7 Ups & 4 Downs from WWE Raw (5 May - Results & Review)

1. Babyfaces, Unite!

Creating a new, top heel stable immediately after WrestleMania was a bold move that has potential to drive storylines for the next year-plus on Raw, but it only works if there are effective counterweights challenging them regularly.

Sami Zayn became the first person to stand against the Seth Rollins-led faction last week, and by the end of Raw Monday night, two more joined the fray. World Heavyweight Champion Jey Uso is a natural choice since he has a target on his back due to the title, and Rollins and Paul Heyman took aim at that target.

Those factors were baked into the conclusion of the main event, with Bron Breakker and Zayn getting involved in the world title match before a returning CM Punk ran down to ringside with a steel chair to wreak havoc. The closing shot on Raw featured Jey, Sami and Punk in the ring staring down Rollins, Breakker and Heyman in the aisle.

Immediately, your mind races to various matches: a Punk and Sami versus Seth and Bron tag could feature prominently on Saturday Night’s Main Event later this month; and Punk/Breakker would be a hell of an interesting match. But that staredown also pointed to an imbalance between heels and faces, leading you to wonder who might join forces with Rollins’ group to even the numbers.

Things are still in the very early stages, so WWE should be afforded some leeway as they continue to set the table for what projects to be its major storyline for the year. But given that they’ve already got some interesting combinations and some open-ended questions forming, that’s a good sign.