WWE Raw: Burning Questions to Address After May 22 Show

Fans won't know until Extreme Rules who will emerge as the No. 1 contender for the Universal Championship, but Monday's WWE Raw offered a heavy-handed fit as to who that might be.

Finn Balor got the Paul Heyman seal of approval. He took down a former tag team champ. He's been in the center of the spotlight in the lead-up to the June 4 pay-per-view.

Could the WWE be paving the way for Balor to take on the monstrous Brock Lesnar, though?

That was one of the unknowns left lingering in fans' minds after Monday's show. The night also had the audience wondering who blindsided Enzo Amore backstage, where Elias Samson is heading after his debut and what will come of the alliance between Titus O'Neil and Apollo Crews.

Are former NXT champs responsible for Amore seeing stars? Can The Drifter be more than a midcarder?

Read on for a look at those questions and the rest of what Monday's Raw left unanswered.

Who Attacked Amore?

An unknown assailant left Amore out cold, face down on the floor with his Jordans next to his face. Big Cass barked at anyone within earshot trying to get an answer about what happened to his tag team partner.

And now Raw has a whodunit on its hands.

Was this the work of Crews and O'Neil, who have had issues with The Realest Guys in the Room of late? Was Cass himself the attacker?

That's one of the theories floating around, one that Daily DDT inquired about on Twitter:

It seems a bit random to break up Amore and Cass right now. The WWE is likely to give these two more of a shot to connect with the crowd as a pair.

The Revival should be everyone's prime suspects.

Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson have been away from the spotlight since Wilder's jaw injury. If he's healed up, a sneak attack on Amore to kickstart a feud would be a smart way to reintroduce the former NXT champs.

Ambushing Amore for the fun of it is a move straight from The Revival's playbook. And the two teams have history dating back to their NXT days.

Can The Drifter Be a Hit?

Samson finally went from drifting to fighting.

The guitar-playing vagabond made his Raw debut when Raw general manager Kurt Angle pitted him against Dean Ambrose. In the ring with the intercontinental champ, an aggressive Samson pushed his foe to his limit.

He went toe-to-toe with Ambrose in a bout that ended with a disqualification win for The Drifter.

Can a guy who was an NXT midcarder rise higher on the main roster? Does the WWE believe him to be more than a roster filler? Will the jeers he generates lead him to success?

He looked solid in his debut. His crooning act will get him booed. And he has an impressive physique. 

That's a good foundation to build on.

The Raw roster, though, is brimming with young talent that is higher than him on the food chain. It's going to be quite the uphill climb to move past the likes of Balor, Seth Rollins or Braun Strowman. Samson has long come off as an average performer.

What's Next for Crews and O'Neil?

Being a part of the "Titus Brand" hasn't paid off for Crews just yet. The dynamo hasn't had a noticeable increase in success since becoming O'Neil's protege. That was especially evident on Monday's Raw when O'Neil cost Crews a win.

O'Neil's coaching ended up distracting Crews, allowing Kalisto to take the win.

Is the manager screwing up his client's career going to be the base of this story? Will these two figure out a dynamic that works for them? Are these two going to be rivals or partners moving forward?

It's hard to tell at this point.

We've seen cracks in this alliance from moment one. Crews remains a babyface while O'Neil is a slimy heel. Something has to give.

Is the WWE Prepping Us for Balor-Lesnar?

Lesnar awaits his next opponent from afar. Whoever wins the Fatal 5-Way match at Extreme Rules will earn the right to challenge him. 

And the WWE heavily teased the possibility of Balor being the last man standing that night.

On Monday's Raw, Lesnar's advocate showed up and singled Balor out. Heyman talked up how talented and dangerous he is. 

Was that foreshadowing for the next Universal Championship bout or a means to make it harder to predict who will win at Extreme Rules?

The reasons to think Balor will get this shot are adding up. Heyman's endorsement came on the same show that the former NXT champ defeated Karl Anderson. And the WWE has driven home the fact that Balor was the inaugural universal titleholder and didn't lose the gold to anyone.

Miami Herald columnist Scott Fishman believes Balor vs. Lesnar on its way:

Many have griped that Balor isn't a believable threat to Lesnar due to his size, but the list of men who match up physically with The Beast Incarnate is a short one. And the mighty Braun Strowman, one of those on that list, is in the early stages of recovering from elbow surgery.

Balor stepping up to Lesnar in his stead is looking more and more like a real possibility.