6 Ups And 6 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw (June 25)

1. Lack Of Champ Hurts Raw

The fact that Brock Lesnar is never on Raw really is becoming a huge drag on the show. An argument was made during his previous title run that only being around periodically made his appearance more special and meaningful.

But now, his regular absence leaves a void, with no main focus for several of the top stars on the show. There’s no prize to chase. Even an attempt to crown a #1 contender was thwarted Monday night for storyline reasons (a “contractual snag” with Lesnar backing out of fighting a challenger), leaving top wrestlers to argue over who should challenge the never-present champ.

You have a Money in the Bank briefcase-holder who can’t use his contract because the champ is never around, rendering the plot device useless for the time being. You have top guys who have to wait months between title shots. Lesnar has defended the Universal Championship six times in 14 months, and only three times in the past nine months.

Watching the opening segment, it’s clear that this needs to change sooner rather than later. Sure, Bobby Lashley and Roman Reigns did a nice job, but wouldn’t it be better if they actually were feuding over a real thing rather than a perceived possibility of a title shot if Brock deigns to agree to a match?