WWE Raw: Burning Questions to Address After Sept. 12 Show

After the Sept. 12 edition of WWE Raw, it's unclear where the compass is pointing for a number of characters.

Are Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson actually going to be badasses now? Is Raw general manager Mick Foley headed for a meltdown courtesy of Seth Rollins? Are The Shining Stars going to be villains beyond attempting real-estate scams?

Even amid all those questions, Monday's Raw provided clarity for several situations.

The WWE Universal Championship match is set for the Clash of Champions pay-per-view on Sept. 25. Roman Reigns is headed for a showdown with Rusev. Sami Zayn finally got a new rival in Chris Jericho.

But while the PPV match card is coming together, question marks swirl around what's next for many narratives. The Shining Stars, for example, have begun down a path that doesn't seem capable of going much of anywhere.

What Is WWE Thinking with The Shining Stars?

Epico and Primo finally have a character trait other than their love of Puerto Rico, but the act just isn't working.

The Shining Stars tried to sell a Puerto Rican timeshare backstage to anyone who would listen. They tried to rope in R-Truth, but Goldust saved him from taking the shady deal.

The heel duo then took to handing out pamphlets to fans.

This was WWE's attempt to give the audience an actual reason to dislike The Shining Stars, but it's not clicking. The characters remain flat and uninspiring.   

Fightful joked about the gimmick:

It's unclear why WWE chose this route. The focus has been on The Shining Stars' nationality more than anything else. And even colliding with the charismatic Enzo Amore and Big Cass won't make them worth watching.

Still, WWE has marched on with The Shining Stars push. Epico knocked off Amore on Monday, a victory that followed the heels beating The Realest Guys in the Room on the previous Raw. 

How Long Will Dana Brooke Remain Charlotte's Protege?

The cracks in the alliance between Charlotte and Dana Brooke continue to grow. Even as subservient as Brooke is, it's clear she will break away from her mentor before long.

On Monday's Raw, Charlotte demanded an apology from her right-hand woman despite the fact that she was the one who slapped the spit from Brooke's mouth last week. An irate Brooke refused. Instead, she whacked Charlotte as payback. 

The outburst didn't lead to a split right away, though. Brooke apologized backstage and went back to serving her master.

But that flash of resistance is a sign of things to come. 

The champion won't have her lackey by her side forever. Will WWE look to turn Brooke babyface soon? Is a feud between those two "partners" on the way?

For now, that looks to be the case, but the story of Brooke's resistance may be a slow-burning one. Remember how much abuse Ricardo Rodriguez took from Alberto Del Rio before parting ways with his employer?

Has WWE Done Away with the Comic Stylings of The Club?

WWE may have heard all the cries of mercy from fans after Gallows and Anderson's atrocious segment last week. The bruisers tossed jokes aside for viciousness.

The Club has played mock doctors and retirement specialists, made a flurry of genital puns and goofed around far too much. None of it suited them. It was like asking a black bear to play a peacock.

That side of them didn't appear on Monday's Raw. The New Day mocked how unfunny Gallows and Anderson were last week, and they responded with threats.

Gallows said, "We're going to rip those stupid horns off your heads, beat you unconscious with them and take the WWE tag team titles."

As Wrestling Inc. pointed out, it looks as if WWE has shifted its stance on The Club:

Going back to the basics with the heel duo is the right move. The tag team division needs some predators to charge through the jungle. And Gallows and Anderson are excellent at that.

Here's hoping, though, that Monday's version of The Club wasn't temporary and the No. 1 contenders to the tag titles don't go back to dad jokes and sight gags.

How Will Mick Foley Play into the Seth Rollins-Kevin Owens Feud?

Another subplot is emerging in the universal title picture. In a story that already involves the champion, the challenger, Stephanie McMahon, Triple H and Chris Jericho, the Raw general manager looks to be playing a major part, too.

Foley and Rollins clashed a number of times on Monday's Raw.

Backstage, The Architect confronted his boss about Roman Reigns getting an opportunity to enter the Universal Championship match at Clash of Champions. When Rollins hinted at interfering in the Reigns vs. Owens bout, Foley lost it.

That anger flared up later in the night when Rollins attacked Owens, upending Raw's main event.

Foley barked at Rollins, demanding that he speak with him backstage. The amount of fury he showed in that moment suggests that it's part of something larger.

Is Rollins' pushback against authority going to be a significant part of this story? Is Foley going to punish The Architect? One intriguing scenario is that a double turn could be in the works.

Foley could be driven into being a tyrant while Rollins morphs into a rebellious antihero character.

Those possibilities add to an option-heavy narrative. WWE could overload this feud with angles, but if done well, a multilayered story would be thrilling—a memorable stretch in the early stages of the New Era.