Also read: WWE RAW Results July 3rd 2017, Live Updates
Just one week away from the Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view, we make the final pitstop at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Arizona for the go-home episode of Monday Night Raw. Three titles are slated to be defended at the event, meaning that we would likely have a few testy final encounters before the concerned Superstars face each other over the weekend.
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But most of the attention would undoubtedly be strained on Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe.
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After Joe introduced the Beast Incarnate to the dreaded Coquina Clutch last week, how will Brock Lesnar bounce back? As they always say, a Beast is at its most dangerous when it is cornered.
Speaking of which, The Big Dog is another powerhouse who finds his back to the wall as Braun Strowman effortlessly hauled him into the Ambulance and sent him packing last week. If their Ambulance Match at Great Balls of Fire is to even be competitive, Roman Reigns has to get back his own... and quickly.
One rivalry that has certainly seen the pendulum of momentum swing to and fro, however, has been that between Bray Wyatt and Seth Rollins. After the ‘God’ and ‘The Man’ agreed to a showdown at GBOF this weekend, who will enter the contest with more confidence as they cross paths again this week?
With a run through of all these storylines and more, here is our preview for this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw.
#1 Is Enzo Amore 'SAWFT'?
Enzo and Cass seemed to be well and truly on the way to mending their relationship when the 7-foot-tall Superstar professed what seemed like a heartfelt apology for his actions. Eager to have his brother back in his corner, Enzo bought it hook, line and sinker.
Alas, that trusting nature of his proved to be his undoing yet again as he was sent careening down the ramp for his ignorance.
If the revelation that it was indeed Cass who was behind the backstage sneak attacks raised more questions than answers, his nefarious make-believe only to blindside Enzo again this past week made it crystal clear that the imposing Superstar has gone well past the point of no return.
The million dollar question, however, is how Enzo will react to all of this?
#2 God vs ‘The Man’
Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt have been going back and forth these past few weeks, trading cheap shots and sneak attacks, fiery promos and tense staredowns. And it all came to a head when the Eater of Worlds appeared on the Titantron last week to issue an ominous challenge for Great Balls of Fire.
He goaded Rollins that he’s already in his head and that on July 9th, he will have to give in to his true self... or burn.
Now whatever Wyatt is inclined to think of it, Seth Rollins isn’t a man easily intimidated. After all, he stood up The Authority and survived, bruising Triple H’s body and his ego sufficiently so that we still haven’t had a sight of him since WrestleMania 33.
He may think that he is under the Architect’s skin but knowing the kind of competitor that Rollins is, their match at GBOF will be contested tooth and nail.
#3 Great Boss of Fire
Sasha Banks had the unconquerable Nia Jax on her knees last week on Raw, literally even, and tapping frantically to a modified version of the Bank Statement. As a result, the Boss also earned a shot at Alexa Bliss’ Title at Great Balls of Fire.
Some feel that it was Sasha’s big game experience that saw her through, what with three Raw Women’s Championships to her name, while some others are a little more cautious in attributing the success purely to her efforts... after all, Nia Jax did face a handful of women on the trot before her.
Whichever school of thought you belong to, you can’t dispute that Sasha knows how to win the big one and as she showed Alexa last week, by kicking her out of the ring and posing with the Championship, she ups her game when gold is on the line.
Will Alexa Bliss also be able to do so too?
#4 All bark, no bite?
Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns and an ambulance is still a better love story than Twilight ever was.
Right from the time the Monster among Men capsized the vehicle with Roman loaded in it, to when Roman slammed its door on Strowman’s shoulder repeatedly, putting him on the shelf with an injury, to the latest chapter in the saga – when Strowman made it look too easy by packing Roman off in it again – the three entities have been inseparable of late.
And the final leg in their rivalry (presumably) will play out in Great Balls of Fire, when the two behemoths collide in an Ambulance match.
If Reigns has to back up his statement that the WWE is his yard, then the Big Dog better prove that he has more bite than bark. Strowman made it look ridiculously easy last week when he practically gift wrapped him into an ambulance and would be looking to replicate the same when GBOF swings around.
But before that, expect Reigns to come out swinging this week on Raw.
#5 Joe's gonna kill you! Or will he?
By going toe-to-toe with The Beast until the locker room emptied to try and separate them or by locking in the Coquina Clutch from behind till Lesnar was almost choked out, Samoa Joe has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he does not fear Brock Lesnar.
Paul Heyman may question his Samoan integrity and claim that he’s only good for sneak attacks, but The Advocate will also be the first person to attest that Samoa Joe poses a legitimate threat to his client’s Universal Championship.
Just one week before they clash at Great Balls of Fire – this time with no one to hold them back – who will have the final say and carry forward momentum into the pay-per-view? Will Samoa Joe manage to pull off another ‘sneak’ attack on Lesnar? We must add that Brock Lesnar is currently not advertised for RAW tonight but that doesn’t necessarily rule him out of making an appearance. We’ll just have to wait and watch.
Or like Paul Heyman mentioned last week on Raw, will Brock Lesnar give Joe a reason to truly start fearing him?
Find out on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw!
