WWE Fastlane 2017 Results: Highlights, Analysis, and Grades

Jinder Mahal and Rusev Fight

In the Fastlane Kickoff Show, Jinder Mahal and Rusev decided to part ways as a tag team, but not on amicable terms. So Mick Foley decided to put them in matches during the show. In other words, it’s one gigantic time filler.

Anyway, Mahal and Rusev would go to the ring and brawl. This left the former alone and out would come Cesaro as his opponent.

Cesaro vs. Jinder Mahal

Result: Cesaro defeats Jinder Mahal via pinfall.

Rating: 2.25 out of 5 stars

It was hard to get invested in an impromptu match on a brand split show. With Kevin Owens vs. Goldberg, Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns and Charlotte vs. Bayley yet to come, putting this before any of them made little sense. If anything, placing it in between any of these bouts would have worked a little better.

Commentary trying to sell this match was embarrassing too. It happened while the crowd chanted for “CM Punk” and “boring.” Why would they care about a match they didn’t pay to see with the top ones yet to happen?

Cesaro and Mahal did the best they could here, but keeping a hot crowd interested took a while, until the Swiss-1-9.

Not surprisingly, Cesaro won. That’ll push this Mahal vs. Rusev feud further into the background.

Big Show vs. Rusev

Result: Big Show defeats Rusev via pinfall.

Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars

So immediately after that match ended, Rusev beat up Mahal. Then Big Show came out, further pushing the irrelevant contests during Fastlane. Why this couldn’t wait until the gap between one of the bigger showdowns behooves me.

The crowd ate this all up, however. Why? Who knows, but they loved seeing Show destroy the Bulgarian Brute to pieces. It was kind of fun, but continued to take away from the flow of Fastlane, which still had three big title matches to go.

As for Rusev, what can you really say about him after this?