz's Intercontinental Championship. Natalya's pursuit of the Women's Championship promises to get some spotlight. And the audience is expecting more progress toward a major character change from either champion or challenger in the Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles feud.

Omaha, Nebraska, will play host to a Raw sure to make the Extreme Rules card clearer by the end of the night.

The major stars will be the same as last week, but some role players won't be around. A number of Superstars received their walking papers, and a powerhouse is involved in a fight outside the ring. Some potential returns may offset those losses, though.

Social media, backstage reports, current storyline arcs and the Raw preview on WWE.com provide insight aplenty into what to expect on Monday's Raw.

News, Potential Spoilers

The roster will be reshaped come Monday night now that several Superstars are no longer with the company.

WWE announced last week that it had cut Damien Sandow, Wade Barrett, Zeb Colter, Cameron and others. None of them were major players of late, but their absence will lead to some shifting at the bottom of the ladder. Expect to see a bit more of guys like Fandango.

Bet on Ryback not being around either.

A contract dispute has him at odds with WWE, a situation that led to him traveling to his home in Las Vegas last week. The Big Guy himself offered an explanation of his issues with the company on Twitter:

This is more likely to end with Ryback walking away completely than to wrap up in time for Raw.

Roster depth will be less of an issue with some returns on the way, though. A former WWE champ, for example, could soon be on his way back. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestling Inc), Seth Rollins is set to return to TV shortly. He has recently been filming a movie for WWE Studios.

Bray Wyatt and his creepy clan may emerge in Omaha, too. The Eater of Worlds tweeted what could be interpreted as a tease of his return:

And after Chris Jericho's attack had Dean Ambrose miss last week's SmackDown, it appears both rivals are set to continue their feud on Raw. As James Caldwell of PWTorch noted, both Jericho and Ambrose are advertised for Monday's show.

Extreme Rules Drawing Near

The Intercontinental Championship picture promises to be crowded and contentious. Kevin Owens, Cesaro and Sami Zayn all are gunning for The Miz's title. 

Last week on Raw, Cesaro and Owens battled for the right to be called the No. 1 contender. The match, however, ended in a no-contest. The Miz hopped into the fray; Zayn soon joined him.

In a backstage promo, The Miz then called out Zayn, Cesaro and Owens, saying that none of them had the right to hold up that title.

Count on these four men to cross paths again and for animosity to grow between them. A Fatal 4-Way match for Extreme Rules is sure to be announced soon.

Another expected match for that pay-per-view is Ambrose vs. Jericho. WWE played up Jericho's attack last week by having Y2J brag about his rival not appearing on SmackDown. The Lunatic Fringe's absence, though, doesn't look as if it will be a long one. 

The WWE.com Raw preview asked, "Will Ambrose appear on Raw, or has The Best in the World at What He Does put the former host of The Ambrose Asylum on indefinite hiatus?"

Bet on the former. A potted plant to the back doesn't seem like enough to keep Ambrose out of action for long. 

Monday's Raw will also focus on the issues between Charlotte and Natalya. The two are set to battle for the Women's Championship at Extreme Rules, and the Raw preview stated, "Expect Natalya to keep Charlotte on the defensive until then."

The story so far has been about Natalya getting inches from grabbing the gold only to have Ric Flair interfere on his daughter's behalf. WWE banned Flair for their next match, but he will be around to cause trouble before that.

Styles vs. Reigns, Extreme Rules' main event, again promises to be the major story of Raw. 

Last Monday, Styles' allies in Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson ganged up on Reigns and urged The Phenomenal One to smash him with a chair. Styles hesitated. He seems uncomfortable with Gallows and Anderson's tactics but could be shifting his stance. 

The Raw preview asked, "Will Styles intense desire to attain the WWE world heavyweight title take him down a new, more sadistic path?"

That's certainly a hint of a possible heel turn for him, despite so many expecting Reigns to be the one who embraces darkness. Don't expect WWE to reveal its intentions on Monday night but instead to offer more foreshadowing ahead of Extreme Rules.