The Bullet Club, John Cena and More from the Comeback Mailbag

Raw's ratings are terrible. Per Showbuzz Daily (h/t WrestlingInc.com), the show drew record-low ratings on Monday. Right on cue, John Cena announced he will be making an early return from a rotator cuff injury that was supposed to keep him out for nine months.

Cena's return at the end of May represents a light at the end of a dark tunnel for WWE. But the promotion can't waste any time in making him matter more than ever.

Hustle, Loyalty, Return?

Cena announced he will return on Memorial Day, but his return cannot come a moment too soon. Raw's ratings have once again bottomed out, which continues an annual trend of erosion, as reported by James Caldwell of PWTorch. With strong competition on cable and a cultural shift toward chord-cutting, WWE's roster needs to get healthy immediately.

It will be easy for the Internet Wrestling Community to blame Roman Reigns for the current ratings' downward spiral. It would also be silly.

Those same fans had nothing but excuses when ratings hit historical lows during Seth Rollins' embattled world championship reign. WWE's television product needs a spark, and that starts with a more star-studded roster. Remember that this past week's Raw hyped the debuts of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, who are now a part of a central storyline involving AJ Styles.

This comes in conjunction with more independent and international wrestling alumni featured in the midcard and main event than in recent memory. Raw featured appearances by Anderson, Gallows, Styles, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Cesaro and Apollo Crews.

And the show bombed.

Not only does WWE need the Randy Ortons and Cenas of the world to give it the running start it needs, but it also needs major angles to build around these talents while they can still go.

For Cena, his biggest possible feud would be against Reigns. It's a dream match that demands a WrestleMania stage, but with Cena's injuries piling up, WWE needs to pull the trigger on this feud sooner rather than later. If WWE is serious about Reigns being "the guy," the promotion would give serious thought to turning Cena heel.

Best Friends, Bitter Enemies?

"

@clough_campbell @ThisIsNasty who needs the win at payback more? Kevin Owens or SamiZayn?

— Victor Balderas (@VictorBaldera20) April 28, 2016"

After a series of TV losses and a rare win over Rusev, where he was made to look like a major underdog, Zayn needs this win more. Owens has already established himself as a major player in WWE with a high-profile victory over Cena and multiple reigns as intercontinental champion.

My problem with this feud is that Owens and Zayn are telling the same tired story that is already featured in the main event. Guy wrestles around the world. Guy finally gets to the WWE. Guy wants to make a name for himself.

If WWE's midcard was any more recycled, it would solve climate change.

To be honest, it's getting to the point where I can barely tell Zayn and Owens apart based on their overlapping origin stories. The fact that they're best friends turned enemies adds something, but WWE needs to zero in on who the better man is.

Sadly, I'm not concerned with who wins this match at Payback because the loser will probably win in a potential rematch. WWE has trained its fans to expect even-steven booking, and as a result, everybody stays even in the midcard.

In a perfect world, whoever wins this match will go on to win the rematch and the match thereafter. There has to be a better man. Otherwise, WWE's roster is a confluence of expendable talents who will only appeal to a hardcore base that will watch the product regardless.

Question of the Week: Bullet Clunk?

No. Not at all. This past Monday on Raw, outside of a quiet debut match for Gallows and Anderson, there was a brief "Bullet Club" chant. It was almost done out of tribute, as if fans were saying, "Remember when these guys actually seemed like main eventers?"

But it's over now. Fans need to let it go. If WWE even attempts to reprise the Bullet Club, many fans will complain since it will be nearly impossible to live up to the heights of the original. Nostalgia is like catnip in pro wrestling, but it's nearly impossible for anything to be as good as it was during its peak.

WWE's casual fanbase would view the Bullet Club as a New World Order ripoff, while the hardcore fans would see it as a watered-down version of what was once a dominant stable. Nobody would win. And in a high-profile spot, Gallows and Anderson would quickly be exposed for the midcard tag team they are.

Gallows and Anderson should excel in a surging tag team division. Still, they'd be severely damaged if they had to make a violent tumble down to the tag team ranks after what would be a brief stint at the top of the card.

I hope we never see the Bullet Club in WWE. I don't even want to see the Balor Club. There's more to pro wrestling than a cheap initial pop before things come crashing down to earth.

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.