Roman Reigns Awaits a Challenger: Latest Rumors and Preview for WWE Raw Nov. 27

The Intercontinental Championship will again be the focus on WWE Raw. After dethroning The Miz last Monday, Roman Reigns will march into Knoxville, Tennessee, with the IC crown in-hand, looking for a fight.

In the first few days of The Big Dog's reign, one thing is clear so far: The powerhouse will strive to be a fighting champion.

In interviews and social media, Reigns has welcomed all challengers. And he may not have to wait long to find one. The Raw roster promises to be gunning for him and his gold when the red brand visits the Thompson Boling Arena.

What else is on tap for the latest episode? A shake-up in the women's division and Braun Strowman's quest for vengeance will be big stories on Monday night.

Backstage news, the Raw preview on WWE.com and storyline projections help provide an early look at Monday's Raw before it airs on USA Network at 8 p.m. ET. 

News, Rumors

It doesn't look like The Miz will be seeking to reclaim his Intercontinental Championship from Reigns at the moment. He's reportedly off shooting a movie instead.

Credit: WWE.com

PWInsider's Mike Johnson wrote after last week's Raw: "We are told that there is no current timetable for Miz's return and last night was his final appearance until filming is completed."

But what of the Universal Championship? WWE hasn't made it clear who will face Brock Lesnar next, but it did post a poll on the subject.

And Finn Balor noticed that he was leading said poll:

Time will tell if WWE will move toward a Balor-Lesnar matchup after seeing fans' desire for the clash. 

The biggest news of the night, though, could be about women making history yet again. Gary Stonehouse of The Sun reported: "The influx of females into the female roster is building up to the historic first-ever women's Rumble match."

On the other hand, however, Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet wrote about that possible Battle Royal: "Our sources haven't heard anything about that being in the works."

Raw Streaks

Record-wise, Samoa Joe has an argument to be Lesnar's next foe.

He choked out the former universal champ on last week's Raw to continue a strong stretch for him. The Destroyer has not lost since returning from injury in October, going 4-0-1 in that span, per CageMatch.net. 

Dana Brooke, meanwhile, is more bottom-feeder than title contender. She fell to Asuka last Monday to rack up her latest defeat. 

Brooke has lost her last five matches on Raw, per CageMatch.net. And she is 3-7 in her last 10 bouts overall.

And now, after Raw added two women from NXT last week, The Total Diva could fall further down the ladder.

Preview

After recovering from neck surgery and missing over a year of action, Paige made an emphatic return to the Raw brand last week.

She brought along two friends from NXT, as well. Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville joined Paige in a beatdown of several Raw stars.

The aftermath of that attack will be one of the more intriguing elements of Monday's show. Will this trio begin a feud or spread their attacks around? We'll see more of the group's dynamic at play as WWE introduces Rose and Deville to a wider audience.

Strowman will enter Raw more furious than anyone—Paige, Rose and Deville's victims included.

Kane attacked The Monster Among Men last week and nailed him in the throat with a steel chair. Strowman is the type of guy to throw a man out of a window for looking at him the wrong way. Kane's actions are sure to inspire an overwhelming display of violence. 

WWE.com's Raw preview hinted that The Big Red Machine will get his comeuppance as soon as Monday night when it asked: "What repercussions await Kane on Raw?"

And while Strowman seeks revenge, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose will have their sights set on the Raw Tag Team Championship. They lost the titles to Cesaro and Sheamus just before Survivor Series. And they have yet to get their rematch.

With there not being a Raw pay-per-view this month, there's a good chance The Hounds of Justice take on Cesaro and Sheamus in title action on TV soon. 

They won't be the only Shield brothers fighting for gold. Reigns' IC title win last week painted a large target on his back. But it looks as if he will be welcoming opposition to come and try to take his crown.

In an interview on WWE.com, Reigns hinted that he would issue an open challenge.

That's a likely scenario thanks to Lesnar's absence, for one. IC title matches would be an easy way to distract from the fact the universal champ is off hibernating somewhere.  

And if The Miz won't be around, anyone from Bray Wyatt to The Miztourage could be the ones who step up to The Big Dog.