WWE Raw: Burning Questions to Address After June 12 Show

After the beautifully violent pull-apart brawl between Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe on Monday's WWE Raw, things got weird and bewildering in a hurry.

The red brand took Noam Dar down a strange path that saw him yelling at a cell phone in the corner of the ring. Bayley came off as a milquetoast. And while a dancing bear found himself in the midst of a progressing feud, neither Roman Reigns nor Finn Balor could say the same thing.

Joe and Lesnar's physical confrontation deftly set up their match at Great Balls of Fire on July 9.

Much of the rest of Monday's show couldn't claim that kind of success. It was a meandering night that left one questioning many of WWE's choices.

From Dar's direction to Bayley's future, the following is a look at the biggest questions to emerge from the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana, after the latest Raw.

What on Earth Is WWE Doing with Dar?

Backstage, Dar video-chatted with Alicia Fox. He was just as distracted there as he would soon be during his match with Cedric Alexander.

Dar and Fox quibbled on the phone as The Scottish Supernova walked down the entrance ramp and as his bout with kicked off. Alexander took advantage, beating Dar in just seven seconds.

It's bad enough WWE sold this feud as being over on the previous week's 205 Live only to keep it going here, but the company found a fresh way to make the cruiserweight division feel like a joke.

This wasn't character development. This didn't advance a story. It was simply misguided booking.

Rear View Reviews columnist Amanda Why was among those baffled by what they saw:

Is WWE going to relegate Dar to a comedy role? Is it just throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks? There doesn't seem to be a strong role in place for him in the least.

Unfortunately, he has been the cruiserweight division's biggest whiff thus far.  

What's the Plan for Balor?

With not long to go until Great Balls of Fire, Balor doesn't have a match or a rival.

Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt are clearly on a collision course. A three-way feud between Dean Ambrose, Elias Samson and The Miz is unfolding. But there's nothing for Balor.

The Demon King didn't appear on Raw, as he's been traveling across Asia to play company spokesman. Instead, WWE aired a generic vignette to remind us of his presence.

When he's back in the ring, who will play his foil? Will he have a chance to get some traction? Is he going to miss Great Balls of Fire, just as he missed Payback and WrestleMania?

Balor is a special talent with a strong connection to the crowd. The ideal rival may not be available right now, but WWE has to find something for him to do.

Even bringing down the Titus Brand by spanking Apollo Crews and Titus O'Neil would be preferable to more benchwarming.

What Does Reigns Have in Mind for SummerSlam?

Like Balor, Reigns didn't physically appear on Raw. Monday's show featured a vignette of The Big Dog before announcing he will soon have SummerSlam news to share.

What will Reigns say about the August pay-per-view? Will he challenge Lesnar, Braun Strowman or SmackDown Live's John Cena?

Reigns' SummerSlam plans have to be related to a big-time match. Either he'll be seeking championship glory or looking to shape his legacy.

If Strowman steps up to face Lesnar for the Universal Championship, that will eliminate two of Reigns' options. Balor would be a great fit opposite him. And Reigns vs. Cena would bolster the SummerSlam card.

It's hard to imagine WWE going any direction other than those. Reigns vs. Curt Hawkins just doesn't have a SummerSlam feel to it.

How Can WWE Rehab Bayley?

Bayley sat down with Corey Graves to discuss her loss to Alexa Bliss at Extreme Rules. What should have been a refocusing of her character became more evidence that WWE is unsure of how to handle The Huggable One.

She came off as soft and unsure of herself. She talked about having trouble with violence. The magic Bayley had going at NXT wasn't present here.

It was quite the disappointing scene.

Andrew M. Swift of Cageside Seats wondered aloud about this pacifist element of her act:

"

is the thing now that Bayley is scared to hurt people because I'm pretty sure that was literally never her thing in NXT

— andrewmswift (@andrewmswift) June 13, 2017"

Is WWE going to figure this out? Can its writers find ways to highlight her strengths and make the superhero to little girls the universally appealing underdog she can be?

A long break from TV would be a great start to that process.

The Raw Women's Championship scene is crowded. WWE should let the anticipation build for Bayley's return and use her hiatus as a means to tweak her presentation.

A triumphant comeback and renaissance is possible with a clearer sense of where WWE wants to go with her.