WWE Raw: Burning Questions to Address After July 11 Show

As WWE prepares for its grand roster draft and second attempt at a brand extension, Vince McMahon returned to the July 11 episode of Raw promising a major announcement regarding the historic event.

What it was, how it would affect his son and daughter and what it would mean for the WWE Universe were all questions on the tips of fans' tongues.

They may have been answered, but in their wake, a major question regarding the execution and outcome of his announcement emerged.

Elsewhere on the broadcast, Darren Young won a Battle Royal to earn a shot at the Intercontinental Championship. It was the payoff to weeks of vignettes designed to get him over as a singles star with the assistance of Hall of Famer Bob Backlund.

Though it was rewarding to see WWE Creative actually stick with the gimmick, there is a real question about the timing of the victory.

After rebuilding Zack Ryder into a credible championship contender via a huge tag team win and a singles victory over Sheamus, not to mention his call-out of Rusev, it looked as though Long Island Iced Z was poised to explode back into relevance.

That is, until Monday's clean loss to The Celtic Warrior and the sudden development of questions surrounding WWE Creative's intentions with Ryder.

1. Is the WWE draft and brand extension another excuse for McMahon family melodrama?

Credit: WWE.com

The announcement of the Raw and SmackDown commissioners by Vince McMahon was yet another instance of his family stealing the spotlight, their drama dominating the biggest and most important storyline in the company.

The CEO of WWE watched and listened as his son and daughter tore each other down and then did nothing to change things.

He announced Stephanie as the commissioner of Raw and Shane of SmackDown and then demanded that they compete for everything from revenue to ratings, ensuring the sibling rivalry and overall McMahon family melodrama continues into the foreseeable future.

Therein lies one major flaw of the upcoming draft: the continued emphasis on the McMahon family. Focusing too much attention on the McMahons—and authority figures in general—doomed the early months of the first brand extension.

It was not until general managers outside of Vince's family tree took over control of the shows that things settled in and both Raw and SmackDown developed their own identities.

Shane vs. Stephanie is still a relatively interesting idea, if only because they have been so cordial as the co-runners of Raw.

Still, the cross-promotional angles that would have to play out for that to happen water down the brand extension, and the all-but-guaranteed involvement of Triple H will only further suspicions that the brand extension could be the background for the latest chapter in the never-ending McMahon story.

2. Has WWE Creative jumped the gun with the Darren Young push?

Credit: WWE.com

For weeks, fans watched as Darren Young and Bob Backlund worked to make the former Prime Time Player great again. No one ever bothered to explain what that meant, but it made for some...interesting pre-taped vignettes.

Monday night, WWE Creative ignited Young's singles push with a win in a No. 1 Contender's Battle Royal. As a result, the former tag team champion now has a shot at The Miz and the Intercontinental Championship at Battleground in what amounts to his most significant singles match.

As rewarding as it may be for Young, the timing may not be the best.

After all, he has received no build whatsoever between the ropes. Other than the lackluster vignettes, he has not had the opportunity to build a connection with fans. Now, he will head into a major pay-per-view event for a championship opportunity and have no real fanbase to speak of.

Luckily, he is working with a virtuoso heel in Miz, who can convince fans to cheer for anyone opposing him.

Still, one has to consider that building Young through a series of convincing wins rather than giving him a title match out of a fluke Battle Royal victory would have been preferable.

3. Will WWE ever go all in with Zack Ryder?

Credit: WWE.com

Rather than capitalize on the momentum Zack Ryder had built over the last week, WWE Creative inexplicably booked him to lose cleanly to Sheamus courtesy of a Brogue Kick on Monday night.

If that was not bad enough, he was embarrassed by Rusev, who stood tall over him to close out the segment.

Earlier this year, Ryder won the Intercontinental Championship in a ladder match to kick off WrestleMania 32 and then proceeded to drop the title one night later on Raw.

Too often, Ryder has been built up momentarily only to be beaten down as if WWE Creative got some sick joy out of toying with him.

On last Thursday's SmackDown, Ryder made it clear he wanted a shot at Rusev's United States Championship in what felt like the turning of the corner for the Long Island, New York, native.

Unfortunately, his defeat at the hands of Sheamus on Monday night suggests that nothing has changed. Instead, he will continue to be pushed and then torn down at the whim of management—left to wallow in uncertainty when he should be competing for titles as one of the midcard's most talented and dedicated performers.