WWE Raw: Potential Spoilers, Rumors, News and Preview for August 15

A seething Brock Lesnar will step into the spotlight on WWE Raw days before SummerSlam arrives.

The majority of the pay-per-view's bouts are set. Monday's go-home edition of Raw must now escalate intensity between rivals and amp up excitement for SummerSlam on Sunday.

Lesnar will head into American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, with his mind on his upcoming battle with Randy Orton. Seth Rollins promises to antagonize his SummerSlam opponent, Finn Balor. Tag team champs The New Day will be focused on vengeance against the men who shrunk the trio down to a duo.

After an oddly paced, talk-heavy Raw last week, it won't be hard to improve the entertainment value on the last episode before SummerSlam.

Backstage reports, the Raw preview on WWE.com and current storyline arcs provide a glimpse of what's ahead on the show. The action will kick off at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network. 

News, Potential Spoilers

Should Roman Reigns compete on Raw, he will have to take care not to open a recent wound. Dave Meltzer reported on Friday for Figure Four Online that "Roman Reigns needed two stitches to close a cut suffered at the WWE show yesterday in Melbourne."

WWE didn't waste time throwing him back into the ring, though. Per the Internet Wrestling Database, Reigns wrestled the next two nights to close out the Australian tour.

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Reigns is slated to face Rusev for the United States Championship at SummerSlam, so he should be a featured part of the show on Monday, injured or not. 

The same can't be said for former Divas champ Paige. 

In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc.), Meltzer reported Paige is dealing with possible nerve damage in addition to her neck and shoulder issues. That's something WWE will be cautious about, especially because Paige isn't a part of the SummerSlam card.

There's a chance, though, that she'll make a non-wrestling appearance. Mike Johnson of PWInsider wrote, "Although she is still out injured, Paige is still on the road to film Total Divas material."

And Raw is reportedly set to unveil a new championship at some point.

Johnson wrote, "WWE has commissioned a new cruiserweight championship belt, so it will be instituting that championship for the Raw brand going forward. We have not heard a timetable for when that may happen." Johnson pointed to September as a possible date for WWE to start featuring the cruiserweights.

The company is unlikely to unveil this title before SummerSlam, as there is so much to hype during the show's three hours, but we could see WWE plant the seeds for what's to come. Perhaps a video teaser is on the way.

Raw Streaks

WWE continues to book Sasha Banks as a dominant force when she's fighting on her own.

Last Monday, the women's champion knocked off Dana Brooke, something she has done several times over. And Banks simply doesn't lose on Raw.

As seen on her CageMatch.net profile, The Boss has not yet lost a singles match on Raw. She has had several draws and no-contests, though. Her win over Brooke marked her fourth singles win on Raw, and Banks is 12-0-4 in one-on-one bouts on Monday nights.

She's not likely to end that run ahead of her big title match against Charlotte at SummerSlam.

Sheamus' luck hasn't been nearly as good. The Celtic Warrior is in the early stages of a losing streak.

He lost to Cesaro last week. That was Sheamus' third defeat on Raw in a row, per CageMatch.net. The last two came courtesy of Cesaro.

Sheamus' role at the moment seems to be elevating others. With no SummerSlam bout in the works for him, it's a safe bet that he'll continue to do that on Monday night.

Final Stages of SummerSlam Hype

A cake gag served as the catalyst for the Reigns-Rusev title match. Reigns and Rusev's confrontation in the ring last Monday led to The Bulgarian Brute inadvertently pushing his wife, Lana, into a wedding cake.

The WWE.com Raw preview hinted at the storyline growing less silly as it develops: "The furious Rusev is likely planning some serious payback against Reigns going into Monday. Expect fists to fly if Reigns and Rusev cross paths on Monday night."

That's the exact direction this narrative needs to take. A comedy-centered rivalry would be ill-fitting for both men.

However, jokes appear to be a key component for the feud over the tag team titles.

After injuring The New Day's powerhouse, Big E, by slamming his groin into a ring post, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson dressed up as doctors and fired off a number of genital jokes. 

With all the talk of "ringpostitis" and Gallows and Anderson wearing lab coats to the ring, it looks like the story of The New Day vs. The Club will go head-on into goofy territory. That's The New Day's wheelhouse. Given some creative freedom, the tag team champs are sure to provide something nutty for the audience on Monday night.

Monday's Raw promises to showcase the issues between Rollins and Balor as well. 

Balor talked about his alter ego, The Demon King, in a video clip last week. That seemed to confirm that Balor will morph into his darker self come SummerSlam, but fans may get an early peek due to Rollins' impatience.

The Raw preview teased, "Not willing to wait for SummerSlam next Sunday, Rollins aims to conjure The Demon King on Raw. Will he regret this decision?"

Although that rivalry is built on Raw's new world title, the WWE Universal Championship, chances are that Lesnar will provide Raw's main event.

The Beast Incarnate was last seen on Raw suffering the effects of an RKO from Orton. With his slick-tongued manager, Paul Heyman, at his side, Lesnar is set to talk about his upcoming battle with Orton.

The Raw preview stated, "Lesnar will address his forthcoming clash with WWE's Apex Predator."

On the surface, that sounds like a straightforward promo. But the audience will be wondering whether SmackDown Superstar Orton will invade the red brand once more. Something major should be in the works.

With SummerSlam so close, WWE's chances to shoot off fireworks beforehand are running out.