WWE Raw Fallout: Extreme Rules Momentum Squandered, Rey Mysterio Returns, More

Just six days from Extreme Rules, WWE Creative took all of the goodwill developed after last week's compelling, fresh and exciting broadcast and...threw it away in exchange for more of the same inconsistent booking and head-scratching developments that have dominated Raw for the better part of the last year.

That was the biggest takeaway from the go-home show for Sunday's pay-per-view extravaganza, but not the only one.

Delve deeper into that topic, as well as Rey Mysterio's blundered return and the wrestling-during-commercials edict that has hampered recent television presentations with this recap of the July 8 episode of WWE's flagship show.

WWE Creative Bungles Extreme Rules Momentum

It is almost as if WWE is allergic to momentum.

What other excuse is there for the lackluster effort put forth from a creative standpoint Monday?

A week after it was responsible for genuine excitement following its best episode in months, the writing team answered with a lethargic broadcast that did little to properly prepare fans for Sunday's Extreme Rules pay-per-view.

Even worse? It felt like a show that took two steps back for every one step forward last week.

The main event segment in which Cedric Alexander competed under a mask as Roman Reigns' tag team partner was painfully uneventful. The final build to the Mixed Tag Team match for the women's and universal titles was hampered significantly by an ill-placed commercial break and illogical rules for the showdown pitting Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch against Andrade and Zelina Vega.

Everything about last week's show that was fresh and energetic was erased in favor of the more commonplace and sluggish broadcast fans had come to despise in recent months. While it extinguished all momentum that show created, most hurt by its ineptitude was the Extreme Rules pay-per-view, which needed a solid last push for viewers.

It should be of no real surprise. WWE has been unable to build on fan interest in recent years, producing disappointing follow-ups to television and pay-per-view more frequently than it would care to admit to. This was no different and puts the company in the unenviable task of having to win back fans once again with a solid effort Sunday in Philadelphia.

Rey Mysterio Returns, Not with a Bang, but a Whimper

Rey Mysterio relinquished the United States Championship after suffering a shoulder injury at the hands of Samoa Joe back at Money in the Bank in June. Common sense says WWE Creative would utilize Mysterio to put Joe over as an even more dangerous threat to Kofi Kingston's WWE Championship at Extreme Rules, or introduce him as a potential foil for The Destroyer in his quest to dethrone the titleholder.

Instead, he was brought back and used to put Bobby Lashley over in a matter of seconds, bumped around like an unknown jobber in an episode of WWE Superstars circa 1989. The same Mysterio who is one of the greatest to ever lace a pair of boots and a surefire Hall of Fame.

The Master of the 619's questionable booking since re-signing with WWE last year has led to some wondering why the company dished out the money to secure his rights. He was beaten in seconds at WrestleMania, has appeared inconsistently on television across two brands and lacks the push someone of his credibility and stature should have.

Yes, some will point to his injury history as a reason not to feature him prominently in top feuds, and those people would be correct. Still, Mysterio is a rare household name at a time when WWE Creative cannot manufacture stars if its livelihood depended on it. Why it would be easier to devalue Mysterio to the extent it has in recent months if baffling.

The question is whether or not it is too late to reverse the irrational pattern of sacrificial booking and give Mysterio one last, great run, of which he is certainly deserving. The easy answer is "yes." The determining factor? Whether WWE Creative even wants to.

Enough with the 2-out-of-3 Falls Matches

The edict by Vince McMahon that there is to be no wrestling during commercial breaks is as tone deaf and unassuming a decision as the boss has made in years. If Vinnie Mac believes the current state of his television ratings and live event attendance is due to wrestling matches bleeding into commercial breaks, instead of the piss-poor creative process he has implemented over the years, he may be even more delusional than internet memes make him out to be.

All his latest ruling has done is overcomplicate how to book matches heading into, and coming out of, commercial breaks to the point that it is convoluted and intelligence insulting.

For instance, Monday's opening Mixed Tag Team match in which Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch squared off with Andrade and Zelina Vega inexplicably became an elimination match that resumed after the break as a singles bout between The Beastslayer and El Idolo. 

Why? Because god forbid there is any sort of wrestling during the break that fans watching at home may miss out on. Here's an idea: if you don't want to miss what's going on in the arena, go to the show. A show. Any WWE show. 

When WCW was at the height of its popularity, popping monster ratings and kicking WWE's ass for 83 weeks straight, were their ratings adversely affected by a match between, say, Dean Malenko and Chris Jericho? The answer would be a resounding "no." 

The Best 2-Out-of-3 Falls matches that have dominated airwaves in recent weeks are cheap ploys to institute McMahon's latest, asinine policy. They are forced, they benefit no one and in the case of Superstars or teams trying to build some momentum or credibility with the fan base, put them in the position to lose two falls when they can hardly afford to lose one.

It is such backwards booking that one can only hope the upcoming implementation of Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff as Executive Directors of Raw and SmackDown, respectively, helps reverse that unfortunate trend and returns some common sense shows rather than needlessly gimmicky matches to camouflage commercial timeouts.