WWE Raw Preview: Final Build to Crown Jewel and More for October 28

Just three days before another trip to Saudi Arabia for another Crown Jewel pay-per-view accompanied by an excitement most comparable to that of watching paint dry, WWE Raw hits the USA Network Monday night for a show with an unenviable task: make the fanbase care about an event in which the universal champion takes a backseat to a pro boxer and a feud between two former MMA rivals. 

I will seek to do that with two icons of bygone eras, a random Falls Count Anywhere match and the return of the company's hottest star after a week spent on the sidelines.

Already Announced

• Falls Count Anywhere: Seth Rollins vs. Erick Rowan
• Becky Lynch vs. Kairi Sane
• Ricochet vs. Drew McIntyre

What Message Will The Fiend Send Seth Rollins?

After burning down the Firefly Fun House, it appeared as though Rollins would be in the crosshairs of a vengeful Bray Wyatt. Instead, the top contender to the Universal Championship has remained conspicuously quiet, appearing on SmackDown this past Friday night from a rebuilt funhouse.

With just days until his Fiend alter ego challenges Rollins for the top prize on the red brand, what will Wyatt have in store for The Beastslayer Monday night?

Rollins will have his hands full in the night's main event, a Falls Count Anywhere match against Erick Rowan. His history with Wyatt is well-documented and it is not out of the realm of possibility that he was specifically chosen for that spot.

After a significant push on SmackDown that culminated in high-profile pay-per-view bouts against Roman Reigns, could Rowan find himself in the familiar position of Wyatt's associate? 

While it would seem Wyatt is a loner now, finding solace in his funhouse friends, it would not be a big surprise if WWE Creative went in that direction.

Either way, expect The Fiend to rear its ugly head, sending an unforgiving message to Rollins ahead of their final encounter in Jeddah on Thursday.

The Final Build to Team Hogan vs. Team Flair

Drew McIntyre became the last Superstar to join Team Flair a week ago and immediately built momentum for his captain's squad, defeating Ricochet in a hard-fought bout. His post-match beatdown of The One and Only was ruthless and unforgiving.

Most importantly for the sake of Monday's show, and because it is one of the only things WWE Creative knows how to do consistently, it set up a rematch between the competitors.

All signs would seemingly point to Ricochet getting his win back and evening the odds ahead of Thursday's Crown Jewel. That should not be expected, though.

McIntyre just came back, he was a high draft pick for the Raw brand and appears to be in line for a significant push well beyond the trip to Saudi Arabia. Beating him just to give Ricochet some heat back would be a massive misstep and further proof the only thing WWE Creative remains committed to is 50-50 booking.

Expect a schmozz finish of some sort that sees the two teams spill into the ring and a massive brawl to break out, putting the final touches on a tag team match that has no reason to exist other than to get Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair on the card in a non-wrestling role.

Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles, Take 1,412

It was not all that long ago that Kevin Owens and AJ Styles wrestled seemingly every week on SmackDown Live as part of a program that just would not die, so you must forgive the WWE Universe if the prospects of another rivalry are not all that appealing.

Last week's show went off the air with KO brawling with The Phenomenal One, allowing The Street Profits to defeat Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in a tag team main event.

Owens' role in the match made sense because of his history with Styles but, damn it, the idea of another series of matches between two guys who did not exhibit the in-ring chemistry you would expect from performers of their ability, just isn't appealing.

Was any other babyface busy? Could Styles not have defended his title against Aleister Black while Owens feuded with Andrade, giving fans fresh matches?

Apparently, the answer is a resounding "no," much to the chagrin of a fanbase that remembers just how underwhelmingly mediocre their bouts were during their first go-round in 2017.