WWE Raw: Burning Questions to Address After June 27 Show

The WWE World Heavyweight Championship picture nearly took a turn for the dramatic Monday night on Raw, as John Cena and AJ Styles both argued for their inclusions in the upcoming title bout at Battleground. Though both had the opportunity to earn themselves spots in the contest, neither man could put aside his issues with the other long enough to do so, and as a result, WWE is left with two high-profile feuds heading into its July 24 pay-per-view and a handful of burning questions emerging from this week's broadcast.

Had Styles and Cena succeeded in their quests to insert themselves into the huge match, WWE fans would have had an extraordinary contest to look forward to and a suitable way to make up for the lack of Roman Reigns in the build to the Battleground event.

Then there was Sasha Banks' tag team victory with Paige over Charlotte and Dana Brooke. Recent booking suggests The Boss is en route to the July 24 event for a showdown with the genetically superior Superstar for the Women's Championship, but one must wonder if Battleground is the correct time and place for such a showdown or if there is another venue better served for a match of that enormity.

Alberto Del Rio walked out on tag team partner Sheamus during a match with Apollo Crews and Cesaro, leading some to believe their rivalry will heat up once more. It may make for some great in-ring action, but neither Superstar has a particularly interesting character at this point.

1. Does anyone want to see Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio in 2016?

It was just four years ago that seemingly every episode of SmackDown featured Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio in some form or fashion. If that is not enough, they waged war over the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at four pay-per-view events in 2012, exhausting the WWE Universe on the match.

Enough time has passed to present that feud again, but there has been so little in the way of character development that it is difficult to foresee a scenario in which fans could possibly be expected to invest themselves in the match.

Add to that the fact both are heels, and the uphill battle becomes even more difficult.

There is a past for them to play off, and it would take little in the way of convincing from WWE Creative that each man holds the other accountable for the demise of The League of Nations earlier this year. At the same time, fans never cared about that faction, so asking them to suddenly concern themselves with a program derived from its downfall would be ridiculous.

It is a tough sell to fans either way. Sure, any match that may result from it would probably be damn good, as was the case back in 2012, when they battled every week. There is a chemistry there that is undeniable.

It would, however, be unfair to those two performers to throw them on a pay-per-view event and expect them to generate a reaction when the writers behind them could not be bothered to develop their characters or give them anything interesting to do for the entire six-month start of the year.

2. Should Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte happen at Battleground or be held off until SummerSlam?

Sasha Banks' return on the June 20 episode of Monday Night Raw injected some much-needed life into the WWE women's division. The Boss strutted to the ring and took down Charlotte, establishing herself as the biggest threat to the champion. More importantly, it generated excitement about their impending match, arguably the biggest the division has to offer.

Coming out of Monday's Raw, which saw Banks team with Paige to defeat Charlotte and Dana Brooke, the question is whether WWE Creative should rush the match for Battleground or wait until August's SummerSlam in Brooklyn, New York.

As witnessed in the build to WrestleMania, fans want to be excited about women's wrestling, and they are if they're given a strong story to follow. The intertwining of the Charlotte, Banks and Becky Lynch stories made for an outstanding Triple Threat match at The Showcase of the Immortals. There is no reason The Boss' journey to championship gold cannot replicate the success of that match—but only if WWE Creative takes its time.

Save the match; execute the slow burn.

Book a No. 1 Contender's match between Banks and Paige for Battleground. One was not pinned or made to submit at WrestleMania; the other was screwed out of her title opportunity by an interfering Brooke. It provides the company with a stopgap and creates interest in yet another women's match rather than burning through the one big match readily available to management.

It will benefit all involved while giving the massive SummerSlam event yet another enormous match to tout.

3. Should WWE Creative have gone ahead with the proposed Fatal 5-Way match for the Battleground main event?

The suspension of Roman Reigns leaves WWE Creative with only Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose to build a Triple Threat WWE World Heavyweight Championship match for Battleground. No offense to those talented professional wrestlers, but fans have seen those two interact and compete against each other countless times over the last two years. Adding a title to the mix is not going to suddenly freshen things up.

What would have is the inclusion of Cena and Styles, both of whom are legitimate main event stars who could bring an element of unpredictability to the proceedings.

Sure, WWE wants to present a match in which The Shield explodes and shore up the undercard with the second Styles-Cena matchup. Imagine how much more interesting things would have been with the inclusion of Cena and Styles to the proceedings, though. There would be no clear winner.

With Raw and SmackDown splitting just before Battleground and all five competitors guaranteed to go their separate ways, the question of who would end up with the title and which brand it would become property of would hang over the match.

Will Reigns, Ambrose and Rollins deliver an unforgettable battle? Of course. Nothing they have accomplished throughout their careers suggests otherwise. Can Cena and Styles improve upon their first near-classic? Absolutely.

Taking a risk, breaking from the original plans and making up for the lack of Reigns with an unforgettable five-way main event would have been a welcome change, though.