WWE Raw: Burning Questions to Address After March 6 Show

When all the chants in Chicago were over and all the collisions of behemoths were done with on Monday's WWE Raw, the path to WrestleMania 33 remained murky for a number of Superstars.

Braun Strowman watched from a distance as two other leviathans met. Nia Jax didn't hear her name mentioned in a discussion of the Raw Women's Championship. Uncertainty surrounds what Samoa Joe and Finn Balor will do at the April 2 pay-per-view as well.

Monday's Raw set up a good chunk of the WrestleMania card, but there is still plenty left to answer. Is Strowman poised to be bypassed? Will Jax expand the field of the Raw women's title match? 

Read on for a look at the biggest lingering questions following the first Raw after Sunday's Fastlane PPV. 

Is Nia Jax Going to Be Left Out at WrestleMania?

When Bayley stood in the ring Monday night to talk about who would challenge her at WrestleMania, Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair soon emerged, each wanting a crack at her title.

Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon named Flair as Bayley's WrestleMania challenger. General manager Mick Foley booked a match between Banks and Bayley in which a victory for The Boss would insert her into what would become a Triple Threat match at the event. Banks won.

Jax, meanwhile, wasn't involved in the equation at all.

Did her loss to Banks at Fastlane put her out of the title picture for now? Is she going to be added to the championship match later, or is she set to miss the WrestleMania card entirely?

As much as attention as Jax had been getting, dominating Banks and eyeing Flair, WWE leaving her out of the title hunt would be surprising. It looked for sure like Raw was building a Fatal 4-Way match for the women.

That's suddenly in doubt. There are still several weeks before WrestleMania, but Jax is firmly in the background of this story right now.

Is Triple H Forming a Faction?

Kevin Owens had help when he attacked Chris Jericho on Monday night. As KO began to beat on his best friend, The Destroyer appeared with his fists at the ready.

Eventually, Sami Zayn helped Jericho chase off Joe and Owens, but not before the heels worked together to pummel Y2J.

Credit: WWE.com

Why would Joe go after Jericho? Is Owens working for Triple H a la Joe? Raw offered no additional explanation of Joe's actions, leaving fans to speculate whether Triple H was pulling the strings.

After all, just before Owens betrayed Jericho in February, he met with Triple H and had a conversation that the audience couldn't hear. The Game also aided Owens last August, attacking Seth Rollins in order to clear the path for Owens to win the Universal Championship.

These could all be hints of a stable in the works.

That would be an excellent move. Joe could use a strong story to kick off his Raw tenure. Owens would benefit from being backed by Triple H. And an Owens-Joe tag team would be a fun pairing to say the least.

WWE doesn't always build on these things, but there is enough foreshadowing to think Triple H will be heading a new posse.

When is Finn Balor Coming Back?

As Rollins' WrestleMania status remains unclear thanks to his re-injured knee, the man who defeated him at SummerSlam last year is poised to return from his own injury.  

Balor tore up his shoulder last August but may be on his way back soon. As seen on WWE's Instagram, Balor appeared at an NXT event in Florida.

If he's healthy, when is WWE going to work him back into the product? What would be his place at WrestleMania? Is he the go-to alternate if Rollins isn't able to compete at The Show of Shows?

Triple H's reference to a "nightmare" on Monday's Raw had Chair Shot Reality co-host Josh Isenberg thinking of another scenario:

If Triple H is indeed amassing a faction, Balor would be a stellar addition. He would have ample momentum upon his return this way and along with Joe and Owens form a hugely powerful collective. That sounds like the kind of thing wrestling fans dream up but not something we can bank on, though.

WWE could decide to keep Balor a solo act and wait until WrestleMania is done to reintroduce him, as boring as that sounds.

What's the Plan for Strowman?

Strowman slipped out of the ring in retreat when Undertaker stepped through the fog to stare him down on Monday's Raw.

Roman Reigns and Undertaker then clashed. The two men stared at the WrestleMania sign above them, offering fans a Big Show-sized hint as to what those two will be up to April 2.

Reigns and The Deadman will clearly face off at The Show of Shows, but will Strowman be involved as well? Does Strowman's inclusion in that segment suggest an inclusion in a potential Triple Threat match?

ProWrestling.net columnist Will Pruett was among those wondering why Strowman was a part of that interaction at all:

WWE likely used Strowman as a bridge to the Reigns-Undertaker moment. He called out Reigns only to see Undertaker march toward him instead. He didn't say a word to The Deadman and hurried away when he arrived.

There's a better chance Strowman joins the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal field.

Despite the colossus being one of Raw's hottest acts, he's poised to get left out of the WrestleMania spotlight. The Battle Royal will be a consolation prize. The increasingly crowded PPV card doesn't seem to have a prominent place for him.

He's bound to suffer the same fate as Dolph Ziggler, Titus O'Neil and others: relegated to Battle Royal duty on the biggest show of the year.