WWE Raw: Potential Spoilers, Rumors, News and Preview for July 10

Monday's WWE Raw promises to clear up a Universal Championship picture muddled by the slugfests and savagery from Sunday's Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view. 

Will Samoa Joe, Braun Strowman or Roman Reigns emerge from the wreckage of the event as Brock Lesnar's next opponent? Strowman conquered Reigns in their Ambulance match, but The Big Dog battered him after the bout. Joe couldn't finish off Lesnar, but did he do enough to earn a rematch?

Major questions swirl around the red brand as it heads to the Toyota Center in Houston.

More aftershocks from Great Balls of Fire are on their way, too. New challengers are poised to step up to Cesaro and Sheamus. Alexa Bliss and Sasha Banks aren't nearly finished with each other.

Where will Raw's storylines head on Monday? What surprises are in store for the show?

Digging into backstage news, storyline analysis and the Raw preview on WWE.com help answer those questions ahead of the first episode after Great Balls of Fire. The fun begins on Monday at 8 p.m. ET on USA Network.

News, Potential Spoilers

It may not matter that Reigns lost to Strowman. The Big Dog could step in front of the monster in the No. 1 contender's line.

Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc) that WWE is planning on a Reigns-Lesnar SummerSlam main event on August 20.

That's not logical given the result from Sunday. It's not surprising, either. 

Monday's Raw won't feature one of Neville's toughest challengers. WWE announced on Friday that it had "come to terms on the release of WWE Superstar Austin Aries."

Aries' departure hurts the depth of the cruiserweight division in a big way. 

And the unending countdown to The Hardy Boyz reverting back to the "broken" characters they played at Impact Wrestling last year could finally come to an end.

According to Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), Anthem Sports and Entertainment and the Hardys are close to resolving their dispute over the characters. In addition, Matt Hardy tweeted what's presumably an update on the situation:

His and his brother Jeff's loss on Sunday, coupled with the fact that he took a head shot to the ring post, make it easy to imagine The Hardys reverting to their broken characters soon.

Raw Streaks

Finn Balor may not get any love come PPV time, but he's certainly winning on Monday nights.

The former NXT champ, per CageMatch.net, has won three matches on Raw in a row. And he's gone 9-3 on the red brand for the year so far. 

It's time to make use of that momentum. Balor needs a high-profile feud and tangling with Elias Samson doesn't qualify.

Noam Dar is in a far different situation. He's the cellar-dweller of the cruiserweight division.

The Scottish Supernova lost to Cedric Alexander last Monday in what was billed as the end of their feud. That was his 13th consecutive loss on Raw, per CageMatch.net. And Dar is only 8-22 overall in 2017.

It's clear WWE views him as a doormat, something that doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon.

Great Balls of Fire Fallout

Sheamus and Cesaro fended off The Hardy Boyz' furious comeback attempt at Great Balls of Fire to win their Iron Man match 4-3. 

There was a finality to the Raw tag team champs' PPV. It appears Sheamus and Cesaro will soon move on to another set of opponents. The Raw preview on WWE.com teased new rivals stepping up to them: "Are there any red brand tandems with a claim to challenge them?"

With Enzo Amore and Big Cass now enemies, the list of potential babyfaces foes is limited. WWE should really consider putting The Revival in this spot regardless of their heel status.

Bliss, meanwhile, won't be moving on from her Great Balls of Fire opponent just yet. She took the cowardly way out on Sunday and got herself counted out to retain. The Boss responded with a post-match beatdown.

That is all sure to add up to a rematch.

Banks may not have wait long either. Monday's Raw would be a smart time to pull the trigger on Banks vs. Bliss II.

The Universal Championship picture won't be as clear-cut as that.

Lesnar didn't conquer Samoa Joe; he survived. The closeness of the match and Joe's strong performance in the past several weeks could inspire WWE to book a rematch between the two hosses.

Elsewhere, Strowman defeated Reigns in an Ambulance match at Great Balls of Fire. The Big Dog, though, won the war by crushing The Monster Among Men inside the vehicle.

Does that boost Reigns' title chances or derail them? The Raw preview on WWE.com stated: "It would stand to reason that Raw general manager Kurt Angle would be ready to hold The Guy accountable rather than reward him with a title match."

Strowman, Joe and Reigns could all be in the title mix depending on how WWE handles all of this. The looming power struggle will be the biggest of Monday's Raw as the red brand starts the slow march to SummerSlam.