WWE's Latest Misfire, Roxanne Perez Shines, Zoey Stark Injury and More WWE Fallout

From the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, the May 19 edition of Raw on Netflix built hype for Saturday Night's Main Event and Money in the Bank.

Rhea Ripley defeated Kairi Sane and Zoey Stark while Roxanne Perez defeated Becky Lynch and Natalya to qualify for the women's Money in the Bank ladder match.

During the qualifier, Stark suffered a knee injury that will likely keep her out of action for a while.

Gunther confronted Logan Paul ahead of his World Heavyweight Championship match against Jey Uso, confident that he could beat either man that emerges victorious at SNME.

Finn Bálor and JD McDonagh picked up a win over AJ Styles and Penta with the help of El Grande Americano. Austin Theory was not helpful in Grayson Waller's loss to Sheamus.

This was an important show for building forward to big WWE shows in the near-future.

WWE Plans on Making Roxanne Perez a Big Star

Roxanne Perez is finally a full member of the Raw roster, signing her contract with Adam Pearce ahead of her Money in the Bank qualifier victory.

After a couple weeks of backstage teases, Finn Bálor introduced The Prodigy to the rest of The Judgment Day, setting her up in a big role quickly.

WWE played a dangerous game with Perez's main-roster start, putting her in multiple big matches only to lose each one.

However, this MITB victory far outweighs the recent losses on Raw and NXT, setting up a better follow-up to her Elimination Chamber challenge and record-breaking women's Royal Rumble run.

Especially with her potential Judgment Day involvement, Perez is already a dark-horse challenger in the Money in the Bank ladder match.

Especially with a limited number of well-established stars in the women's division, Perez has potential to take a Tiffany Stratton-like push to the top of the card over the next year.

Don't Let Rhea Ripley Win MITB Briefcase

Rhea Ripley qualifying for the Money in the Bank ladder match makes sense. She instantly adds star power to what could be the only women's match on that premium live event.

It is important though that WWE does not take the next step and gives Mami the Money in the Bank briefcase.

While WWE has often used the briefcase to launch careers, top names from John Cena and Randy Orton to Asuka and Alexa Bliss have also won the briefcase in the past.

Ripley could win the briefcase and find a quick, easy opportunity to cash-in another world title opportunity.

It is time to see what Ripley can do outside the title scene for a while. She has the presence and star power to elevate anyone she works with, even without gold on the line.

This is a chance to elevate a name into the conversation like Roxanne Perez or Giulia or get a veteran back into the conversation like Alexa Bliss.

Finally Time to Test a Gunther Face Turn

Gunther first signed with WWE in November 2018 under his independent name Walter, debuting on January 2019.

Since that debut, the only thing that has changed for Gunther has been his name and look. His actual character has remained unchanged.

He has always played the Austrian heel, best known for his no-nonsense focus and dangerous chops.

After six years, it is time to see what The Ring General can do as a babyface.

While it may be odd to see Gunther as a crowd favorite, WWE teased how easily he could transition into that role through his interactions on Raw with both Logan Paul and Seth Rollins.

In both cases, The Ring General kept his cool demeanor and sharp wit but pushed back against two top heels challenging his supremacy.

Everyone needs a fresh start once in a while, and it is more than time for Gunther to get his shot playing to the crowd rather than against them.

Potential NXT Stars That Could Fill Zoey Stark's Role on Raw

After the recent WWE releases, Raw's women's division is low on depth, and an unfortunate injury to Zoey Stark is likely to leave the brand understaffed even more.

Hopefully, the injury is not as serious as it looks, and Stark can make a smooth recovery quickly.

However, it is more likely at this point Stark will need significant time to recover.

In the meantime, while she was not a major player on Raw, WWE needs depth talent with upside like Stark that can work strong matches with anyone and might be able to rise up the ranks with the right opportunity.

SmackDown's women's roster is also low on depth, so the best option to take Stark's place during her recovery would be in NXT.

This would not be a spot for one of NXT's established names or current champions like Stephanie Vaquer, Sol Ruca, Jordynne Grace or Zaria.

It would make more sense to move up a name like Fallon Henley and/or Jacy Jayne of Fatal Influence.

This could be a chance to slow build someone like Kelani Jordan, Jaida Parker, Tatum Paxley or Lola Vice as long as they are willing to start from a low spot on the card.

Ideally, especially with the nature of the business and likeliness of injuries to come, a couple names should be brought up from NXT, following Roxanne Perez and Giulia's call-ups.

WWE's Slow Pacing is Ruining Storylines

While Raw has the strongest story in WWE right now with Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman, most of the red brand's angles have grown stale.

The Judgment Day barely makes sense in its current form as fans await the inevitable turn of Finn Bálor against Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan.

El Grande Americano has played the same hits week after week, interrupting luchador matches and cheating to win without clear further direction.

It is easy to forget New Day won the World Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania based on the limited spotlight on the Raw tag division.

Austin Theory and Grayson Waller have been teasing issues between them for at least the past six months without forward progress.

The common issue amongst all these angles is pacing. It is taking too long to deliver payoffs, setting up months of television lacking momentum and urgency.

While it is important to give a story enough time to hook audiences before delivering the next key story beat, WWE cannot keep slow crawling angles without heat.

It is unlikely fans will respond strongly to Theory's face turn at this point because he and Waller barely have a presence on Raw.

The Prince's eventual turn is so obvious that the actual moment is more likely to receive a reaction of relief that it is finally over instead of genuine excited surprise.

WWE must start spacing out stories better so that every couple Raws have genuine talking point moments, especially amongst the lower card angles that will only get over through regular attention.