WWE Raw: Burning Questions to Address After June 6 Show

WWE continued its slow, steady build to Money in the Bank Monday night, as it presented a June 6 episode of Raw rife with questions that must be addressed ahead of the upcoming pay-per-view extravaganza.

Neither Seth Rollins nor Roman Reigns appeared in front of the live crowd in Oklahoma City, but that was OK, because the focus of the show was on John Cena, AJ Styles and the build for their "dream match" on June 19. It was during a scathing promo between the two that the first question of the night arose, one that calls attention to a single line uttered by the franchise player.

The WWE Universe was surprised at the top of the show when Teddy Long made a surprise appearance, undoubtedly in an attempt to make up for the absence of Shane McMahon while simultaneously creating interest in the man, or woman, who will be tapped to run SmackDown. 

And then there was the build for the Money in the Bank match. This week featured three singles bouts that pitted Sami Zayn against Alberto Del Rio, Cesaro against Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens against Dean Ambrose, the latter of which felt like the 3 millionth time that particular match has been featured on the Monday night staple. Despite solid outings from all involved, the questions surrounding the outcomes of the matches, and why they existed in the first place, took center stage.

1. Was it wise for John Cena to point out AJ Styles' failures to this point?

Credit: WWE.com

Yes, AJ Styles' failure to defeat Roman Reigns for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship was the leading cause for his recent heel turn and reunion with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. But was it wise on the part of John Cena to paint Styles as a failure thus far in his run with the company when he is tasked with both getting him over as a lead heel capable of carrying an entire brand and, perhaps more importantly, selling this huge upcoming dream match at Money in the Bank?

Common sense would suggest that Cena, as the lead babyface in the program, would take to building his opponent up rather than tearing him own. As the loudest voice in the room, the one fans trust to relay the story, he failed miserably Monday night. Rather than putting Styles over as a threat, he shrugged him off, killing his credibility by portraying him as a loser.

While it is an easy fix, it will now take more work from WWE Creative, Styles and Cena himself.

Styles has been a revelation of sorts, a Superstar who came in from a hot stint in New Japan Pro Wrestling and years as the franchise star of TNA Wrestling and succeeded, despite history suggesting McMahon does not look favorably upon competitors he did not create.

Tearing him down to flippantly suggest he has been nothing but a disappointment since arriving in January is a misstep Cena and Co. cannot afford to make going forward.

Styles is in the right having targeted Cena, questioning his ability as a wrestler. That is what heels do. They discredit the good guys, only to be proved wrong in the end. In this case, fans were treated to the opposite one week after an extraordinary beatdown angle generated great excitement for the feud, and it was considerably less effective.

2. Will SmackDown be run by someone other than Stephanie and/or Shane McMahon?

Credit: WWE.com

One of the most interesting developments of Monday's Raw was the idea that someone other than Shane and Stephanie McMahon will run SmackDown.

Teddy Long's surprise cameo hinted that WWE fans could see candidates for the job come out of the woodwork in the coming weeks. More importantly, it forced Stephanie to admit that her father is looking for someone bright, young and exciting to take the reins of the show...before nominating herself for the position. 

The suggestion by The Billion Dollar Princess that she should run the show almost guarantees that she will not, especially this early in the story. But that does leave fans guessing as to whom it will be. That is the type of intriguing storyline that the company can build on, all the while creating buzz about SmackDown and an interest in the brand that simply has not existed in recent years.

A smart creative move that could pay off significantly in the very near future.

Even if the use of Long was otherwise questionable, to say the least.

3. Is it wise to have any of the six Money in the Bank participants losing at this point?

Credit: WWE.com

While it is important to keep Owens, Ambrose, Cesaro, Zayn, Del Rio and Jericho intertwined to help build the upcoming Money in the Bank match, one has to question the logic of having them lose as much as they  have been at this point.

Could WWE Creative not book them against other Superstars on the roster, with each vowing to one-up the other with their impressive victories? How about forcing them into mismatched tag teams, making the six get along enough to win a gigantic 12-man tag team bout?

Anything besides sacrificing their heat in forgettable singles bouts on Raw and SmackDown that do little to make any of them stand out or impress the WWE Universe would be preferable.

Right now, the problem is that guys like Del Rio, Zayn and Cesaro are so undefined while the company sees fit to focus on the more dynamic Ambrose, Jericho and Owens. Does anyone in the stands really expect any of those first three Superstars to emerge from the June 19 match with the briefcase? Probably not, because WWE has not done enough to suggest that it is possible.

Things were made all the worse Monday night when Zayn and Del Rio competed in front of a quiet crowd, the energy sucked out of the building by the lack of character development they have had to endure in 2016. Yes, Zayn is the consummate underdog, but so is two-thirds of the babyface roster, and Del Rio is the arrogant villain.

Then again, so is every other bad guy from Tyler Breeze to Seth Rollins.

Having them lose on top of all of that hurts their individual legitimacy and the credibility of the match itself.