WWE Monday Night Raw preview: September 11, 2017

It may have been poetic justice for the Big Show to bow out the same way he announced himself in the WWE, bursting through the steel cage, but that was probably the last thing on Braun Strowman's mind when he power-slammed his fellow giant to hell last week.

But after he sent a resounding message to Brock Lesnar with his performance, how will the Beast Incarnate respond on Raw?

Meanwhile, the bad blood between John Cena and Roman Reigns continues to spill over, with the duo nearly coming to blows last week had the Leader of the Cenation not chosen against it.

Will the stand-off give way to a full-blown war this week?

And where to next for Jeff Hardy, following his failed attempt to capture the Intercontinental Title from the Miz? Will he look to press forward in singles competition or was last week an indication that the Hardyz only work well in tandem?

Combing through all of these points and more, here is our preview of this week's episode of Monday Night Raw.

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The war continues

Is it more yapping or is it, finally, time for the fists to do the talking?

John Cena and Roman Reigns went at it again last week with a hard-hitting promo but as the Big Dog's wont, it wasn't long before he chose actions instead of words, challenging John Cena to a fight.

Never one to back down generally, it was quite intriguing that the Leader of the Cenation chose not to take Reigns up on his offer.

Was it a tactical retreat on the part of the veteran, picking and choosing his moment wisely before he attacks?

Or did Roman Reigns take John Cena by surprise by how forthright he was in his challenge?

We know John Cena has the beating of Roman Reigns in the war of words but was last week's segment a sign that it is advantage Big Dog when it comes to the actual fight? Could we see Roman Reigns beat John Cena down on RAW to really kickstart this war?

Man versus Man

Will the man vs man stipulation even the odds?

The Eater of Worlds was forced to eat humble pie at SummerSlam, unable to cope with the ethereal edge that the Demon King persona added to Finn Balor's offence.

But when they square off again at No Mercy, 'man versus man', will the result be any different?

It has been well documented that Finn Balor gains a little something extra when he embraces the Demon within.

And cancelling that out was, perhaps, Bray Wyatt's most cerebral move in the lead up to their No Mercy rematch.

Will the 'man versus man' stipulation tip the odds in Wyatt's favour? Or will Finn Balor prove to be just as hard to defeat as his alter ego?

Every woman for herself

Will the numbers prove too much for Alexa Bliss to handle?

In a span of two very short weeks, Alexa Bliss went from Champion to challenger to Champion again.

Only this time, her quest to hold on to the Raw Women's Championship has taken on a much more complex hue as she's up against not one but three contenders at No Mercy.

With Nia and Emma working on the same page, will she be forced to consort with her rival-in-chief Sasha Banks to even reach No Mercy unscathed?

Or, like how it will be during the match, is it every woman for herself on Raw as well?

A solo run?

How will Jeff Hardy rebound from his loss last week?

Jeff Hardy's solo run didn't get off to the best of starts when he failed in an attempt to prise the Miz's Intercontinental Title from his grasp.

But will that deter him and send him back to the comfort of tag team wrestling with Matt Hardy?

Or will Jeff Hardy pursue the Miz with renewed vigour, unfazed by the setback?

After all, without the aid of Maryse and the Miztourage, there is every chance that the Miz can't keep up his current level of success.

And with brother Matt having his back against the numerical advantage that the Champion has, Jeff Hardy can make another serious tilt at the IC Title on Raw.

A monstrous prospect

A statement made by the Monster!

Braun Strowman is a scary, scary individual.

And if that was in any doubt, the seemingly effortless manner in which he dumped Big Show out of the steel cage last week should allay those uncertainties.

Not only was it a typically power-packed performance from the Monster among Men, it was also a statement to Brock Lesnar that he is, undoubtedly, the Beast's greatest test to date.

Now, we all know Brock Lesnar as a man who NEVER backs down from a challenge. But after what Strowman did to him at SummerSlam, could there be a seed of doubt sown in the mind of the Beast?

The proverbial ball is in Lesnar's court now. How will he respond to the threat of Braun Strowman?

Find out on this week's episode of Monday Night Raw.

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