WWE Raw: Potential Spoilers, News and Preview for July 11

It's time to trade the food fights and heavy-handed patriotism from Fourth of July for more serious, focused fare on Monday's WWE Raw.

Not only is the Battleground pay-per-view just two weeks away on July 24, but the WWE draft to determine who heads to Raw and SmackDown is set for July 19. To create buzz as it marches toward those events, WWE will bring in its top dog.

Vince McMahon will return to Raw at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

As seen on WWE.com's Raw preview, the WWE owner will be back to help sort out just who will run SmackDown after the draft and beyond. The preview asked: "Could Mr. McMahon be on the verge of an executive decision? Or does he have a different COO in mind for SmackDown Live?"

Either way, the boss' presence will be a big boost after last week's Raw did a paltry 1.87 rating, per ProWrestling.net. And as PWTorch's James Caldwell pointed out, WWE has looked to McMahon to bounce back from poor ratings in the past:

"

20 years later, WWE following same playbook bringing back Vince McMahon to TV after historically low TV rating - https://t.co/8CtTcUBufY

— James Caldwell (@jctorch) July 9, 2016"

Monday's Raw should clear up the title pictures for both Rusev and The Miz's championships. A visit to The Wyatt Family compound and the return of an athletic dynamo could be on tap, too. 

The WWE.com preview, injury reports and a look at recent matches provide a clear idea at what's ahead for Raw when it airs on Monday at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network. 

News, Potential Spoilers

Fresh off Brock Lesnar's impressive win over fellow heavyweight Mark Hunt at UFC 200, The Beast Incarnate's advocate won't be gloating on Monday's Raw. A promo from Paul Heyman would be a stellar way to capitalize on that victory, but it's not in the cards.

As Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter wrote, "Heyman starts tomorrow on a speaking tour of the U.K., so it would be impossible for him to be on Raw."

Another less renowned pairing may be headed to Detroit instead—Darren Young and Bob Backlund. After weeks of vignettes featuring the Hall of Famer Backlund giving the former tag team champ advice, Young may be in line to challenge for the WWE Intercontinental Championship.

Young wrestled IC champ The Miz three times over the weekend at house shows, per CageMatch.net. That could be a sneak peek at what WWE has planned for Raw and beyond.

And Monday's Raw promises to be McMahon-heavy. In addition to the chairman stepping back into the spotlight, his two children will be in attendance as well. Caldwell noted in the PWTorch Raw preview that both Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon are advertised for Monday's show.

Return Watch

Last week's Raw saw no one move from the disabled list to the squared circle. The returns that many are expecting are more likely to happen this time around, though, as there will be no concerns about low viewership due to a holiday.

It's about time for Neville to start soaring again.

Credit: WWE.com

The high-flyer fractured his ankle in March in a match against Chris Jericho. The injury didn't require surgery, per WWE.com. PWInsider (h/t Nick Paglino of Wrestle Zone) reported in mid-June that Neville would be back in action around this time. 

WWE could, however, be holding out until the draft on July 19 in order to make The Man Who Gravity Forgot a surprise draftee for Raw or SmackDown.

Fans are also still waiting to see Team B.A.D. return to TV. As Patrick Hipes of Deadline noted, Naomi was one of several WWE stars who appeared in The Marine 5. Now that shooting is over, she could be back onscreen at any point.

Should Lesnar storm back into the ring, however, he would overshadow both Naomi and Neville. 

WWE announced Thursday that The Beast Incarnate will face Randy Orton at SummerSlam. Add that to Lesnar's UFC triumph on Saturday and one would expect the company to take advantage of all the buzz around him right now.

Meltzer tweeted it would be a mistake for WWE not to have Lesnar on Raw:

Alternatively, WWE could talk up Lesnar's win, show a photo or two of the fight and play a hype video for the big man. It has a lot of business to take care of ahead of Battleground, an event that Lesnar isn't expected to be a part of.

Battleground Build Continues

Move over Titus O'Neil—Rusev looks to be getting another challenger for the United States Championship.

Rusev has beaten O'Neil a number of times, including a dominant submission win at Money in the Bank. Zack Ryder is now poised to take the former Florida Gator's place opposite the champ.

A perennial underdog, Ryder scored two surprise wins last week. On Monday, he led Team U.S.A. to a victory in a 16-man tag team match. On SmackDown, he beat Sheamus. Ryder then challenged Rusev to a title bout.

The Bulgarian Brute has yet to accept. It's not clear whether WWE intends to have Ryder get a title shot on Monday's Raw or save it for Battleground. With the PPV so close and Rusev without an opponent, the latter appears more likely.

The New Day and The Wyatt Family may collide at Battleground too, but they will have an unorthodox meeting beforehand.

Last Monday, Bray Wyatt invited the tag team champs to come to his compound. A fearful Xavier Woods tried to talk his tag team partners out of going, but Big E and Kofi Kingston wouldn't budge.

This outside-the-box move is welcome, but chances are it will be far less nutty than TNA's Final Deletion match last week.

Monday's Raw promises to clear up the WWE Intercontinental Championship picture. The Raw preview stated that "a Battle Royal to determine his No. 1 contender will unfold." That will give The Miz a clear direction as the champ after a recent stretch where he took on Kalisto and Kane with no real storyline.

Is this where Neville returns? Is this how WWE introduces the repackaged Young? Or is Cesaro not yet done fighting for the IC crown? The options are plentiful.

Far fewer questions surround what's ahead for John Cena. On last week's Raw, Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady came to Cena's aid against The Club.

The Raw preview said of this alliance, "Look for this new partnership to either hit its stride or go off the rails this Monday night."

WWE has since announced a six-man tag team match for Battleground featuring Cena's squad against AJ Styles and The Club. That bout is sure to get major attention Monday night. If WWE is smart, it will take advantage of Amore's mic skills and have him banter alongside Cena.

With moments like that and some focus on the midcard title pictures, Monday's Raw will easily outdo the Fourth of July show, with or without Lesnar.