WWE's Most Controversial and Shocking Stories for the Week of June 2

Raw ratings are spiraling out of control as WWE tries to hold it together before a Brock Lesnar return that can't come soon enough. And as both Lesnar and John Cena are set to return this summer, Hulk Hogan may not be too far behind.

Raw is Sore as Ratings Continue to Plummet 

Though the spring season after WrestleMania has not been kind to WWE in recent years, Raw ratings have dropped at alarming levels for the past several weeks. Raw ratings typically crash on Memorial Day, but this year's number, an annual low of 2.613 million, per ShowBuzz Daily (h/t Wrestling Inc), was particularly concerning as WWE did not go up against an NBA playoff game or any first-run programming outside of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

In addition to being down across all demographics, per Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline (h/t YouTube), Raw's ratings have dropped over 40 percent among teenage boys. To put matters in perspective, Raw's rating this past Monday was lower than the rating of every episode of Monday Nitro with the exception of one.

WWE typically makes drastic changes during times like these even when weathering the storm seems like the better option. But as viewers continue to tune out in stunning numbers throughout 2017, such drastic changes seem more necessary than ever.

A Hulk Hogan Return? 

Disgraced former WWE champion Hulk Hogan could be on his way back to WWE, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Wrestling Inc). Hogan was fired from WWE for a racial tirade that was leaked as part of his infamous sex tape. The tape would eventually spell the end of Gawker as Hogan was awarded $140 million judgment that was later significantly reduced as part of a settlement, per Robert W. Woods of Forbes.

Hogan will forever be part of the fabric of professional wrestling, and despite his ugly and inexcusable remarks, the feeling has always been that it would only be a matter of time before Hulkamania comes creeping back into WWE. The company simply can't quit him, and while it's not fair to assume WWE is condoning racism by bringing him back, racial insensitivity in pro wrestling as a whole—much like in America—is an ongoing struggle.

This Is Your Life Bombs 

No stranger to history, Alexa Bliss, the first woman ever to win both the Raw and SmackDown Women's Championships, messed around and made even more history with quite possible the worst Raw segment of all time.

The poorly produced, sadly written This Is Your Life sketch was everything an ideal live segment shouldn't be. It dragged on, it killed the crowd and it was later cut from WWE's YouTube channel, which opted to only air the physical confrontation that mercifully ended the Bayley parody.

This Is Your Life did no favors to Bayley or Bliss, who actually had a good thing going heading into their Kendo Stick on a Pole match at Extreme Rules Sunday. Hopefully this is WWE's cue to put a moratorium on these types of live sketches.

Since the legendary and ad-libbed exchange between The Rock and Mankind in 1999, WWE has had zero success with subsequent This Is Your Life segments. It's become the WWE version of "Put it on the Glass" by Sir Mix-a-Lot or "I Got a Girl" by Lou Bega, each of which was a poor follow-up to a formula that only worked once.

John Cena to Celebrate July 4 with a Return

John Cena made it official as the 16-time world champion is set for a July 4 return, per his official Twitter account (h/t Wrestling Inc). With the All-American living legend is set to come back on a patriotic holiday ahead of SummerSlam on August 20, all signs point to a high-profile showdown with Jinder Mahal.

Since winning the WWE Championship out of nowhere, pro wrestling media and fans have wasted their time making excuses after WWE had the audacity to crown an Indian world champion with a great physique.

"Is it a play to appeal for India?"

"Is it because of his body?"

"Surely hard work doesn't figure into any of this!"

Mahal could be legitimized in the eyes of skeptics, however, with a big win over Cena, who will spend the rest of his finite WWE career attempting to break a tie with Ric Flair for the record of most world championships.  

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.