WWE Fastlane 2018: Results, Highlights, Analysis, and Grades

Photo Source: WWE.com

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev (w/ Aiden English)

Result: Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Rusev via pinfall

Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars

Because so many of the matches on the Fastlane card are the type that could have been booked by simming Universe Mode in WWE 2K18 for a year, the Royal Rumble winner and WrestleMania main eventer Shinsuke Nakamura opens the show. Okay, then.

On the flip side, the vocal stylings of Aiden English are enough to get any party started. Especially if it’s a Rusev Day party – now with Happy Rusev Day mic art! Expanding his repertoire into the realm of hip hopera, English gets the crowd hype, which is all you can really ask for when the match itself (on paper) is a giant waste of time.

I really really really hope WWE took notice of the duelling chants for Nakamura/Rusev Day. Everyone and their mother knows Nakamura is insanely popular – he has been since day one, and even after his pretty terrible debut on SmackDown he’s always been a fan favorite. But to hear Rusev getting almost the same reaction as your WrestleMania main event challenger is wonderful for fans of the Bulgarian Brute.

Of course, because Rusev is the bad guy he’s got to try and minimize the reaction – thus the cowardly rolling out of the ring until he could take control his way. It’s the mark of a true professional – his job is to get people to hate him, not cheer him. To a certain extent, you can’t control the reaction from the crowd. But Rusev did his darnedest to stifle the pro-Bulgaria stuff.

Rusev did a great job of selling in this one, too. Nakamura’s heel hook needs to be as powerful as Styles’s Calf Crusher to make their presumed Mania bout seem more even – Rusev selling the damage from even a short time in the hold bolsters its legitimacy.

This one was a slow burn in the beginning, but it kicked it up a notch in the later stages. Rusev’s superkick counter to the Kinshasa was one of the most devastating superkicks I’ve seen in a long time. Yeesh. Of course, Nakamura is headed to the main event of WrestleMania, so there was no way he’d lose this match – a pair of Kinshasas sealed the deal.