WWE's Most Controversial and Shocking Stories for the Week of June 30

It's WWE, and controversy is running wild, but you already knew that. Among the top stories this week? Jay-Z dropped 4:44 today. It's his first album in four years. This has nothing to do with wrestling; it's just a really good album. Give it a listen. It's only 35 minutes...I'll wait. 

LaVar Ball Makes Raw Appearance, Controversy Ensues 

Sports and entertainment lightning rod LaVar Ball appeared on Raw in a segment that featured Lonzo Ball's first appearance at the Staples Center as a Los Angeles Laker. But, somehow, none of those two coups ended up being the biggest story of the Ball's WWE visit. 

Toward the end of what can easily be considered a train-wreck segment, LaMelo Ball used a racial slur when he encouraged Dean Ambrose to "beat that n---a ass!" 

This unfortunate moment is it's in the top results that come up when you Google LaMelo Ball, and even WWE felt the need to step in and issue a response to the Los Angeles Times, saying "the inappropriate language used by a guest during the Miz TV segment was not scripted nor reflects WWE's values." 

WWE went looking for controversy when it booked the polarizing dad to appear on its live flagship show, and needless to say, it may have bitten off more than it could chew. 

SmackDown Live Goes Back to the Bank 

SmackDown Live contrived a controversy that implicated everything from questionable finishes to feminism, and its scandal-by-design worked. 

Not only did viewership rise by 25 percent for last week's announcement of a women's Money in the Bank do-over, but viewership continued to rise, per ShowBuzz Daily (h/t Wrestling Inc), when SmackDown—a broadcast featuring the first airing of a Money in the Bank Ladder Match—was viewed by an average of 2.603 million. 

WWE's use of controversies in Money in the Bank achieved many things. Not only was it a boon for viewership, which garnered 2017 lows for the go-home show, it also made Carmella one of the biggest heels on the entire show. 

Kevin Owens is often cheered by the hardcore contingent because he's a weak heel with built-in respect from his days on the independent circuit, and therefore he isn't convincing in this role.

Carmella's heel stock is aided by the fact that she has never taken one bump in ROH, and when she lashed out against Twitter and everybody with a negative opinion on her Money in the Bank win, fans were incensed. Her inevitable cash-in will be something to behold.

WWE's Makes Women's History Again 

In a week where Netflix premiered women's wrestling series Glow, WWE made history as women main-evented all three flagships for the first time ever. 

Raw was headlined by an entertaining women's gauntlet match that saw the continued downfall of Bayley and the sudden rise of Nia Jax, who railed off four consecutive victories before finally falling to new No. 1 contender Sasha Banks.

SmackDown Live featured the aforementioned women's Money in the Bank Ladder Match, which was also historic in that it was the first-ever televised Money in the Bank Ladder Match of any kind. The match was heavily anticipated and continued SmackDown's viewership in hot streak as, unlike Raw, viewership rose for the second consecutive week. 

Down in NXT, the Women's Championship featured its own use of a ladder as Asuka continued her historic win streak by defeating Nikki Cross in a Last Women's Standing match. 

What's notable about all three of these matches is that they were all gimmick matches. This implies WWE took time to tell a story that necessitated more than just a standard wrestling match, and all three contests delivered. 

Daniel Bryan Teases ROH Return 

Daniel Bryan once again teased the possibility of an in-ring return when the contracted WWE authority figure unleashed the following tweet to old friend and new Ring of Honor champion Cody Rhodes: 

Rhodes has since responded in kind, noting that he'd be more than happy to be the first opponent for Bryan's elusive return match. During a recent conference call for ROH (h/t Wrestling Inc), Rhodes noted: 

"I would love that match-up, I would welcome that match-up. I want to solidify my bet with those who thought Ring of Honor could not currently fill a 10,000 seat arena. I said we would do it with the talent we have in-house but I think they may be able to give me an exception if we were able to swing Daniel Bryan."

Though he was forced to retire at the behest of a WWE doctor, Bryan's in-ring return seems to be more and more of an inevitability. And as the clock ticks on his WWE contract, Bryan has noted multiple times in the past that he is attempting to get cleared for a comeback, most recently telling Sports Illustrated (h/t Wrestling Inc) that he's "working on it."

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