WWE Raw results, Sept. 24, 2018: The Shield stand united against Corbin & AOP in bombastic main event

Ruby Riott had been scheduled to battle Brie Bella on Raw tonight, but Ruby Riott & Co. are never content to have just one enemy at a time: The match was reconfigured into a Six-Woman Tag that roped in Nikki Bella (who’ll team with Brie and Ronda Rousey against the Squad at WWE Super Show-Down) and Natalya (who got bushwhacked by Ruby & Co. when she attempted to answer Rousey’s Open Challenge last week), and The Riott Squad survived the trio of veterans to walk away with a big-time win.

And “survive” is a very appropriate term: Brie came out swinging so hard that Liv Morgan had to exit the match after being incapacitated by a "Yes!" Kick to the face, handing the Squad a 3-on-2 disadvantage. Ruby and Sarah Logan hung tough, however, and they took advantage of Natalya’s overzealousness to secure the victory: The Queen of Harts locked Logan in the Sharpshooter, but she didn’t notice a tag to Ruby seconds earlier, which left her vulnerable to a quick-strike Riott Kick that put the match away.

Nikki, Brie & Natalya combat the chaotic Riott Squad before WWE Super Show-Down.

If not for Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre, The Revival might be Raw Tag Team Champions. That was true three weeks ago when they jumped Dash & Dawson in the backstage area and took their opportunity to challenge The B-Team, and it was true tonight when the “Top Guys” got the title match that had been stolen from them, as they came up short despite an inspiring effort that may well cement them as champions-in-waiting.

Alas, they'll have to wait. Dash & Dawson planned every move perfectly, isolating Ziggler from McIntyre and dissecting him bit by bit. But they ended up getting a taste of their own medicine when Dash, riding high after torqueing Ziggler with an agonizing Rings of Saturn, found himself olé’d into the steel steps. Now, both teams were effectively a member down, and despite a gritty rally from the two-time NXT Tag Team Champions that saw them briefly incapacitate McIntyre, The Scottish Terminator essentially ended the match when he tagged in and dispatched both challengers singlehandedly. With Dawson downed by a big boot and legal man Wilder dazed by a Glasgow Kiss, Dash was helpless to stop the Claymore-Zig Zag. A noble effort, but the coronation will have to wait: Ziggler & McIntyre clearly still run this show.

What good is carte blanche if you can’t get your hands on the one guy you want to fight? Kevin Owens might be asking himself that same question right about now, as his two-week quest to annihilate Bobby Lashley has come up against the surprisingly difficult obstacle of Lio Rush, the motor-mouthed Cruiserweight who is carving out a nice little side hustle as Lashley’s manager apart from his weekly duties on 205 Live.

Last week, Rush got Owens all turned around during Lashley’s match with Elias. This week, The 23-Year-Old Piece of Gold provoked KO again by refusing to walk into an apparent ambush on “The Kevin Owens Show” and later leading Owens on a second chase around the ring during Lashley and Elias’ rematch that ended in a repeat embarrassment for The Living Truth and the former Universal Champion. First, Owens accidentally ran into Lashley, handing Elias a disqualification loss, and then, when he finally got his hands on The Man of the Hour, Lashley came to the rescue, freeing Lio from KO’s clutches and decking Owens right out of the ring.

KO will get his chance against Lashley next week, but there are more questions than answers for Owens and Elias as WWE Super Show-Down approaches … and John Cena hasn’t even gotten involved yet.

The wily Man of the Hour refuses to fall into a trap set by Kevin Owens and Elias.

True, Dean Ambrose is the only member of The Shield without a title. Sure, Seth Rollins needed his help to become Intercontinental Champion. And maybe Rollins and Roman Reigns didn’t text him every day during his recovery. But that doesn’t mean The Shield’s about to break up. In fact, they looked as good as ever in their first match together in nearly a year despite overwhelming odds both within the ring — Acting General Manager Baron Corbin picked AOP as his partners — and outside, as Braun Strowman, Dolph Ziggler & Drew McIntyre sat in chairs while watching from atop the ramp.

The Showoff questions whether Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins are truly looking out for Dean Ambrose.

Not only that, but The Lunatic Fringe himself turned the tide. After targeting Reigns for the entire match (Rezar went punch-for-punch in an early slugfest with the Universal Champion), AOP dispatched The Big Dog with the Last Chapter on the outside, and Rollins was stranded in the ring when Ambrose finally managed to tag back in. The former WWE Champion briefly found himself overwhelmed when AOP re-entered the fray, but thanks to interference from Reigns and Rollins, he planted Corbin with Dirty Deeds and teed him up for a Spear. And despite what appeared to be a moment of hesitation on his part, Ambrose rejoined his brothers for the customary fist bump at the end of the match. Turn on The Shield? Please. If tonight was any indication, they’re just getting started.

The Hounds of Justice slug it out with Acting Raw GM Baron Corbin and his two hand-picked partners, the dominant AOP.