Credit: WWE.com

World Cup Qualifiers and Preview for October 15 Episode of WWE Raw

Erik Beaston

Uncertainty surrounding the WWE Crown Jewel live event extravaganza will not prevent the company from moving forward with storylines pertaining to that show, including two World Cup Qualifying matches featuring four of the most talented Superstars on the Monday night roster.

Throw in a rebuttal from a badass champion and you have an episode of Raw with the potential to be red hot.

         

Potential Spoiler

Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com reported Kurt Angle is scheduled for Monday's Raw in Philadelphia and figures to be a regular character going forward.

Angle returned to television a week ago, entering a battle royal as El Conquistador and eliminating Raw general manager Baron Corbin to earn a spot in the upcoming World Cup Tournament.

The Olympic gold medalist had last been seen reluctantly accepting a vacation at the hands of Stephanie McMahon, opening the door for The Lone Wolf to take over as the heel authority figure of WWE's flagship show.

After the events of last week's show, though, it appears the former WWE champion will engage Corbin in a rivalry, perhaps culminating at Survivor Series in November.

        

Preview

World Cup Qualifiers

Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre teamed with Braun Strowman to defeat The Shield in last week's main event. This week, the Raw tag team champions will look to continue their winning ways as they compete in singles matches for the right to move on to the World Cup Tournament at Crown Jewel on Nov. 2.

Ziggler will battle longtime foe Dean Ambrose, while McIntyre squares off with Seth Rollins.

The singles bouts promise to bring work rate to the night's show, as is typical of the four men involved. Over the last six months, they have been responsible for some of the best televised in-ring content and that figures to continue Monday night.

As they are the only two matches formally announced for the show ahead of time, do not be surprised if they take up a significant chunk of television time on a show that, otherwise, may be dominated by storyline advancement and in-ring promos.

     

Ronda Rousey Responds

The Raw women's champion was attacked and savagely beaten down by The Bella Twins last week before the official announcement of her title defense against Nikki Bella was made.

Monday night, The Baddest Woman on the Planet will address her former teammates' shocking betrayal in what is likely to be a talk-heavy, story-advancing segment.

With the Evolution pay-per-view fast approaching on Oct. 28, the company has its work cut out in terms of presenting rivalries and stories fans will want to tune in to see. To this point, there are only three announced matches from the main roster, one of which features two returning legends.

Considering the roster is full of women it will likely want to include in such a historic PPV event, it must work overtime to bring those competitors together and announce matches to fill out the rest of the card.

It cannot pull a vintage WCW move and present a PPV card with only the most significant matches announced ahead of time and an undercard thrown together the day of the event.

The hype begins with the Bella explanation and Rousey's retort, but the women wrestlers really should take center stage Monday night.

        

Will The Brothers of Destruction Appear?

A week ago, D-Generation X pulled the green and black t-shirts out of mothballs, set aside their retirement home pudding and re-emerged in time for an epic encounter at the Crown Jewel event against The Brothers of Destruction.

What do Kane and The Undertaker think of the development?

According to WWE's official Raw preview, we may find out Monday night.

The Deadman and The Big Red Monster were conspicuous by their absence last week but do not be surprised to see them stalk toward the ring Monday in Philly, ready to send an ominous warning to Shawn Michaels and Triple H ahead of their iconic battle.

The only question: will Michaels and Triple H make an unscheduled appearance and avenge the beatdown they suffered in Melbourne, Australia?

   

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