WWE Raw preview (Oct. 16, 2017): Only hope to contain

WWE will attempt to blaze a trail to Tables, Ladders and Chairs tonight in Portland.

The Headliner(s)

Two weeks ago, Braun Strowman mauled tag titleholders Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins after his match with Rollins. That was one of a series of moves which led to Dean and Seth to approach Strowman’s mortal enemy Roman Reigns about getting the band back together. When the reunited Shield made attacking The Monster Among Men their second order of business last Monday, Braun joined a team himself.

But that four-on-three handicap match featuring Intercontinental champion The Miz, former tag champs The Bar and Strowman against The Hounds of Justice is for this Sunday at Raw’s next pay-per-view (PPV). Tonight, The Big Dog and Braun will rekindle their rivalry in a structure which is supposed to prohibit outside interference.lr

Of course, we know it probably won’t. I mean, Strowman’s been known to throw dudes THROUGH cages. So if you’re looking for a show-closing melee as Michael Cole screams about subscribing to WWE Network to find out how it goes when tables, ladders and chairs are involved... have I got some good news for you.

The title scene

Sounds like Universal titleholder Brock Lesnar won’t be off for too much longer, what with a rumored showdown with his SmackDown counterpart on the docket for Survivor Series. If that is the case, there’s really no reason to think about this belt until The Beast shows back to start builing a program with Jinder Mahal. Moving on...

Women's champion Alexa Bliss just can’t stop making fun of #1 contender Mickie James’ age. Will the insult game prove to be a successful strategy, or will it backfire when Hardcore Country proves to Lil Miss Bliss exactly why she’s a six-time WWE champ herself? If you subscribe to reverse momentum theory, you might get an answer on Raw.

During the division’s unprecedented third straight “main event”, 11pm ET overrun segment, Enzo Amore was defeated by Kalisto. Now we have a our first ever luchador Cruiserweight champ, and Zo has gone from defending his strap at TLC to trying to regain it. Momentum is not currently on the side of The Certified G, either, as Kalisto teamed with another thorn in Amore’s side, Mustafa Ali, to defeat him in a tag match on 205 Live. And while that all sounds real interesting, what we really want to know is... where’s Neville?

Other stuff to keep an eye on:

- After Bray Wyatt unveiled his voice-modulated, cheesecloth-wearing alter ego Sister Abigail last week, Finn Bálor told Renee Young he knows what he has to do to confront her “pure evil”. Maybe he’ll let us in on what that is tonight. Assuming it’s more than just “try and keep a straight face during their next match”, of course.

- With a victory in last week’s Fatal 5Way, Emma has earned the right to face Asuka in her main roster debut. But if the Aussie couldn’t end The Empress of Tomorrow’s win streak in NXT, what are the odds of a different outcome in Minneapolis on Sunday? No wonder people are worried about Emma’s health.

- Working without Matt Hardy for a change, Jason Jordan defeated Karl Anderson of The Club last week. No, we don’t know what that means either. We do love JJ’s UpUpDownDown gamer tag in the upcoming Madden tournament, though.

- Elias keeps beating the members of Titus Worldwide. See above, but replace “love” with “like” and “JJ” with “Titus O’Neil”.

It’s the TLC ‘go home’ show!

What will you be looking for on Raw tonight?