7 Last-Minute predictions for WWE Raw (23 July 2018)

The latest episode of WWE Raw will take place in Cincinnati, Ohio on Monday.

One of the biggest storylines heading into the show surrounds the Universal Championship, with Roman Reigns set to face Bobby Lashley in a #1 contender match to find out who will challenge Brock Lesnar for the title at SummerSlam.

There has also been plenty of talk about the women’s division over the last week, following the news that Stephanie McMahon will make a “historic announcement” on Monday, with many speculating that there will be an all-female PPV later in the year.

Elsewhere on this week’s show, The B-Team will defend their Raw Tag Team Championships against The Deleters of Worlds in a rematch from Extreme Rules, while Seth Rollins will be looking to carve a new path to SummerSlam after failing to win his Triple Threat match last week.

There is also uncertainty surrounding the Intercontinental Championship right now, with Dolph Ziggler seemingly without an opponent following his victory over Bobby Roode, and we will have to wait to find out if Ronda Rousey breaches her additional seven-day suspension from Raw.

In this article, let’s take a look at seven last-minute predictions ahead of the episode.

#7 Will Dean Ambrose appear?

Dean Ambrose has been out of action since December 2017 with a triceps injury. The initial timescale on his return was predicted to be around 6-9 months, which means fans are understandably expecting him to come back to WWE television sooner rather than later.

With Raw taking place in Cincinnati, Ohio – Ambrose’s hometown – this week, there has been more talk than usual about “The Lunatic Fringe” possibly appearing on Monday night.

Now, as nice as it would be to see the former WWE champion have a hero’s welcome in Cincinnati, there are enough high-profile stories heading into this week’s episode, so let’s not build our hopes up too much!

Prediction: No Dean Ambrose appearance

#6 Will The B-Team retain their Raw Tag Team titles?

The B-Team produced one of the biggest upsets on WWE television since WrestleMania 34 when they defeated The Deleters of Worlds for the Raw Tag Team Championships at Extreme Rules.

It has since been announced that Bray Wyatt & Matt Hardy have invoked their rematch clause for this week’s episode of Raw, so will they end The B-Team’s eight-day reign with the titles or will their unlikely alliance suffer another major setback?

With so many hints recently about Jeff Hardy possibly reuniting with Matt, plus the fact that Curtis Axel & Bo Dallas are one of the most entertaining acts on Raw right now, let’s predict that the downfall of The Deleters of Worlds will continue on Monday.

Prediction: The B-Team retains

#5 What will Stephanie McMahon announce?

Would a women's PPV be best for business?

Since Stephanie McMahon revealed that she will be on Raw “to deliver a historic announcement” this Monday, it has been widely rumoured that the red brand’s Commissioner will confirm that there will be a first-ever all-female WWE PPV in September or October.

There has also been a lot of talk from various different media outlets that WWE will introduce Women’s Tag Team Championships and a Women’s Intercontinental Championship at the event, which could also be part of Stephanie’s announcement.

The PPV idea sounds great, as does the possible plan to have tag titles, but an IC title as well? That seems a little too good to be true!

Prediction: Women’s PPV and Women’s Tag Team Championships

#4 Will Ronda Rousey appear?

Ronda Rousey attacked Alexa Bliss last week

With two days to go on her 30-day suspension from Raw, Ronda Rousey made a surprise appearance on the show last week to set up her Raw Women’s Championship match at SummerSlam against Alexa Bliss.

However, you just can’t go around breaking suspensions on Monday nights when “Constable” Baron Corbin is in charge, so Ronda’s suspension has been extended by another seven days, meaning she is not allowed to show up on this week’s episode.

Now that the SummerSlam match is set and Ronda and Alexa have had a few confrontations, it would be a surprise to see “The Baddest Woman On The Planet” break her suspension again to build up a match that already has plenty of story behind it. Expect to see her back next week, but not this Monday.

Prediction: No Ronda Rousey appearance

#3 Who will Seth Rollins feud with next?

Seth Rollins lost his Intercontinental Championship rematch against Dolph Ziggler at Extreme Rules and failed to progress in the tournament to determine a new Universal Championship #1 contender, so what lies ahead next for “The Kingslayer”?

Unless WWE plans on reviving his previous feuds with Ziggler and Elias or sticking him in a multi-man match for the IC title, it looks like the Shield member will have to find a new non-title opponent in the build-up to SummerSlam.

Looking through the Raw roster, the only obvious feud in the not-too-distant future for Rollins is with Jason Jordan – his former tag partner who has recently been cleared to return after six months out through injury. This is a bold prediction, but let’s go with it!

Prediction: Jason Jordan returns

#2 What happens next with Sasha Banks and Bayley?

Dr Dhel — Dr Shelby tried his best to help Sasha Banks and Bayley earlier this month

The Sasha Banks-Bayley storyline took an unexpected twist last week when their tag match against Dana Brooke & Alicia Fox descended into chaos and ended in a no contest, and then an emotional Sasha told Bayley what she really thinks about their friendship before saying that she loves her.

With a women’s tag division possibly being introduced, will this ‘frenemy’ rivalry lead to them being one of the first challengers for the titles? Or, three years on from their epic match at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, is this storyline going to lead to another Brooklyn match between the two at SummerSlam?

This is a tough one to call. Let’s play it safe and predict that they’ll be on the same page this week, defeating Dana & Alicia in an as-yet-unannounced rematch from last week.

Prediction: Sasha and Bayley win a tag match

#1 Who will face Brock Lesnar?

We will — The SummerSlam card should become clearer after Raw

Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley both won Triple Threat matches on Raw last week, meaning they will face each other in a #1 contender match to determine who will challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam.

Following Reigns' defeat to Lashley at Extreme Rules, is it realistic to expect “The Big Dog” to win and face Lesnar yet again in a singles match? After all, he lost clean against ‘Bob’ just eight days ago, so it’d be a bit unfair for him to jump to the front of the line, regardless of the #1 contender stipulation, if both men are 1-1 against each other.

If Reigns wins, there will surely be some Lashley complaints and another #1 contender match the following week. So, to avoid that scenario, let’s predict that “The Dominator” will go 2-0 over his rival, thanks to some shady interference from somebody (say, Drew McIntyre?), to set up Lesnar vs. Lashley at SummerSlam.

Prediction: Bobby Lashley