WWE Fastlane is primed to be an event to remember. Can the company capitalize on its potential?
WWE Fastlane is the final stop before heading toward the home stretch for WrestleMania. After next Sunday, fans will have a concrete idea of what will be taking place in Orlando.
But before that can happen, Fastlane must be successful. The company has put fans on their toes following the Royal Rumble, with SmackDown swerving the traditional Royal Rumble story by having Bray Wyatt capture the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber. SmackDown has been capitalizing on their longer tenured storylines, and Fastlane will be Raw’s chance to answer back so to speak.
Raw has been all over the place, and while there are plenty of positives there are plenty of negatives that plague the flagship show. The company has cashed in on appearances from Goldberg which has helped them in terms of viewership. The writings are all but written on the wall that there is a huge chance Goldberg walks out of Fastlane as WWE Universal Champion.
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Bayley’s surprise win on Raw over Charlotte Flair two weeks ago may spike resurgence for the Raw Women’s Division. Nia Jax has been making work of Sasha Banks but has recently declared a shot at the Women’s Championship. Charlotte will once more defend her PPV winning streak when she faces Bayley in a rematch for the Women’s Championship. Banks, Jax and Dana Brooke could very well be outside factors in this match, which will most likely determine their route at WrestleMania.
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Roman Reigns has unfinished business with Braun Strowman and the two will settle their differences in the ring Sunday night. Strowman has been demanding to be challenged and Reigns will certainly bring the fight to him. After all, Strowman did cost him the chance to win the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble. Strowman’s performances have been fairly well lately and the match at Fastlane will be no exception.
Neville v. Jack Gallagher could be a pleasant surprise for fans. Gallagher is a rather extraordinary talent to which I find myself enjoying him more and more by the week. Neville has been a dominant force in the Cruiserweight Division and is doing some of the best work of his career. The company couldn’t have pulled the trigger on the Cruiserweight Champion at a better time.
The Club hasn’t had the best run on Raw, but they are in the right direction as WWE Tag Team Champions. Enzo and Big Cass are insanely over; them being Tag Team Champions is definitely in their future. Just not at Fastlane.
Then there is talent such as Chris Jericho, Samoa Joe and Sami Zayn that are wild card players. Brock Lesnar may even be a gamble here too.
Fastlane must be a success and for that to happen the company has to make smart booking decisions. The last thing fans want is another predictable WrestleMania, and some stories are borderline that. Otherwise, Fastlane is shaping up to be a good event, and maybe there will be some surprises thrown in.
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5. Charlotte Flair’s PPV Streak Drama
While there aren’t enough great things to say about Flair, the same song and dance of her losing the Women’s Championship on Raw, then regaining it at a PPV has definitely worn out. There is no question that Banks and Brooke will be deciding factors in this match. Jax could make an appearance as well, considering she and Banks have unfinished business.
Brooke has failed Flair so many times before, and it was surprising to see her come to the Nature Girl’s aid during the title match on Raw. Brooke has been here and there as of late, so it’s a curious case of what is exactly going on with her. The exclusion of her not being in the tag team match on Raw may point to dissension once more. Whether she, Jax or Banks play a role in the outcome of the match, it would set up for Flair to suffer her first PPV loss. More than likely there will be a disqualification decision, which keeps the PPV streak intact. With that being said, if all three ladies make an impact it will definitely factor in what’s to come at WrestleMania.
With Jax declaring wanting a championship match, her beef with Banks, Flair and Bayley all of this will tie together and I see this becoming a Fatal Four-Way in Orlando. What happens to Brooke is up to the company. I don’t see her being in the matchup; she and Flair could feud in the future as there is plenty of substance for them to carry a program. Perhaps she costs Flair her loss and Flair puts her out of action?
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4. Samoa Joe Continues His Dominance
Samoa Joe has been quite the impression maker on Raw since his surprise debut the night after the Royal Rumble. He has already taken out Seth Rollins, and has a win over Reigns. Zayn looks to be the sacrificial lamb for Joe’s quest to be Raw’s Destroyer. The match has just been made official on this week’s Raw.
With Rollins’ future up in the air at a crucial time, it’s really hard to decipher what exactly is Joe’s path on the road to WrestleMania. Until then, the tried and true “plow through the roster” scenario will keep fans wanting more of Joe and he continued to exude dominance on Raw. His first WWE PPV match will be much talked about, even if it’s at Zayn’s expense.
Photo Courtesy of wwe.com
3. The Club Takes a Stand
The Club hasn’t been used to their maximum potential since coming to WWE last year. Now that they are Tag Team Champions, now is the time to take advantage of what this seasoned team can do on the WWE stage. There is nothing transitional about this team, and the company certainly doesn’t need to treat them as if they are.
The company can make up for the false start (being dominated by Reigns) by having The Club being dominant over the team of Enzo and Cass. I’d like to see this feud last past Fastlane, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson do anything in their power to keep the championships around their waist going into WrestleMania. This could be another match that ends in a disqualification, or there will be a cheat to win scenario. With everything else going on at Fastlane, a championship win for Enzo and Cass will be overshadowed. Again, seeing the crowning moment at WrestleMania for these two would be special.
WWE.com
2. Undertaker Gets Revenge the Best Way He Knows How
Reigns may have his hands full with Strowman right now, but he may have bitten off more than what he could chew when he eliminated The Undertaker at the Rumble. The Dead Man has not forgotten about that and he will come for Reigns when he least expects it.
While fans complain of Reigns’ always coming out on top, while perhaps he overcomes his opponents he’s never really dealt with The Undertaker one on one. He’s had a run in while in The Shield, but that was child’s play then. Reigns may have overcome Bray Wyatt’s mind games too, but again that’s child’s play compared to Taker.
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A big surprise could come in the form of Fastlane if Taker decides to somehow make his presence known to Reigns. If anyone can take Reigns for a loop and out of the game it is The Dead Man. Reigns may have the strength but no one can do mind games like The Undertaker can. That alone will throw anyone off of their game. It will be interesting to see how this story plays out, but things could always change.
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1. Two Deciding Factors in the WWE Universal Championship Match
Goldberg will make chopped liver out of Kevin Owens at Fastlane. If he’s able to rattle Lesnar, then logically there is almost no chance for Owens. As noted, the writings are all but on the wall for this match. But, with Owens disposing of Jericho two weeks earlier that diminishes his chances further of walking out of Fastlane as Universal Champion.
Jericho may very well cost Owens the match somehow. However, Lesnar could show up as well to take out Goldberg. Give him a taste of his own medicine by throwing Goldberg off his game by attacking him during the match perhaps. How about a double disqualification for this match? As hyped up as this match is, why not go all out with both of them involved? Regardless Jericho and Lesnar are definitely big outside factors.
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Goldberg v. Lesnar has been made official, and they don’t need the Universal Championship. The match sells itself, and why put the championship on Goldberg when Owens and Jericho have much more in their feud? It’s a waste of time in my opinion.