WWE Raw: Potential Spoilers, Rumors, News and Preview for August 8

Aside from a few distractions in the form of special guests, Monday's WWE Raw will focus on hyping the title matches brewing for SummerSlam on August 21.

Finn Balor and Seth Rollins are set to face off for the right to be the first to hold the Universal Championship. Sasha Banks and Charlotte have a rematch on tap for the Women's Championship. And the growing animosity between tag team champs The New Day and The Club suggest we are headed for a pay-per-view showdown between those squads. 

But Raw won't just be about rivalries intensifying and WWE selling the second-biggest PPV of the year; Monday's show will welcome a general manager and a hip-hop mogul.

SmackDown's GM Daniel Bryan is heading to the red brand, as is Sean "Puffy" Combs. 

Credit: WWE.com

Jason Diamond of Rolling Stone reported that the musician will appear on Monday's Raw: "Combs will make his first appearance on a WWE program since we last saw him at 'The Grand Daddy of Them All' back in 2013."

Chances are, his cameo will be WWE 2K17-related. Combs served as the curator for the video game's soundtrack, as reported by Adelle Paton of Billboard.

What else does WWE have cooking for Monday night? Which bouts will be the focus of the show? Which stars can we expect to be absent?

Recent reports, social media and the Raw preview on WWE.com help answer those questions, providing a glimpse of what's ahead when Raw airs on the USA Network at 8 p.m. ET. 

News, Potential Spoilers

The Women's Championship picture will continue to be sans Paige.

The former Divas champ hasn't wrestled since June, and there has been no official word from WWE to explain her recent absence. She looks to be dealing with injury issues.

Her mother, Saraya Knight, tweeted that Paige is indeed hurt and undergoing medical tests:

Big E is suffering an injury of his own, but one of the kayfabe variety. Last Monday, The Club rammed the powerhouse's groin into a ring post. WWE has since played up the incident.

WWE.com noted, "Big E suffered a contusion to the affected area. It is unknown at this time when the WWE tag team champion will return to in-ring competition."

Whether this is just a means to rest Big E, give him time off to recover from a legitimate injury or add to the rivalry between The New Day and The Club, it looks as if the big man will miss Raw. For the time being, the numbers will be even between these teams, with the title-holding trio down a man.

And don't expect Ric Flair to be a part of WWE programming anytime soon.

The Hall of Famer had recently served as his daughter Charlotte's manager. His deal with the company, though, is reportedly over.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Bill Pritchard of Wrestle Zone), Flair is no longer under contract for WWE.

Raw Streaks

A Seth Rollins defeat is becoming a rare sight.  

After knocking off Sami Zayn last Monday, The Architect extended an impressive streak. As seen on his CageMatch.net profile, Rollins hasn't lost a singles bout on Raw since last October. He has gone 4-0-2 since that last setback.

That roll should continue. WWE is building him up ahead of SummerSlam, likely prepping him to become the first universal champion.

Gone are the days where Rollins would lose to the likes of J&J Security.

Mark Henry's career trajectory is pointed in the opposite direction. He must forget what a win feels like.

The World's Strongest Man fell against Rusev last Monday in an impromptu United States Championship match. According to CageMatch.net, that marked his fourth loss in a row on Raw. His last singles victory on a Monday night came way back on August 4, 2014.

Clearly, WWE only views Henry as fodder at this point.

Moving Toward SummerSlam

Raw is set to experience another invasion from SmackDown. One week after SmackDown Superstar Randy Orton popped up on Raw, the blue brand's general manager is primed to appear on the Monday show. 

The WWE.com Raw preview noted, "Mick Foley has invited SmackDown Live general manager Daniel Bryan to Monday night's hottest show for what's sure to be an eventful meeting. Will the competition between Team Red and Team Blue stay friendly for long?"

Even with all the recent talk about the focus of each show being on the Superstars, Raw is already going with an angle focused on competing general managers. Perhaps a Raw-versus-SmackDown storyline will make its way onto the SummerSlam card.

Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens are poised to be a part of the pay-per-view as partners. Owens told Jericho last Monday that he had his back:

Both men have issues with Enzo Amore. Both need a SummerSlam match. A collision with Amore and Colin Cassady at the event is beginning to shape up.

When Jericho and Charlotte teamed up against Amore and Banks on last week's Raw, Charlotte pinned the current women's champ after a distraction from Dana Brooke and an illegal hold of the tights. 

The Boss now has ample reason to go after Charlotte on Monday. 

The Raw preview hinted at her doing just that: "Given what's at stake at SummerSlam, don't be surprised if Sasha is looking for some comeuppance to shift momentum back in her favor."

The primary focus of Raw, though, promises to be Balor's upcoming match with Rollins at SummerSlam. Last week, Balor ended a confrontation between them by kicking Rollins in the head. That is sure to lead to a counterattack.

The Raw preview noted, "Rollins made a statement later in the night when he defeated Sami Zayn with a Pedigree, but something tells us that The Architect's most recent encounter with Balor left more of a lasting impression than Rollins is willing to admit."

WWE has yet to fully introduce Balor to the portion of the audience who didn't follow his NXT run. That should be one of the company's main goals as this story progresses.

The more fans are invested in Balor heading into SummerSlam, the more powerful his bout with Rollins will become.