WWE Raw Results: What's Old Is New Again and Biggest Takeaways from October 1

Five days away from Super Show-Down in Australia, the Raw brand rolled into Seattle aiming to generate excitement and intrigue for the nontraditional pay-per-view.

It did just that, producing its best show since pre-SummerSlam.

From three strong matches involving The Shield to a superb performance from the leader of another trio, the show hit all the right notes and wasted little time on the insignificant.

Relive Monday's USA Network broadcast now with the biggest takeaways from the first Raw of October.

Brothers of Destruction, DX Bring Explosive Finish to Go-Home Episode of Raw

The advertised main event for Saturday's Super Show-Down has always been The Undertaker vs. Triple H, so it was no surprise that WWE Creative opted to close out the show with The Deadman, his brother Kane, the Cerebral Assassin and his best buddy Shawn Michaels.

For longtime fans of the WWE product, it was a trip back to 1997 as four of the most celebrated Superstars of all time engaged in a brawl to close out the show. Undertaker and Kane overpowered their rivals and left them lying, establishing dominance ahead of the marquee bout.

What made the segment so effective and fun was its simplicity.

Undertaker and Kane brought the greatest hits, mysteriously appearing in the ring behind Michaels and pummeling him until Triple H made the valiant attempt at a save. The Game threw rights and lefts but succumbed to the power of his bigger, more ferocious opponents, and The Brothers of Destruction posed as the show went off the air.

It was a routine seen a million times before, but the selling of Michaels, the timing and the overall simplicity made it a more engaging and compelling way to close out the show than we have seen recently.

WWE Creative has oftentimes tried too hard to execute angles lately, and maybe it should refer to this show-closing segment and realize that in many cases, keeping it simple prevents stupidity.

It also helps that these are not Superstars being shoehorned into something that doesn't fit their characters or is overly scripted. It reflected what they do best, was true to the personas fans fell in love with two decades ago and left the audience wanting more.

The Shield Demonstrates Value to Raw Brand as Singles Stars

Another Shield reunion has brought entertainment and a new merchandise line for fans to sink their money into, but Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose are more valuable to the company as singles competitors.

Look no further than Monday's show, where the company got three hours of television out of three longer singles matches for the trio.

Reigns battled Dolph Ziggler, Ambrose squared off with Braun Strowman and Rollins combatted Drew McIntyre in bouts that chewed up screen time and allowed WWE Creative to focus its attention elsewhere. There was no need for a big angle involving The Shield because the writers could put the emphasis on Triple H and The Undertaker later in the night.

Yes, The Shield is awesome. Everyone loves seeing Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns work together in high-profile Six-Man Tag Team matches because their in-ring chemistry is phenomenal. Yet, had they not become stars on their own before reuniting, the company would be even more starved for star power than it currently is.

Kevin Owens and Elias Is the Team No One Knew They Wanted

Sometimes, creative magic comes out of throwing two guys together who seemingly have no connection and letting them roll. Thus far, Elias and Kevin Owens have displayed that type of magic.

Monday night in Seattle, the two paired for one of the former's in-ring concerts just prior to Owens' scheduled match with Bobby Lashley. It was during the promo they unleashed on the fans of Seattle that Elias delivered a death blow, equating the Super Show-Down team of John Cena and Lashley to the city having an NBA team.

The response belongs in the annals of all-time great cheap heat. The boos rained down on Elias comparable only to what Tommaso Ciampa has been able to accomplish in recent months in NXT.

It was glorious, fun and made fans want to see Lashley silence both the sinister songster and The Prizefighter once and for all.

That Owens and Elias stood tall only infuriated fans.

If WWE is not careful, it will luck into another pairing that comes from out of nowhere and outlasts expectations, not unlike Jeri-KO two years ago.

Ruby Riott Proves Worth in Singles Match with Ronda Rousey

Ruby Riott has long been one of the hidden gems in WWE. Her in-ring work is strong, she can play either babyface or heel and her Riott Squad faction has been a welcome addition to the Raw women's division. Monday night, however, she was faced with her biggest task to date: a singles match with women's champion Ronda Rousey.

There were no partners to lean on or bells and whistles to hide behind. The match's overall quality would depend on Riott's performance and her ability to guide the still-inexperienced Rousey to a quality showing.

Riott turned in one of the best performances of her young WWE career, even getting in a considerable amount of offense on Rousey before selling her intense comeback.

Riott ultimately tapped out to the armbar that has downed the likes of Alexa Bliss and Alicia Fox, but her performance suggests her time as a contender to Rousey's title may not be over.

Whether it is on Raw or back on SmackDown, the former Heidi Lovelace figures to factor heavily in the company's women's revolution.