WWE Raw: Burning Questions to Address After February 29 Show

One would think that with WrestleMania 32 rapidly approaching on April 3, WWE would leave fewer burning questions, but that has not been the case thus far on the road to the big event. The February 29 episode of Raw was no exception.

Just a week after Shane McMahon made his shocking return to WWE, the company produced an episode of Raw that did less to build on that monumental moment than it did to create real questions about it. 

The Undertaker returned to Raw on Monday night but had no real explanation for why he would assist Vince McMahon in punishing his son. There was no strong follow-up, and Shane did not even appear on the broadcast, much to the dismay of the fans.

But the McMahon family drama is not at the heart of the burning questions left in the wake of this week's broadcast.

Those questions revolve around the WWE World Heavyweight Championship picture, what appears to be a championship opportunity for AJ Styles and the re-emergence of "Ravishing Russian" Lana under the strangest of circumstances.

1. Is WWE purposely overshadowing Roman Reigns with Dean Ambrose?

One week after fans cheered the brutal assault suffered by Roman Reigns at the hands of lead heel Triple H, WWE Creative thought it best to turn its attention to Dean Ambrose and positioning him against The Game for the night.

The Lunatic Fringe's confrontation of the WWE world heavyweight champion drew a huge ovation, and his physical assault on Triple H later in the show popped the crowd louder than anything else had all night. They relished the opportunity to root on the underdog as, beaten and battered, he threw fists with The King of Kings.

That the fans were as receptive to the idea of Ambrose vs. Triple H suggests that the company has once again done Reigns a great disservice. 

Why would it assume that the best way to get Reigns over with fans is to tease them with a much more interesting and intriguing rivalry? All it does is set Reigns up for more failure when he returns and gets the same negative reaction that he has been subjected to over the last few weeks.

Fans, invested in Ambrose's pursuit of glory, will reject the idea of Reigns sitting on the sidelines with a broken nose while The Lunatic Fringe is competing with serious injuries to his ribs and shoulders.

It was a questionable booking decision that may have made for a great night of television but, in the long run, did more harm than good.

Unless, that is, there is a chance that both Ambrose and Brock Lesnar will be added to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match in an attempt to salvage what has been a miserable build to the main event of WrestleMania.

2. Is a Tag Team Championship feud the best way to use AJ Styles at WrestleMania?

AJ Styles' debut in WWE has been handled expertly to this point. He has been treated like a star by fans and commentators alike and, as a result, has become one of the most popular guys on Raw and SmackDown. He has won matches cleanly, beaten former intercontinental champions and looks destined to achieve big things going forward.

However, one cannot help but be underwhelmed by the direction WWE Creative appears to be taking Styles to this point. 

Establishing a tag team with Chris Jericho and chasing the tag team titles seems like a major wasted opportunity for Styles, who most thought would challenge Kevin Owens for the intercontinental title at The Showcase of the Immortals, at least based on Owens' elimination of The Phenomenal One at the Royal Rumble.

If Monday's episode of Raw taught us anything, it is that Styles and Jericho have some extraordinary in-ring chemistry with The New Day, and thus any match involving the two teams at WrestleMania would likely be outstanding.

But Styles should really be in a better position heading into his first WrestleMania. A singles feud where he could show off his full range of abilities on The Grandest Stage of Them All would be much more effective than throwing him in a tag team match.

3. What is the endgame with Brie Bella and Lana's budding rivalry?

Lana returned to relevance on Raw, confronting Brie Bella backstage and hurling insults at Daniel Bryan. Later, after the Total Divas star had lost to Naomi, The Ravishing Russian appeared at the top of the ramp and laughed at her fellow Diva's misfortune.

It is always nice to see WWE developing multiple Diva storylines, proving that its attention is not just focused on the championship rivalry, but one has to wonder what the purpose of this particular feud would be.

Brie is a glorified jobber. Any chance she had of sustained heat died the moment she lost to Charlotte at Fastlane. Now she is right back where she started, without Daniel Bryan's return to boost her in the eyes of the fans.

Lana, on the other hand, has been off television for months. Suddenly, she is thrown right back into the mix, setting up a potential match with Brie for WrestleMania. That the confrontation felt so forced and so unnatural only hurt the prospects of any potential feud being successful.

If Brie wins the feud, she'll get to hold her head high and leave WWE on a positive note. It would come at the expense of a heel character who was, just a year ago, as over as any in the company.

Should Lana win, Brie will continue to be the glorified jobber that she has developed into over the last year or so, and The Ravishing Russian will be neither better or worse off than she was at the start of things.