WWE Monday Night Raw Preview: August 21, 2017

SummerSlam was a rage!
SummerSlam was all the rage!

If there were any lingering doubts as to whether Braun Strowman was World Champion material, those were emphatically quelled at WWE SummerSlam.

But that's counting the chickens before they hatch. Braun Strowman's time will surely come. But right now, it's still Brock Lesnar's era.

After an incredibly destructive and hard hitting Fatal Fourway match, the Beast Incarnate survived being slammed through two announcers' table and having one capsized onto him, as he somehow managed to retain his Universal Title.

But after that bruising encounter where all four men left a part of themselves in the ring, how will the chips fall on Monday Night Raw?

A more straightforward fallout, however, will be greeting Finn Balor, whose sinister Demon King persona took even Bray Wyatt out of his element at SummerSlam. What is next in store for the first ever WWE Universal Champion?

And what of Alexa Bliss? The Five Feet of Fury relinquished her Raw Women's Championship to Sasha Banks, who finally managed to break her Brooklyn curse.

Running through all these intriguing developments from SummerSlam, here is our preview of this week's episode of Monday Night Raw.


What next for Roman Reigns?

How will Roman rebound?
How will Roman rebound?

Not only did Brock Lesnar retain his Universal Championship at SummerSlam, he also did it with a clean pinfall victory over Roman Reigns.

So while the Beast Incarnate contemplates his good fortune at pulling off the improbable after coming within hair's breadth of losing the Title, it's back to the drawing board for Roman Reigns.

Will the Big Dog have to fight his way back up to a Title opportunity by continuing his unforgiving feud with Braun Strowman or will he shift his attentions to another Samoan who he's never had the greatest luck with in Samoa Joe?

Meanwhile, as you may have well known, the Undertaker is said to have landed in New York City. While rumours abound as to his purpose there, don't be entirely shocked if the Phenom shows up on Raw to confront the man who defeated him at WrestleMania 33.

Two-thirds of the Shield

Is this reunion happily ever after for Ambrose and Rollins?
Is this reunion happily-ever-after for Ambrose and Rollins?

Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose turned back the clock and worked seamlessly off and for one another, as they pipped the Bar to win the Raw Tag Team Championships.

Sheamus and Cesaro entered the pay-per-view with momentum and chemistry on their side; after all, Rollins and Ambrose were still not on the same page two weeks back.

However, that didn't factor in as much as the Bar may have wanted it to, as the former Shield brothers captured the belts after an intense encounter, fought tooth and nail.

How will Sheamus and Cesaro rebound immediately after such a huge setback? Will they exercise their rematch clause at the earliest opportunity?

And will Rollins and Ambrose continue to work well with one another or was SummerSlam a one off collaboration?

Sasha Banks gets her big Brooklyn moment, at last

She had to dig down deep, but Sasha Banks eventually came through
She had to dig down deep, but Sasha Banks eventually came through

The Boss hasn't had the best of luck in pay-per-view events in Brooklyn over the past few years. But she rectified that record with a stellar win over Alexa Bliss to capture the Raw Women's Championship at SummerSlam.

After tying Charlotte Flair's record of winning the belt 4 times, what next for Sasha Banks? Will she afford Alexa Bliss an immediate rematch?

Will some other Superstar rise up through the ranks to challenge the Boss?

Or having taken what was originally intended as Bayley's spot in the match, is this finally the moment when the duo set their friendship aside and do battle for the Raw Women's Champion?

The Demon King reigns supreme

When the Demon Kings appears, it is a spectacle to behold
When the Demon Kings appears, it is a spectacle to behold

In a battle of two of Raw's most mystical Superstars, it is the Demon King who can now lay claim to the throne of the occult on the Red brand.

In what was a to-and-fro battle, it was Balor's ability to hold his nerve and turn the tables on Wyatt to gain a mental edge at a crucial juncture in the match, that finally yielded the victory.

Now, having defeated the Face of Fear, who will step up to the plate to challenge the Demon King on Raw?

Knowing Bray Wyatt, however, it will take much more than a single loss to deter him from his objectives.

Will these two clash again?

The Era of the Beast

That is how you answer the naysayers!
That is how you answer the naysayers!

It's easy to coast to victory when you're dealt a good hand. What determines a true champion is how a Superstar reacts when his back is to the wall.

And despite being accused of not defending his belt regularly, being a part-timer, not putting in enough effort into his matches...Brock Lesnar came out swinging at SummerSlam and answered all of his critics.

He was put through two tables, speared through the barricade, had a table turned over on him and at a point during the match, also loaded up on a stretcher to be rushed away for medical attention.

But despite all of this, Brock Lesnar came bounding the ramp - visibly shaken - and landed a nasty F5 on Roman Reigns to defend his Universal Title.

For everyone who thought that Brock Lesnar would lose the match and traipse off to the UFC to fight Jon Jones, SummerSlam was a wake-up call.

This is the era of the Beast. And it continues on Monday Night Raw.


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