Final Build to WWE Crown Jewel and Preview for October 29 Episode of WWE Raw

Just 24 hours removed from a historic Evolution pay-per-view, and five days from the controversial Crown Jewel event from Saudi Arabia, the Raw brand will roll into Charlotte for what promises to be an intriguing and explosive episode of the company's flagship show.

What does WWE Creative have in store for its fans as it continues to reset the brand following Roman Reigns' shocking leukemia diagnosis?

Find out now with this preview of the October 29 episode.

Rumor

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported Reigns' diagnosis not only sped up the Dean Ambrose heel turn that ended last week's show, but it also necessitated Braun Strowman's babyface turn sooner than originally planned.

The Monster Among Men not only promised to defeat Brock Lesnar and win the vacant Universal Championship at Crown Jewel, but he also found himself on the receiving end of a beatdown, courtesy of Drew McIntyre.

Strowman figures to pair off with McIntyre in a high-profile, show-headlining rivalry after the Saudi Arabia show and will do so as the lead babyface of WWE's longest-running show.

His turn may have been pushed up out of desperation from a WWE Creative team in need of a lead babyface on Mondays but he is a Superstar still very over with the audience. That the fans never really wanted him to turn heel in the first place does not hurt their acceptance of him as he embarks on his second babyface run, this time at the tippy top of the Raw brand.

Preview

Final Build for D-Generation X vs. The Brothers of Destruction

Shawn Michaels will wrestle his first match in eight years Friday at Crown Jewel and Monday night will provide the final build for a tag team bout that will pit him and Triple H against The Undertaker and Kane.

Does a match with that much star power need any more television time devoted to it? Not in the slightest. WWE could do major business for its WWE Network just by hyping Michaels' first match in nearly a decade. Still, it has gone out of its way to push the feud between D-Generation X and The Brothers of Destruction, giving more television time to it than most of its younger, full-time stars.

That should once again be the case Monday as the company leans heavily on that match to sell this Friday's event as a special event.

Whether the booking culminates in one last brawl between the Superstars or another promo segment that does nothing to advance the issues between the teams, as has been the case since Super Show-Down, is the question.

Why, Dean, Why?

After weeks of teasing, Dean Ambrose finally turned heel last Monday night, dropping Seth Rollins with Dirty Deeds before brutalizing him more to close out the episode. This, despite winning the Raw Tag Team Championships from Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler just moments earlier.

The Lunatic Fringe walked away from his fallen, beaten and brutalized partner as the fans watched, stunned by the audacity and viciousness of the once-popular competitor.

What was Ambrose's motivation for the shocking betrayal? More importantly, will Rollins seek retribution for the assault that left him lying or will the emotion from last week's show be too high for him to even be in attendance?

Expect answers to those two questions relatively early in Monday's broadcast.

Elias' Turn

Another turn that left fans intrigued about storyline direction going forward was that of Elias, who blasted Raw general manager Baron Corbin with a guitar and set in motion his first run as a babyface.

The silver-tongued songster has been as consistently over with audiences as anyone so it made sense to turn him at a time when the company is looking for heroes in the wake of Reigns' absence.

Having made an enemy of Corbin and by proxy, Stephanie McMahon, expect to see Elias not only address his actions but suffer their consequences Monday in Charlotte.

Nia Jax Has Her Eyes on Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey may have left Evolution with her Raw Women's Championship still intact, but there will be little rest for Rowdy as she turns her attention to the winner of Sunday night's battle royal, Nia Jax.

The two have done battle before, squaring off for the same title at Money in the Bank. Alexa Bliss interrupted and ruined the match, cashing in her briefcase and capturing the title. With Little Miss Bliss out of the way, the Baddest Woman on the Planet and the Irresistible Force will resume their rivalry, the latter hellbent on regaining a title she never lost fairly.

To do so, she will have to do something no woman has been able to yet: defeat Rousey.

They should address each other Monday, setting up the latest chapter in their story.