Latest Rumors, Preview for Final WWE Raw Before Money in the Bank 2018

With the countdown to Money in the Bank nearly over, Monday's WWE Raw has one last shot to generate buzz for the big event.

The red brand will attempt to do that by offering glimpses of Sunday's pay-per-view. That will include Braun Strowman, Sasha Banks and others taking on their Money in the Bank foes sans ladders as they look gain momentum before their ladder bouts at the PPV. Ronda Rousey will share the ring with Raw women's champ Nia Jax.

Roman Reigns will also mix it up with Jinder Mahal before they do so in Chicago at Money in the Bank.

Raw has struggled to entertain of late. The angles have limped along; the action has been inconsistent. We'll see how much that changes with Money in the Bank so close and WWE no longer having to compete with the NBA playoffs for viewers when Little Rock, Arkansas, host the PPV's go-home show.

What's all on tap for Monday's Raw? News updates, the Raw preview on WWE.com and storyline projections help provide an early look at the latest episode before it airs at 8 p.m. ET on USA Network.

News, Rumors

Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler may have provided a hint of what's to come for them.

The heel duo laid waste to cruiserweights Cedric Alexander and Kalisto at a house show in Jackson, Mississippi on Friday. WWE spotlighted the attack on social media, a potential sign that an angle is brewing.

McIntyre and Ziggler could be poised to zero in on the cruiserweight division as a means to showcase their dominance.

As for the Universal Championship picture, a change could be on the horizon. Sports Illustrated columnist Justin Barrasso wrote: "According to sources close to WWE, Lesnar is widely expected to drop the belt, at the latest, by SummerSlam."

Lesnar hasn't been seen on WWE programming since the Greatest Royal Rumble event in April.

Meanwhile, talk of Hulk Hogan's potential return to the company continues. The process is going well, according to The Hulkster himself.

Hogan told Chris Van Vliet in a recent interview: "Things are moving in that direction quite quickly."

Raw Streaks

Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas are suddenly the hottest duo in the tag team division.

The perennial bottom-feeders won a No. 1 Contender's Battle Royal last Monday to earn a shot at the Raw Tag Team Championship. The B-Team has now been successful in three matches in a row, its only three victories all year, per CageMatch.net.

The B-Team vs. The Deleters of Worlds is not yet officially on the Money on the Bank card, but WWE may look to throw that contest in the mix in the next few days.

Titus Worldwide isn't faring nearly as well. The squad is falling further out of title contention each week.

Titus O'Neil and Apollo Crews was one of the many teams who fell short in the Battle Royal and have now lost 10 consecutive matches per CageMatch.net. It doesn't take the team's statistician Dana Brooke to see that they are heading in the wrong direction.

Closing in on Money in the Bank

Raw commissioner Stephanie McMahon named Baron Corbin Raw's "constable." What that means exactly is unclear. To this point, he has mostly interfered in other people's matches, looking to cause chaos.

Raw should feature further exploration of this angle. Although, the fact that Corbin isn't on the Money in the Bank lineup could make him a low priority on Monday.

The Raw Women's Championship match, on the other hand, is set for ample spotlight. Rousey and Jax will meet face to face in Arkansas before their big title bout.

The dynamic between them has been strange, as the recently turned babyface Jax has become the bully in the story. Whether a full-fledged return to heel status is on the way is one of the big things to watch as this feud develops.

Ahead of Sunday's two Money in the Bank matches, Monday's Raw will feature a pair of Fatal 4-Way bouts.

Strowman, Finn Balor, Bobby Roode and Kevin Owens will collide in one contest. Banks, Ember Moon, Natalya and Alexa Bliss will clash in the other.

Owens ruined Balor's shot at upsetting Strowman recently. He has antagonized and insulted all three of his opponents. Now KO is forced to step into the ring with all of them at once, a surefire recipe for comeuppance.

As for the women's match, (presumably storyline) injuries will play into the action. Both Natalya and Bliss came away hurting in their last bit of in-ring action. Natalya's knee and Bliss' leg may not be focal points for their enemies on Monday's Raw.

And while the Fatal 4-Way matches will act as teasers for the upcoming PPV bouts, WWE is straight-up giving us a Money in the Bank match early with Reigns vs. Mahal.

The rivals' animosity has grown in recent weeks as they have traded ambushes. The Big Dog speared Mahal through a wall. The men later brawled backstage until officials separated them. They will now get a chance to let out some early aggression before their meeting on Sunday. 

Reigns vs. Mahal doesn't seem like the matchup that will get Raw out of its recent funk, but WWE is forever a surprising entity.