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

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SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match

The Usos (c) vs. The New Day (Xavier Woods & Kofi Kingston, w/ Big E)

Result: No contest due to interference by the Bludgeon Brothers

Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars

When two superstars or two tag teams have faced each other over and over, the challenge is to find a way to keep things fresh. Sometimes it’s a new stipulation in a match. Sometimes a swap of who’s the heel and who’s the face. And if you’ve done all of that before, apparently it’s time to just do all of your opponent’s moves. Literally, all of them.

With The Usos and New Day, they’ve already competed in the stipulation match – Hell in a Cell. Both teams have been babyface, both teams have been heel. So after a nasty superkick to Woods that could have ended the match, the Usos just imitated all of New Day’s schtick.

First it was unicorn stomps in the corner – even to the tune of “New… Day Rocks!” Then there was a Boom Drop, an attempted Trouble in Paradise, and even the Midnight Hour.

But New Day got in on the fun, too. Kofi mocked the “Us… oooooo” chant before doing the running butt attack a la Rikishi. Woods went on a superkick rampage. And Kofi even hit the Uso Splash.

But nothing ended up mattering, because this wasn’t actually a pay per view. Turns out, this was just a regular episode of SmackDown being aired on a special night. After the Usos hit stereo dives to the outside, the Bludgeon Brothers came out and destroyed everyone.

And I’m not exaggerating anything. Harper and Rowan laid waste to both Usos and all three members of New Day. As impressive as the carnage was, this was a fantastic match that ultimately was pointless. That’s the most frustrating thing about watching WWE – too many matches end up being a waste of time. How many matches are twenty minutes of fire, but end in a double countout? Or a phenomenal singles match ends with interference.

Why couldn’t Harper and Rowan do their thing after the match. No one would think less of New Day if they lost to one of the best teams in all of WWE. Even a title change wouldn’t have been the worst thing – you could still get The Usos on WrestleMania by invoking their rematch clause.

But the “Road to WrestleMania” in this day and age is code for “we have too many superstars on the roster, so we need to find convoluted ways to get everyone on the card somehow.” Earlier tonight, a triple threat match for the US Title was all but made official. Now, we need a way to get both The Usos and New Day on the show – a no contest in their “rivalry renewed” match seems to accomplish that. Triple threat tag match at Mania? Perhaps.

Don’t get me wrong, it would be a great match. But the way we’re getting there is ridiculous. A great match was sacrificed for a “bigger” one at a later date. And if the booking was better, that would be unnecessary.