Attitude Era booking enveloped the season premiere of WWE Raw, beginning with an ass-kicking of epic proportions by Brock Lesnar and concluding with a soap opera-style development in which Bobby Lashley and Lana engaged in a seriously intense kiss.

The return to a frenetic booking pace, with some developments that hit and others that didn't, highlighted the show.

What else had fans buzzing in the wake of Monday's USA Network broadcast and why?

Find out with this recap of the September 30 show.

Brock Lesnar Returns to Destructive Roots in Night's Opening Segment

The Brock Lesnar of 2019 was in danger of becoming a caricature of sorts; the overhyped beast of a competitor who returned from time to time, threw a few suplexes and worked as little as he had to for his enormous contract.

He was smashmouth, sure, but the element of danger that made him a genuinely scary and seemingly unconquerable villain was missing.

That changed Monday when he exploded on to the scene, laid Rey Mysterio out and targeted his son, Dominick. Lesnar tossed the youngster around the ring with reckless abandon, brutalizing him and leaving him a quivering mass in need of a stretcher to the backstage area.

And why? To send a message to Kofi Kingston ahead of his WWE Championship match Friday on SmackDown.

This was a different Lesnar, a more dangerous Lesnar. This was not the cocky, arrogant prizefighter amused by those who believed they could actually pose a threat to him. This was, instead, a Lesnar still reeling from his defeat at the hands of Seth Rollins at SummerSlam and in need of a loud, clear message to the WWE Universe that he is still the baddest S.O.B. in professional wrestling.

Mysterio and Dominick found that out the hard way, and Kingston may well suffer the same fate as his dream championship reign comes to a nightmarish conclusion.

Unless, that is, a vengeful Mysterio with renewed purpose costs him the title and sets up their first high-profile encounter.

Raw Is Soap Opera as Attitude Era Booking Engulfs Main Event Segment

The closing moments of this week's show featured some of the most surreal booking in recent memory.

First, Bobby Lashley returned to television and brought with him Lana, the wife of Rusev, and locked lips with her. Rusev watched from the ring, his face not nearly painted with the anger one would expect.

From there, the arena darkened and The Fiend attacked Seth Rollins just six days from their date for the universal title inside Hell in a Cell.

There was no mention of Rusev, Lana or Lashley; nor was there any focus on Randy Orton or King Corbin as they stood atop the ramp.

So much happened in such a short time that it was almost impossible to digest it all. That was a trademark of Attitude Era booking, in which Vince Russo booked frantically, never allowing the audience to tune out of the story development. 

Paul Heyman and the rest of the Raw creative team have the unenviable task of writing a three-hour show, which leads to more dead time throughout the broadcast. Maybe providing more compelling angles up and down the show, rather than shoved into one segment, would make for a more engaging product.

As it stands, the only developments worth anything came with four minutes left in the broadcast.

WWE Forgets It Has a PPV This Weekend

Believe it or not, WWE has a pay-per-view this weekend.

No, seriously. Yes, I'm sure.

Don't worry if you didn't know. Outside of the graphics adorning the stage and the mentions of Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks and Seth Rollins vs. The Fiend from time to time, WWE Creative did nothing to generate any hype, anticipation or excitement for the show.

In fact, it trotted out Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair to build to the next Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia on Halloween, which almost immediately eclipsed anything going on this Sunday on WWE Network.

The complete lack of an undercard, coupled with no real central issue between Rollins and Bray Wyatt ahead of their main event, has rendered the event a sacrificial lamb of the biggest wrestling week in modern history.

The Raw season premiere, a huge NXT, the arrival of AEW Dynamite on TNT and SmackDown's debut on Fox have all stolen the attention of the powers that be, leaving Hell in a Cell an unfortunate afterthought.

The Superstars of WWE, who routinely deliver a watchable show at the very least, deserve better than to have such an event so meaninglessly thrown together.

Every Loss by Anderson and Gallows Diminishes The OC's Credibility

The O.C. should be a dominating force on Raw.

Unfortunately, the booking of Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows continues to chip away at the group's credibility.

The good brothers lost, again, to The Viking Raiders in a physical tag match that accomplished nothing their previous encounter did not. Erik and Ivar continued their roll, Anderson and Gallows lost again and the tag team division remained the same unfocused mess it has been for months.

Yes, AJ Styles has proved to be an effective United States champion. He wins matches, most cleanly, and is a legitimate main event star. His legitimacy should wear off on his associates and help them rise to his level. WWE Creative's inability to assist in the process, though, has left the group a shell of what it should be.

Anderson and Gallows have been presented as the bumbling backup to a guy whose success in WWE suggests he does not need, nor should he want, their assistance. Until that changes, The O.C. will fail to be the unstoppable entity clubs in other promotions have proved to be.