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

Photo Source: WWE.com

WWE Championship Six Pack Challenge

AJ Styles (c) vs. John Cena vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn

Result: AJ Styles pinned Kevin Owens to retain the WWE Championship

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Lots of big stories heading into this one. First, John Cena’s quest for history. There’s the possible tension between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. And AJ Styles has the odds stacked against him – but a well-wisher in Shinsuke Nakamura.

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To top it all off, Shane McMahon was at ringside for the match. Gee, I wonder what he’s out there for.

Somewhat surprisingly, Cena went bonkers at the opening bell. He delivered an AA to all of his opponents – except the champ, who evaded. Once everyone came to their senses, it didn’t take long for them to gangpile on Cena.

But Styles was definitely the star of the early going. No one looked better in the first five minutes or so than the champion. He was smooth as silk, and demonstrated exactly why he’s one of the best in the world.

You know what, though? Everyone eventually got their chance to shine in this one. It was like a jam session at an open mic night – everyone knew the basic outline, but when it was time for their moment it was completely self-indulgent and over the top.

Reverse an AA into a Famouser? Sure, Dolph, go ahead! Frog splash from out of nowhere? Do it, Kevin!

Baron Corbin showed more in this match than he has in the past two years combined. His thirty seconds of destroying everything in his path inside the ring was amazing. But what he and Ziggler did in the crowd was even crazier.

In fact, the only issue I had with this match was that it was just a series of singles matches peppered with guys laying down outside the ring. It’s the same with everything in WWE that’s a triple threat or larger – more guys in the ring should mean more chaos, but it never really turns out that way.

In the midst of all the not-chaos chaos, it came down to Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. It always does, because they’re destined to do this forever. Somehow, Shane McMahon ended up in the middle of them, and the commissioner ate a totally inadvertent superkick from Owens.

Then, because the SmackDown Commissioner is a giant baby, he broke up a legit KO pin attempt by pulling the referee out of the ring. He did the same after Zayn hit a Helluva Kick, because Shane is the dirt worst.

Despite the Shane antics, this was the best match of the night. Cena lifting the ring steps like they weigh a billion pounds will never not be funny. Styles took a rough AA through a table, but recovered enough to hit the Phenomenal Forearm on Owens for the victory in a great closing sequence. And we’re finally officially headed for WrestleMania!

Next: 25 Greatest WrestleMania Moments

Overall, no real surprises on the card. Asuka’s appearance was a welcome addition, but everything else was what was expected. The match quality was all over the place – some sloppiness in a few, but the main event was tremendous. What are your thoughts on WWE Fastlane 2018?