WWE Raw: Burning Questions to Address After December 5 Show

Beginnings and endings were at the heart of the Dec. 5 edition of WWE Raw.

A trimmer, bearded Big Show showed up in Austin, Texas, for his first match on the red brand since July. But as a new chapter commenced for The World's Largest Athlete, the climaxes for other tales appeared to draw near.

Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens' friendship showed no signs of recovery. Is an official disunion imminent for this duo?

Raw women's champion Sasha Banks may be close to ending her long rivalry with Charlotte Flair. The latest gimmick match between them suggests their feud will conclude at the Roadblock: End of the Line pay-per-view on Dec. 18. But we have already seen that story continue past assumed payoffs.

On Monday's Raw, The New Day found out that it will have to defend the tag titles against two teams next week. Enzo Amore learned the price of trying to step all over Rusev's marriage.

But the show left the audience with a number of unknowns. Read on as we dive into those, tackling the biggest questions concerning everything from the future of Jeri-KO to WWE's handling of the cruiserweight division.

Jericho and Owens Are Just Teasing Us Again, Right?

They have fooled fans before. Just when it's looked as if Jericho and Owens are done as best friends, they embrace and laugh, reveling in their unity.

But it may be time to stop expecting that outcome again.

On Monday's Raw, Owens and Jericho continued to be at odds. KO went to Raw commissioner Stephanie McMahon to set up a number of matches for Jericho that he used as peace offerings. Y2J shrugged off the effort:

Can Jericho be consoled? Or are the cracks in this partnership too deep at this point?

Total Wrestling magazine is among those wondering if this is the end of their alliance:

After all the close calls in the past, one would assume WWE would opt for a more dramatic implosion between the two. Instead, it looks as if the company will drag this out, leaving Owens more and more frustrated.

That will be great for the universal champ in the end. It will be a thrill to watch a vengeful, enraged Owens try to maim his former friend. 

Has WWE Figured Out the Cruiserweight Division?

Since welcoming the cruiserweights in September, Raw has struggled to present them.

Raw failed to give fans reasons to invest in Cedric Alexander, Tony Nese and their peers. A large supply of mostly meaningless six-man tag team matches didn't help the division. All the electricity created during the Cruiserweight Classic tournament petered out Monday after Monday.

This week's Raw felt drastically different.

WWE aired a video package highlighting Rich Swann's cruiserweight title win on 205 Live. The show decided to focus on a smaller number of cruiserweights, and Raw featured a vignette informing the audience what makes Jack Gallagher special:

This is what fans have been waiting for—character development and efficient booking.

Can Raw keep this up? Is the division only getting this attention to promote the new 205 Live show?

Hopefully, WWE has found its footing with the cruiserweights, and Monday night will be the start of an upward tick for Swann, Gallagher and the rest of the CWC competitors.  

What's the Plan for Big Show?

Seth Rollins' surprise opponent on Monday's Raw was a man WWE fans haven't seen in months.

Big Show made his return to the red brand, tangling with Rollins before chokeslamming Owens and making an early exit. And with that, The World's Largest Athlete was back in the mix: 

But to what end? 

Will Big Show appear as infrequently as fellow veteran big man Mark Henry? Will he be as prominent on Raw as Kane is on SmackDown? Does WWE have a rivalry in the works for him?

Justin LaBar, host of Chair Shot Reality, speculated that Big Show will soon play Braun Strowman's foil:

That's a safe bet. Strowman has bowled over all his competition so far. He's taken out jobbers, midcarders and Sami Zayn. The titanic former world champion would be his toughest test yet.

And WWE loves to pair up its oversized monsters for feuds.

Is the Banks-Flair Rivalry Going to End at Roadblock?

The battle for the Raw Women's Championship isn't over—not after a series of PPV bouts and not after Banks and Flair went to war inside Hell in a Cell.

The Boss challenged her longtime rival to a 30-minute Iron Man match at Roadblock: End of the Line.

That feels like it will be a feud-ending match—but so did their Hell in a Cell encounter and the Falls Count Anywhere clash last week. Raw has relied heavily on this rivalry, zeroing in on these two stars.

WWE has to realize it can only drive this car so far before it runs out of gas. Wrapping up the rivalry for the time being at Roadblock in a decisive Iron Man contest is the way to go.

It's time for Banks to find new warriors to battle. It's time for Flair to seek stories other than this one. Banks and Flair have ignited Raw's women's division. WWE has to use that by elevating other women as well.

Every epic must end, and the final stage of the Banks-Flair saga appears to be less than two weeks away.