Despite an uneven build, the SmackDown-exclusive pay-per-view card looks pretty good on paper. Which matches will stand out more than the others?
This Sunday, WWE will present their final brand-exclusive pay-per-view with the SmackDown specific Fastlane event. The company failed to produce much of an effective build for the last PPV before WrestleMania–choosing to focus on Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon instead of the wrestlers–but the show looks pretty good match quality wise. It’s worth a look if you can pull yourself away from Selection Sunday or the second season of Jessica Jones.
Given the excess of quality wrestlers WWE “independently contracts”, bad matches are few and far in between. However, all matches aren’t created equal. Time, story, crowd reaction, psychology, placement on the card, and other extenuating circumstances determine whether fans talk about certain matches years later or forget about them altogether. The reality is that every match on the card won’t make the Match of the Year nominees list.
Even with a fairly strong lineup, WWE won’t give the same level of focus to each bout. Hopefully, all of the matches deliver in the ring, but sometimes they fall short of expectations because of the reasons I rattled off earlier. WWE may craft fully fleshed out stories for some matches and treat others as filler.
Which matches will the fans remember most from this show? Let’s find out.
6. Becky Lynch and Naomi vs. Carmella and Natalya
This match should be fine, but it won’t fray too far from the television tag match formula. Natalya and Lynch are two of the best workers in the company, while Naomi might be one of the best athletes in the women’s division.
As far as in-ring talent goes, Carmella is easily the weakest link. She’s SmackDown’s version of Alexa Bliss; she bumps around the ring well enough but has a limited moveset. The tag team format should effectively mask Ms. Money in the Bank’s workrate deficiencies.
I don’t believe this encounter will take up a ton of PPV time; I would be surprised if this match lasted longer than 15 minutes. I expect Natalya and Lynch to do the bulk of the work while carrying their less polished counterparts through the bout. I could see this match either opening the show or serving as the “buffer” between two bigger showdowns.
The lack of a storyline combined with the last minute booking to get this on the show signifies to me that WWE won’t put these ladies in a position to steal the show. Naomi may hit a dive or two, but the rest of the contest will resemble matches that fans can see every Tuesday night.
5. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev
No matter how loud fans chant “Rusev Day”, there is no way that Nakamura loses this match. The predictable finish takes away 99.99999% of the suspense for this match, and it might cause the fans in attendance to sit on their hands until Nakamura drives his knee into Rusev’s temple. Alternately, the fans could add something extra with possible dueling chants for each wrestler. The fans love and respect the former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, but Rusev–along with Aiden English–has caught fire over the last couple of months. I’m curious to see how the audience reacts to this match.
This bout is an interesting styles clash between the athletic powerhouse in Rusev and Nakamura’s strike heavy offense. The mesh in technique could lead to either a surprisingly entertaining strike-fest or a sloppy mess. “The Bulgarian Brute” has acquitted himself well against top-level opponents in the past, but his last major singles match against Randy Orton was a rather forgettable affair. Nakamura has also piled up some mediocre bouts since his call-up last year, but his non-Jinder Mahal and Baron Corbin matches were all entertaining.
These two could deliver a great match that helps both men or a stinker that slows their momentum. I think the match will end up somewhere in the middle.
4. Bobby Roode (c) vs. Randy Orton- United States Championship Match
This match deserved a much better build than it got. WWE corrected course over the last couple of weeks, but it was too little, too late. WWE decided to use their poorly defined Top 10 list to stoke the flames of this feud, and it was rendered irrelevant when Orton expressed his complete disinterest in the ranking system (way to put the concept over, Randy).
“The Glorious One” and “The Viper” work similar styles, which could either benefit or drag down this match. While both men can produce a clean, well-wrestled matchup, both Roode and Orton tend to work at a slower, more methodical pace. They often build matches the way a mid-2000’s heel Triple H would: start at a snail’s pace to make the match feel more epic (i.e. that ’04 Hell in a Cell match with Shawn Michaels that went 20 minutes too long). That style can work, but it can also put the crowd to sleep (again use the Michaels HiaC match as an example).
Then there’s the specter of Jinder Mahal. The former WWE Champion (still mystified everytime I type that) has played an integral role in this feud. He has tried to instigate a spat between champion and challenger multiple times and even pinned Orton last Tuesday on SmackDown Live. It wouldn’t surprise me if Mahal interfered in this match to set up some multi-person scuffle at WrestleMania. That would also allow Roode to keep the U.S. Title without handing Orton a clean loss. But Mahal’s interference would bring down the match quality unless his presence wakes up a crowd slumbering because of all the chinlocks.
I expect Roode and Orton to be good, but the possible Mahal interference may result in a flat finish.
3. Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Ruby Riott- WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship Match
If these ladies get enough time, they could have the match of the night. That’s more of a testament to Flair and Riott’s abilities in the ring than the storyline WWE gave them. Riott apparently resents the champion’s Hall-of-Fame bloodline, claiming Flair was handed everything on a platter. Meanwhile, Flair gave the usual “I’ve actually had to work harder because of my last name” retort. Similar to Nakamura/Rusev, this match feels like a foregone conclusion–Charlotte retaining her title–which could impact how invested the fans will be. They might not care until the finish, or at least the first false finish.
The paint-by-numbers feud notwithstanding, I am very intrigued to see what Flair and Riott do on Sunday. The SmackDown Women’s Champion has grown into one of the company’s most reliable performers, while Riott’s is also very talented in the ring. These ladies can tell a great story if WWE gives them a chance to do so. I expect Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan to constantly interfere to help Riott get the heat on Flair. Those ladies will more than likely play a role in some nearfalls and the finish as well.
Ultimately, the match quality rests on the abilities of Flair and Riott, and they are more than talented enough to keep the crowd engaged in the action.
2. The Usos (c) vs. The New Day- WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
It didn’t take long for these two teams to rekindle their rivalry. WWE dedicated a couple of brief segments to New Day and The Usos to build up their tag team title match and it was more than enough. Honestly, they could have shown replays of their past matches and it would have sufficed.
All five men have incredible chemistry with one another, as their series of matches last summer proved. Their upcoming bout at Fastlane has a different wrinkle to it, as both groups enter this match as babyfaces. This probably means we’ll see more chain wrestling from the teams to start before they pick up the pace and bring the fans to their feet.
Two things might work against these teams: fans’ lofty expectations and the possible Blugeon Brothers interference. New Day and The Usos have set the bar so high with their epic clashes that anything less than a classic might leave the viewing audience underwhelmed. Of course, if most fans expect some Bludgeon Brothers tomfoolery, that could lower their presumptions a bit.
With all that in mind, I believe both teams will bring their A-game once again and produce yet another exhilarating chapter in their feud. Depending on the layout of the main event, New Day/Usos could be the match of the night.
1. A.J. Styles (c) vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. John Cena- Six Pack Challenge for the WWE Championship
Despite the garbage build, this main event could live up to its top billing thanks to the talent alone. Styles is one of the five best wrestlers in the world today. Zayn and Owens are somewhere in the top 20. Cena has mastered the WWE main event style and almost never fails to deliver in big matches. Ziggler is still very talented in the ring despite his whiny choker status. Of the six, Corbin is easily the worst worker, but his limitations will be hidden in this multiperson match.
All six men will likely forego ring psychology in favor of signature moves and the usual multi-person match spots. It also wouldn’t surprise me to see a couple of guys go through the announce tables. The “Will Sami Zayn lay down for Kevin Owens” story will also receive some spotlight. The nearfalls involving Ziggler and Corbin might lack the drama that the others might. WWE creative deserves the blame for that, as they spent the last year (and longer in Ziggler’s case) presenting these two as flakes that can’t win pivotal matches. Whenever either of them goes for pins on Sunday, I expect the fans to sit on their hands.
Next: WWE Fastlane 2018 Live Review
Realistically, only two people have a realistic shot at winning: Styles and Cena. The predictability might sap some of the intrigue out of this match, but all of these men are more than talented enough to draw fans into the action and suspend their disbelief. Unless WWE overbooks this bout (a distinct possibility) these six will put together a memorable main event.