WWE Raw: Potential Spoilers, Rumors, News and Preview for August 29

WWE Raw will fill an empty throne as four Superstars battle for the vacant Universal Championship on Aug. 29.

Finn Balor was set to lead the New Era as the first man to hold that newly instituted title. A shoulder injury derailed those plans, though. A restart is now in progress.

Will WWE crown Roman Reigns despite the consistent fan backlash to his push? Will it go with a dark horse instead, elevating the recent NXT transplant Big Cass to the mountaintop already?

Answers surrounding the Universal Championship picture are on their way when WWE heads to Houston for Monday's Raw.

The company will also be building the Clash of Champions card, deciding whom The Club will target, Braun Strowman's place in the pay-per-view and other midcard considerations. Bayley will continue to stand in the spotlight after debuting on Raw last week. And the hard-hitting feud between Sheamus and Cesaro will roll on.

A backstage report, a look at current storyline arcs and the Raw preview on WWE.com provide glimpses of what's likely ahead as Toyota Center welcomes the WWE circus. The action begins at 8 p.m. ET on the USA Network.

On Tap

Once it was clear shoulder surgery would end Balor's reign as universal champion, WWE created opportunities for others to claim his relinquished crown. 

Reigns, Kevin Owens, Big Cass and Seth Rollins all won qualifying matches on last week's Raw to gain entry into a Fatal 4-Way match for the WWE Universal Championship. Now, one of those men is set to walk out of Houston with gold in his possession.

Rusev could hurt The Big Dog's chances of claiming victory, however.

The feud between the U.S. champ and Reigns reached a boiling point at SummerSlam, only to be put on hold afterward. Rusev may be looking to pay Reigns back for breaking his ribs at that event by preventing him from winning on Monday night.

Monday's Raw will also feature the second match of the Best of Seven Series between Sheamus and Cesaro, as announced on last week's show.

The Celtic Warrior is up 1-0 thanks to topping Cesaro at SummerSlam. WWE would add drama to this ongoing battle by putting Cesaro in a hole early. 

News, Potential Spoilers

Owens fans will be happy to hear of a rumor involving the former intercontinental champion.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Marc Middleton of WrestlingInc.com), Owens was originally booked to challenge Balor for the Universal Championship at Clash of Champions before meeting again in a Triple Threat match with Chris Jericho after that.

"

My middle name is Yanick and I'm still walking out of #Raw (it looks better with a capital "R") Universal champion. https://t.co/jKz4gnNsbP

— Kevin Owens (@FightOwensFight) August 28, 2016"

Reigns and Rollins, meanwhile, were apparently supposed to leave the title picture for the time being.

That could be an indication that WWE is poised to give Owens a major push. His chances of outlasting his opponents on Monday night to seize the Universal Championship seem far better now.

And in more sober news, WWE.com announced that Mr. Fuji (Harry Fujiwara) passed away over the weekend at age 82. 

Raw is likely to feature a video reflecting on his life and career. At the very least, expect WWE to include an "in memory" graphic for the late Hall of Famer. 

Raw Streaks

WWE may not be ready to make him champion, but the company is clearly high on Big Cass.

He is now 12-3 on Raw since arriving from NXT. His count-out win over Rusev on last week's Raw marked his third straight victory on the red brand, per CageMatch.net. 

Should he make it four in a row on Monday, it would be his biggest career win to date by far. 

The Celtic Warrior is experiencing the opposite on Raw each week. Sheamus, per CageMatch.net, is 0-4 in his last four singles matches on the show. Two of those defeats came courtesy of Cesaro.

But with the Best of Seven Series against The King of Swing underway, the two rivals are likely to start trading victories, allowing Sheamus to end his run of falling short on Mondays.

Early Clash of Champions Construction 

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson crashed The Dudley Boyz's farewell party by sending the former tag team champs through a table. A send-off for the veterans became a means to showcase The Club's mercilessness.

That appears to be the warm-up act for something else. The WWE.com Raw preview asked, "Will another tandem suffer the same fate as The Dudley Boyz this Monday night?"

The New Day is likely to be the heels' next victim.

Gallows and Anderson failed to win the tag team titles from The New Day at SummerSlam thanks to Big E interfering in the bout. The Club then confronted the champs the next night. 

This story is clearly far from over. Gallows and Anderson look to be closing in another title shot. 

Whom Strowman will attempt to devour at the Clash of Champions PPV is less clear.

WWE has lined up a series of tomato cans for the big bruiser. He is poised to steamroll another jobber on the next Raw.

The WWE.com preview stated, "Another journeyman grappler will likely stand across the ring from the juggernaut this Monday night."

But then what? How long will WWE keep up this monster-swallows-prey angle? Eventually, he has to move up the company food chain to keep the audience engaged.

Charlotte won't be suffering from lack of competition.

Just a day after knocking off Sasha Banks to reclaim the Women's Championship at SummerSlam, an NXT Superstar stepped onto the scene to challenge her.

Bayley debuted on last week's Raw, making her long-awaited transition to the main roster. With Paige suspended and Banks dealing with back issues (as Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet noted), WWE appears to be hot-shotting Bayley to the championship picture.

The Raw preview asked, "Is a title match in the cards for these friends-turned-rivals?"

That certainly seems to be what's in the works after Bayley and Charlotte's heated confrontation last week. Plus, WWE has not done anything with Raw's other female Superstars. Bayley is a safe bet to land a championship opportunity in just her second PPV appearance.