The Monday night filler problem

WWE is running back the Backlash card on this week’s Raw, pitting Cody Rhodes against AJ Styles in what is essentially a televised holding pattern. We just saw this match in France, and while the quality was undeniable, running it on free television less than a month later serves as a major red flag for the company's creative direction. It feels like the booking team is scraping the bottom of the barrel to fill three hours of airtime before the summer stadium season kicks off.

We know these two can work an incredible 25-minute main event. Their chemistry is fluid, and at their respective peaks, they represent the absolute gold standard for technical ring psychology. But putting them in the ring again without a distinct narrative hook or a high-stakes stipulation is a waste of a marquee encounter. It signals that the creative department lacks the secondary storylines required to keep the championship picture busy without resorting to repeats.

The World Cup shadow

Let's be real about the calendar. The FIFA World Cup arrives in 10 days, and every major entertainment brand is bracing for a total viewership drain. The industry knows that attention spans will be fractured, and betting on a high-profile rematch on Raw is a desperate attempt to shore up declining cable ratings. It is a classic move from the Vince McMahon playbook that I thought we were past. Relying on big names to mask a lack of depth is exactly how you kill momentum in the mid-card.

The flaws in the presentation

There is a recurring issue with how the top titles are being handled. The current champion isn't being built against fresh, hungry challengers; instead, the writers are recycling opponents who have already hit their ceiling in this feud. This is backlash rematch narrative stalling the potential rise of new mid-card stars who desperately need a spotlight. Excluding new talent from the main event spot in a meaningless month like June is a choice that hurts the long-term roster development.

My prediction for Raw

This match is going to be a technical clinic, but the story will suffer from the lack of stakes. Expect a messy finish—likely a disqualification or a run-in to protect both guys—because they cannot afford to bury either wrestler this close to the summer pay-per-view cycle. The move to put this on Raw is entirely about a temporary ratings bump ahead of the sports-dominated season. Do not expect this to mark the start of a long summer program; it is a one-off aimed at saving the numbers on a slow news day.