Twitter Reacts to 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, Undertaker, Brock Lesnar on WWE Raw

Let's party like it's 2002. With ratings for the flagship show slumping and Hell in a Cell less than a week away, WWE spared no expense to bring fans a star-studded beginning to Monday's edition of Raw.

The Texas Rattlesnake himself, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin kicked off the show, which aired from Dallas. Austin served the dual purpose of hyping up the next three hours ahead and promoting the Stone Cold Podcast, which will feature Brock Lesnar on the WWE Network after Raw, per WWE:

Scott Fishman of the Sun Sentinel needed to compose himself after hearing that iconic shattering glass to signal Austin's entrance:

Shortly thereafter, The Undertaker arrived, which meant Paul Heyman wouldn't be too far behind, with Lesnar in tow. Lesnar and 'Taker are set to clash in a Hell in a Cell match this Sunday, which could possibly end their recent rivalry, which began just before WrestleMania 30.

Lesnar approached the ring and hopped onto the ring apron, but he ultimately opted against a physical confrontation with The Undertaker before the pay-per-view:

Former WWF and WCW creative writer Vince Russo felt underwhelmed by the conclusion of the segment:

Former WWE announcer Jim Ross, on the other hand, was pleased to see so many marquee Superstars early in the program:

The opening segment undoubtedly brought a flood of emotions back to WWE fans who followed professional wrestling in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The History of WWE wondered when The Undertaker and Austin last occupied the same ring:

This tweet from WWE Creative Humor might make you feel like you're trapped in a time warp:

By putting Austin, The Undertaker and Lesnar in the opening, WWE was asking wrestling fans to put their fantasy-booking hats on and posit potential angles for the company once Hell in a Cell is over.

Austin hasn't wrestled in a WWE match since WrestleMania 19, but that hasn't stopped countless WWE followers from throwing together hypothetical matches. Ring Rust Radio's Donald Wood is hoping for Austin to return for a bout with The Beast Incarnate:

Bleacher Report's Mike Chiari, on the other hand, envisions The Undertaker and Lesnar continuing their feud through WrestleMania next year:

WWE wanted to draw attention to Raw on Monday, and including three of the biggest stars of their generation in the first segment did that.

The key will be getting fans who might not have otherwise watched Raw to continue following the product on a weekly basis. And WWE can do that only by fully investing in the younger Superstars. David Herro of the Pro Wrestling Report offered a more critical take on WWE's reliance on aging stars to kick off Raw:

Even if Monday's ratings for Raw represent an improvement over the past couple of weeks, the impact would only be in the short term if WWE fails to properly build the current generation of wrestlers.

It's telling the main events of WWE's last three PPVs have all included part-time stars from previous eras—Lesnar, Sting and The Undertaker. That trend will continue through Hell in a Cell and may even carry over to Survivor Series in November as well.