WWE Raw: Burning Questions to Address After May 9 Show

On the heels of another strong episode of Raw during which WWE laid the foundation for Extreme Rules, there are still burning questions for which the WWE Universe deserves answers.

The new era is dedicated to rebooting the company's product, shining a light on the young talent that has been called up to the main roster from NXT. Fittingly enough, two of the three questions that present themselves after Raw concern talents who honed their skills on the WWE Network.

There is Baron Corbin, a wrestler unimpressed with all of the "new era" talk. Then there is the 7-foot behemoth Big Cass, who broke out Monday night, kicking off and ending Raw on a personal high note.

Finally, there is Rusev, another NXT alumnus. The Bulgarian Brute had a tumultuous night, one that did little to build him into the credible championship threat he should be.

What exactly are the questions that surround these stars, and what answers can be given as WWE prepares for its next pay-per-view extravaganza on May 22?

Take a look for yourself.

1. Is Baron Corbin the antihero we deserve?

Credit: WWE.com

Ever since "Stone Cold" Steve Austin made that walk up the aisle at WrestleMania XIX, his in-ring career at its end, fans have searched long and hard for an antihero to throw their support and faith behind.

During Monday's Raw, Baron Corbin renounced the new era, playing up the lone-wolf aspect of his personality. He made it abundantly clear he cares about no one but himself just moments before introducing Dolph Ziggler to End of Days and finally beating the former world champion cleanly in the center of the ring.

Corbin has an attitude and punishing in-ring style straight out of 1999. He looks like a badass and carries himself as one. Fans can easily buy into him in that role because he believes it. More importantly, he aligns himself with no one, which strikes a nerve with an audience tired of generic babyfaces and heels.

If WWE Creative can resist the urge to turn him into "just another guy" like it did Kevin Owens, Corbin could be a modern-day equivalent to Steve Austin, an outlaw and rebel who spares no man and befriends none.

2. Did Rusev really just lose to Sin Cara?

Credit: WWE.com

It has been a little over a week since the demise of The League of Nations and the rise of Rusev to No. 1 contender for the United States Championship. Rather than continuing to build The Bulgarian Brute into a credible threat to Kalisto's title, some rocket scientist made the decision to have him lose to Sin Cara.

Yes, the same Sin Cara who loses to everyone.

At what point did WWE Creative think that squandering the opportunity to build Rusev into an unstoppable force was a better option than just allowing him to barrel over his opponent for a decisive victory en route to Extreme Rules?

Now any momentum he gained from his win in the Battle Royal last Monday night has been erased, and for what? To put heat on a storyline and champion fans could not possibly care less about? 

It was a bit of nonsensical booking, the likes of which kills pushes and devalues Superstars.

3. Is Big Cass primed for a singles push?

Credit: WWE.com

Monday night's Raw brought with it the first hint that Vince McMahon does, in fact, see Big Cass as a valuable singles star in WWE.

He bookended the show, kicking it off with a strong verbal exchange with Chris Jericho, then stood side by side with Dean Ambrose late, having shown up Y2J to the delight of the fans.

Cass is an impressive physical specimen, a Superstar who has great agility and speed for a man of his size. He has excelled off the hot tag, exploding into matches and bringing high energy in doing so. But he has yet to see any sort of extended, high-profile singles competition.

With no word on how long Enzo Amore will be out of action, Cass has the opportunity to prove himself as one of the brightest young stars on the roster.

Then McMahon will have a dilemma on his hands. Breaking Cass and Enzo up would elicit wrath from fans, especially if the former is not ready to embark on a solo career. But if he succeeds, there is only so much time he can spend stuck in a tag team before his momentum dissipates.

It is a slippery slope WWE Creative finds itself on, but one that should be fun to watch play out.