WWE Raw: Burning Questions to Address After May 30 Show

WWE may have phoned in a great deal of the Memorial Day episode of Raw, but that doesn't mean it didn't present its fans with a few burning questions in need of addressing.

In one shocking angle, AJ Styles turned heel, attacking John Cena and reuniting with Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows after all of one week apart. The trio brutalized the franchise star in his first night back on Raw, establishing themselves as one of the elite heel acts in the company and jumpstarting a program that will undoubtedly lead to one of the highest-profile feuds of the summer.

Shane and Stephanie McMahon dodged The New Day's questions surrounding the upcoming brand extension, choosing to keep specifics close to the vest.

Then there was the night's main event, which pitted Dean Ambrose, Cesaro and Sami Zayn against Kevin Owens, Alberto Del Rio and Chris Jericho in a gigantic six-man tag team match. The babyfaces won, naturally, and nothing of note was achieved.

1. Is The Club the latest act to be built up, only to be bowled over by the mighty John Cena?

Credit: WWE.com

The phrasing of that question may be a bit cynical, but fans have watched so many intriguing heel acts built up over time, only to be sacrificed in the name of making John Cena look even stronger than he already had. It becomes somewhat of a habit to question any group's credibility when paired with the company's resident superhero.

But should there be questions about The Club, which has been steadily built to this point?

Styles, Gallows and Anderson worked with Roman Reigns in a main event storyline for two months. While Styles may have lost both pay-per-view matches, he came out of them fresh as a daisy, a made man in Vince McMahon's company. He survived that program and was better for it.

Fans proved as much Monday night, greeting him with thunderous ovations and loud chants of his name as he stood across the squared circle from the biggest star in the business.

The likelihood that he loses the ultimate showdown with the franchise star is high, but it will be the strength of his performances and the booking of him and his cohorts that ultimately decide how much of a success the program ultimately was.

Sure, Cena is going to emerge triumphantly, but this war against a high-profile faction will not go the way of Nexus, which was dead before it had the opportunity to thrive.

2. Does WWE have any idea what its doing with the brand extension?

Credit: WWE.com

On the surface, Stephanie and Shane McMahon's dodging of brand extension-based questions from The New Day suggests that the siblings are playing coy. They claimed that they had not yet talked about how things would play out when establishing distinct and unique rosters, but one could almost see the wheels turning.

The lack of answers may create intrigue from a creative standpoint, but is that absence of information based in reality?

Would it really surprise anyone if WWE has no clear plan on what it is doing with the upcoming draft?

After all, history tells us the company rushed the process way back in 2002, building uneven rosters and splitting popular tag teams. So poorly done was it that it took months of reshuffling through trades and dozens of storyline plot holes to make things right.

Any roster split is a tricky proposition, and with WWE banking on the latest extension to create renewed interest in SmackDown, all the while building new stars to carry each brand, the significance of this latest split has never been greater.

If WWE Creative and management does not have an idea of what it is doing come July 19, the entire ordeal could be a disaster of massive proportions. Or it could be a greater success than the WWE Universe could ever imagine.

Either way, it would be nice to see proof that the company has a solid plan and direction in mind.

3. Will Kevin Owens ever beat Dean Ambrose?

Credit: WWE.com

Kevin Owens lost once again to Dean Ambrose, this time in Monday's gigantic six-man tag team main event. It is the latest defeat suffered by the former intercontinental and NXT champion at the hands of The Lunatic Fringe.

If WWE Creative is clever enough, there is a story to be told about the entire ordeal. As successful as Owens is and has been, Ambrose is essentially his kryptonite. He is the one Superstar he has not been able to crack on a consistent basis, frustrating him and fueling him to prove that he can beat him.

It would flip the script on the tired "babyface underdog must prove himself" storyline while at the same time freshen things up between them. After all, their match is woefully overexposed, with WWE Creative leaning too heavily on the workhorses to provide solid in-ring action when all else fails.

Giving them a new, unique reason to actually compete against each other could convince fans to reinvest in yet another series of matches between them.

Otherwise, WWE Creative must keep them far apart when the upcoming draft takes place, if for no other reason than to lessen the exposure fans have had to that matchup.