Monday Night Raw Preview 8/3/15: "Rowdy" Roddy Piper Tribute

The August 3, 2015 edition of WWE's Monday Night Raw will emanate live from the SAP Center in San Jose and will continue to build to the SummerSlam pay-per-view in three weeks.

WWE will almost assuredly dedicate the top of tonight's show to "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, who passed away at age 61 late last week. Expect the full ten-bell salute to open the show, along with memories from wrestlers and other backstage talent.

As for the ongoing storylines, perhaps the greatest intrigue involves Seth Rollins and John Cena. Rollins broke Cena's nose during their great United States Championship match last week, and it was a gruesome sight. Blood poured from his face and his nose was practically in his ear, yet Cena finished the match. But this, seemingly, threw the SummerSlam plans for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship into chaos.

It sure looked like we were headed toward a match between the two for the most coveted prize in the game in three weeks, but now it's unclear if Cena will be healthy enough to compete. He has been reportedly been pulled from house shows for the time being, along with tonight's Raw. Will Seth Rollins use his breaking of Cena's nose to further the story tonight? And if Cena can't go, then who will take his place against the champ?

On a more positive note, Brock Lesnar has been advertised for tonight's show. The Beast Incarnate is on a collision course for a rematch with The Undertaker at SummerSlam, but the Deadman is not scheduled for the show tonight. The last time we saw the Phenom, he was in the middle of that intense pull-apart brawl with Lesnar. But the Beast Incarnate will be in town tonight, along with his advocate, Paul Heyman. Will Heyman's usual brilliance be enough to carry this feud? All that has been advertised is that Lesnar wants to "send a message." What will this message be? Will he get physical, or will he simply stand there and look intimidating?

Kevin Owens will continue his feud with Cesaro. The story here is that Owens wants the spotlight all to himself, so he's trying to keep his fellow former independent star from reaching up and grabbing the brass ring. Cesaro, meanwhile, just wants to prove that he's better than Owens inside the ropes. We need a little bit more story from Cesaro's side, but this is a feud about what happens inside the ring, and that's just fine with us. How will these two men progress this story tonight?

Roman Reigns was not on Raw last week, but Bray Wyatt held a ceremony with Luke Harper. Tonight, Reigns should be back, and you can expect Dean Ambrose to be in the mix as well to help out his buddy. Will they officially book a tag team match for tonight?

The Prime Time Players remain entertaining Tag Team Champions with great work at the announce table, while The New Day continue to try to get into the champs' heads. Will they book an official rematch for SummerSlam, or will another team step up and claim the No. 1 Contender spot?

Stardust continues to feud with Neville, and there is a definite comic book slant to this story. Does this mean a certain hero from Starling City, better known as Stephen Amell, will get involved in this match?

As always, check back with MStars immediately after the show for a full recap of all the action. But for now, let us know your thoughts, opinions, guesses, and predictions for tonight's show in the comments section.