WWE Battleground is over and we are now officially on the road to SummerSlam. But before the SummerSlam fever climbs, we will get a full-fledged idea this week about what WWE is planning to do with the brand split. The first episode of Raw after the Draft will take place on Monday Night and it is bound to be an exciting show thanks to the events that happened in Battleground.
If we could rename Monday Night Raw for this week, it would probably be named the ‘Answer Show’. And this slide is going to take a look at some of the major questions that WWE will have to answer when Raw goes live.
The much-awaited debut?
A large portion of the WWE Universe had claimed that Raw came out with the better roster after the WWE draft. And one of the main reasons why this claim came up was Finn Balor. Whichever brand got him had an upper hand over the other and as Raw was chosen by the WWE officials, the WWE Universe will be eagerly looking at Raw to see the debut of Balor.
The question is: Will he debut this week? This is the first week after the WWE Draft and if WWE wants, they could pull the debut off, or they could wait for some other time and keep the fans guessing.
Sasha will want her title shot now
Sasha Banks and Bayley secured a huge win against Charlotte and Dana Brooke at Battleground. Though Sasha had earlier claimed that Bayley was not her mystery partner, it turned out to be a false claim.
The babyfaces got a good win at the pay-per-view and now, they need to worry about the road ahead. Although Bayley showed up at Battleground, it is to be seen whether WWE is going to let her be on the Raw roster on a full-time basis.
As for Sasha, after securing one over Charlotte and Dana, the right direction for her would be to challenge Charlotte for the Women’s championship next. With SummerSlam here, WWE could give Sasha her crowning moment as well.
Cesaro syndrome
Cesaro has been on a rocky road since the WWE draft. Cesaro was drafted pretty low during the same and it caused an outburst from him. Some suggested that it was a shoot from the Swiss Superman but he pulled off something similar at the pre-show of Battleground suggesting that it could be his new gimmick. Cesaro was kept away from the Battleground card completely and it has added fuel to the argument.
It will be interesting to see how Cesaro gets booked on Monday Night. We could also get the answer on whether all of this was a shoot or a storyline which WWE formulated to give Cesaro a new direction during the brand split.
Roman Reigns returns
The return of Roman Reigns did not get limelight it deserved at Battleground. There were a lot of things happening around that deserved attention and the fact that Reigns was returning from a long suspension was buried in-between all these. However, at Raw, it is bound to be a different scenario. He might come out to have a promo about his return, Battleground and something else as well.
Reigns is going to get a wild reception from the fans and it would once again underline the need of turning him heel. If WWE doesn’t give him the spotlight, it will also be a talking point.
How will Stephanie react to not having a major Championship?
A takeaway from Battleground was that the WWE Championship went to SmackDown due to Dean Ambrose winning the main event. Stephanie McMahon wanted either Seth Rollins or Roman Reigns to bring the gold to Raw, but since that didn’t happen, she is bound to make some huge decisions. As of now, Raw does not have a main event level championship.
It does, however, have the United States Championship. So the question here is, will WWE elevate the United States championship (which would be an awkward decision), or will they introduce a new championship exclusive for Raw? The WWE championship floating between the brands but what would really enhance Raw would be a tournament for the new belt. No debate about Foley or Stephanie handling the announcement since it has an engine of its own.
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