One of the most unique events in WWE history is set to go down on Saturday in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and Monday night in Seattle marked the final edition of Raw before the red brand crew heads down under. This week, The Shield again was immersed in drama surrounding its "Lunatic Fringe," but the highlight of the go-home show this week saw the Brothers of Destruction send a definitive message to both Triple H and Shawn Michaels. 

Brothers of Destruction stand tall

Shawn Michaels was out to close the Super Show-Down go-home show on Monday night as the build for The Undertaker vs. Triple H comes to a close. The "Heartbreak Kid" said that in the past several weeks he's felt all the emotions we've all been feeling leading up to the "last time ever" match between Taker and Triple H. Michaels said when the bout was originally announced, he immediately booked his ticket to Melbourne to watch like everyone else as a bystander. He was content with being a fan -- up until a few weeks ago, when The Undertaker made things personal. For whatever reason, The Undertaker was upset that Michaels picked his best friend to win the match over him, but Michaels will choose Triple H any day of the week. Michaels sent a message to Kane next that if he tries to interfere on Saturday, he'll be met with Sweet Chin Music. 

Kane's music hit, but he didn't saunter down the ramp to confront Michaels, rather he showed up directly behind him in the ring, blasting him with an uppercut that sent Michaels to the mat. The bell then tolled, the lights went out and Kane was now joined in the ring by The Undertaker. Triple H bolted down to the ring to help his best friend and D-X brother, but that didn't work out all that well for Triple H and Michaels. The Brothers of Destruction overpowered the two, ending them in the middle of the ring with a double chokeslam. Triple H attempted to make his way back to his feet, only to be hit with a Tombstone from The Undertaker for his troubles. Undertaker and Kane exited up the ramp to conclude the Super Show-Down go-home offering. 

Whether you agree with this entire program or not, it's tough to ignore the effort that WWE has put in to make this match feel special the past few weeks. It was good to give Undertaker and Kane the upper-hand headed into Saturday because you have to at least cast some doubt that the Deadman will continue his recent winning ways; nowadays, it seems easy to predict most matches the legendary figure is a part of, and a safe assumption for most is that he again defeats Triple H. No matter what happens on Saturday, though, what took place during the ending of Raw on Monday night certainly seemed to truly mark the beginning of the journey that sees Michaels returning to the ring next month to team with Triple H in Saudi Arabia to take on The Brothers of Destruction. We're only getting started. Grade: B-

The Dean Ambrose drama continues

Dean Ambrose kicked off Raw on Monday night with an in-ring interview with Charly Caruso. Ambrose was asked about the claims made by Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre last week that he's the weak link in the Shield, essentially. Ambrose admitted that, yeah, he's the only one without a title in the group right now. And yeah, when he was on the shelf, Seth Rollins wasted no time in replacing him with Jason Jordan. He was then pegged about whether he's ever thought leaving the Shield, and he sarcastically said that he thinks about a of things, maybe even leaving the Shield; maybe he even ran Roman's car off the road on the way to the arena so he'd be unable to make it. They replayed Ambrose having to make a decision at the end of Raw last week, and he did what he always does, which is stand by his brothers. The Shield isn't a brand, it's not a business -- it's a brotherhood, and they always ride into battle together. 

Just as Ambrose was departing the ring, acting general manager Baron Corbin made his way out. Corbin wondered whether something was gnawing at Ambrose's lunatic brain, which prompted the "Lunatic Fringe" to hilariously refer to him as the world's largest substitute teacher. Things took an interesting turn, though, when Corbin presented Ambrose with three options for a match on Monday night: Either face Seth Rollins for the intercontinental championship, Roman Reigns for the universal championship or Braun Strowman one-on-one. Corbin ultimately made the choice for Ambrose himself, informing him that he'll be face Strowman at that very moment. 

Braun Strowman def. Dean Ambrose via disqualification: Strowman was pummeling Ambrose in the ring, just refusing to pin him, and that prompted Roman Reigns to come out and make the save. The universal champion nailed Strowman with a Superman Punch, causing the disqualification. Rollins then made his way to the ring for some added assistance. McIntyre and Ziggler joined Strowman at the top of the stage, and Corbin emerged again. The acting GM said this isn't The Shield's show, and because of their actions, Rollins will battle McIntyre later in the night and Reigns is in action against Ziggler right now. Backstage, Rollins checked on Ambrose, who lashed out and reminded Rollins that he could be intercontinental champion right now. 

Roman Reigns def. Dolph Ziggler via pinfall: Reigns got the victory following a spear in a good match. Prior to the bout, being the fighting champion that he promised to be, Reigns announced he was putting the universal title on the line. Corbin was having none of that, though, telling the champ that he runs the show and this will be a non-title bout. Rollins' intercontinental title will not be up for grabs later, either. Furthermore, Reigns isn't allowed to defend his championship until he does so on Nov. 2 at Crown Jewel against Strowman and Brock Lesnar in Saudi Arabia. 

Later in the night, Reigns took his turn backstage checking on a still-hurting Ambrose. Reigns got the same treatment as Rollins did earlier, being told that if Ambrose wasn't such a nice guy, he might be universal champion right now. 

In another backstage segment prior to the McIntyre-Rollins match, Strowman admitted to his two partners that Ambrose would make a good addition to their group, all things considered. He called him a tough bastard, and and he's not the one facing Ambrose, he's a winner. Strowman told McIntyre he needed to go out there and destroy Rollins, before saying they don't need any weak links while looking directly at Ziggler as he made the statement. 

Drew McIntyre def. Seth Rollins via pinfall: A distraction from Ziggler's music allowed McIntyre to get the victory with the Claymore. As McIntyre and Ziggler were about to annihilate Rollins, Reigns came out, which then called for Strowman to join the fray. Ambrose then hightailed it down to the ring with an axe handle, but he was eventually stopped by Strowman with a shoulder tackle. The three heels then laid waste to The Shield in the ring. 

All three of these matches were fun viewing on the go-home show for Super Show-Down, and it makes sense to have the heels stand tall before an event the magnitude of what we'll see this weekend in Melbourne. As for the Ambrose heel turn teases, they've been handled rather well over the course of the past two weeks -- if only because it legitimately makes one wonder whether he'll even turn at all. Most of us were so certain that Ambrose would find his way to the dark side when he made his return before SummerSlam, but with WWE putting the possibility right out there in such blunt fashion as of late, a swerve may be on the horizon within the next few months. Grade: B

Big fan of WWE? Subscribe to our podcast -- In This Corner with Brian Campbell -- where we go in depth on everything you need to know in WWE each week.

What else happened on Raw?

  • Ronda Rousey def. Ruby Riott via submission: The Raw women's champ was victorious once again with the armbar in a solid match that made Riott look very credible. The Bella Twins were in Rousey's corner for this one, with the Riott Squad in Riott's ahead of their six-woman showdown in Australia on Saturday. 
  • Konnor def. Bobby Roode via pinfall: Konnor continued his hot streak with the win following a Dominator. This small singles push for Konnor is a bit out of nowhere, to say the least, but let's see where it goes. 
  • Alexa Bliss mocks Trish Stratus: In a "Moment of Bliss," the former Raw women's champ told a story about meeting her opponent at Evolution, Trish Stratus, for the first time when she was just 7 years old. Bliss said that Stratus tried to charge her $50 for an autograph, then proceeded to burp in her face. Stratus then ripped her precious autograph book in half. 
  • B-Team def. The Revival via pinfall: Bo Dallas got the pin on Dash Wilder after getting the knees up during a Rocket Launcher attempt. As the B-Team were making their way up the ramp, AOP -- with Drake Maverick -- appeared and destroyed the former tag team champions, finishing them off with a Super Collider in the ring. 
  • Elias and Kevin Owens draw incredible heat: Before the scheduled Owens vs. Bobby Lashley bout, Owens and Elias were set up for a concert in the ring. While the two did a good job of running down Lashley's partner for this weekend, John Cena, they drew some of the loudest, most sustained chorus boos you'll hear in this generation when Elias told the city of Seattle it makes no sense for them to have a basketball team (RIP, Supersonics). 
  • Kevin Owens def. Bobby Lashley via pinfall: With the distraction of Elias attacking Lio Rush on the floor, Owens rolled up Lashley for the win. Afterwards, Owens and Elias looked to beat down Lashley. Rush tried to make the save from the top rope but he was caught with a strike by Elias. Owens then hit a pop-up powerbomb on Lashley. 
  • Bayley def. Alicia Fox via pinfall: Bayley claimed victory after the Bayley-to-Belly. Finn Balor was in Bayley's corner and Jinder Mahal in Fox's, as these four square off Tuesday night in the Mixed Match Challenge.