WWE Raw preview (May 8, 2017): Meltdown expected

WWE is in London, which means a raucous crowd - and spoilers before the show airs in the States. Let’s preview the show anyway, shall we?

The Headliner

Thanks to lots of outside help, the next challenger for Dean Ambrose’s Intercontinental championship is a familiar face - and not just because he’s a Hollywood A-Lister. Miz will be looking to start his seventh reign with the belt by beating the man who ended his sixth - the Lunatic Fringe himself.

That may not be the only thing on his mind, however. Do Miz & Maryse owe Samoa Joe & Bray Wyatt for taking out his opponents in the #1 contender’s Triple Threat last week? Joe laying waste to Seth Rollins and Wyatt hitting Sister Abigail on Finn Bálor cleared the path for the Awesome One’s victory. Was that just a case of being in the right place at the right time, or part of a bigger scheme?

And will Seth and Finn be solely focused on the men who attacked them, or will they be looking for answers from Miz? For a title that wasn’t even on the last pay-per-view (PPV) card, there sure are a lot of plotlines swirling around it.

The title scene

Universal champion Lesnar isn't advertised for the U.K. - or anything much until he starts showing up to build to his first defense at Great Balls of Fire. So get used to that (both the Beast Incarnate’s absence, and a show called Great Balls of Fire). We’ll be watching to see if probable opponents Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman return from injury tonight, as well as keeping eyes on Bálor & Rollins, who both announced plans to reclaim the belt before getting drawn into other issues last week.

As is befitting the first person to hold both the Raw and SmackDown Women’s title Alexa Bliss threw a party for herself. And it went really well, both the coronation and the eight-woman tag which followed. But Bayley still has a rematch coming, and she’s probably extra fired up after “the Goddess” mocked her family and then raked her eyes to pin her again last Monday.

Tag champs The Hardy Boyz are probably pretty excited just to be back in the United Kingdom for the first time in a long time. Matt & Jeff want to get their hands on Cesaro & Sheamus almost as much as they want the rights to their “Broken” gimmick from Anthem, and they may get their wish... but whether or not their next encounter is a title match will depend on who wins tonight’s Tag Turmoil.

The Cruiserweight title scene has focused on current King Neville and his cheif rival Austin Aries for a while. With Aries holding a DQ win over the champ from Payback, a third match is likely in the cards. But Neville’s “advocate” TJP wants a chance to regain the belt, too. So far, he’s focused on trying to take out A-Double as a means to that end... will that continue, or might the King be in his sights soon, too?

Other stuff to keep an eye on:

- Tag turmoil may advance more than just the title angle. It’s Goldust & R-Truth’s shot at a SmackDown-esque push, and maybe a chance for something new in the never-ending Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows feud, too.

- He still hasn’t officially signed onto the “Titus Brand”, but Apollo Crews’ win over Heath Slater may have him thinking about joining the O’Neil team.

- Taking out Finn wasn’t all Bray did last week. He also put General Manager Kurt Angle on notice about... something. Does the Eater of Worlds have bigger plans for the red brand?

Four weeks until Extreme Rules!

What will you be looking for on Raw tonight?