WWE: The 5 Best Matches In Fastlane History

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1. Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan at Fastlane 2015

This was the very first edition of the Fastlane PPV. Roman Reigns had just won his first Royal Rumble and was on course to face and potentially defeat Brock Lesnar to win his first WWE title. That didn’t pan out the way Reigns would have wanted it thanks to the Architect, Seth Rollins. However, before Reigns was on his road to WrestleMania, he had another huge hurdle in front of him.

Backed by millions of fans who were part of the ‘Yes’ movement, Daniel Bryan stood across from Reigns, making the case for him to have a title shot at WrestleMania. The crowd was against Reigns heavily throughout the build and he was yet to prove himself. Reigns has made a name for himself thanks to some standout performances over the years.

However, back in 2015 this wasn’t the case. He was still relatively new to the main event picture and was the recipient of massive fan backlash. The fact that he was pitted against the most popular superstar of this generation did not make things any easier for the Big Dog. On one side, this was a desperate attempt by the creative to make the fans think for a second that Reigns had earned his spot by being better than even Daniel Bryan. The fans rejected this idea with every ounce of energy they had.

On the other hand, this was a test for Reigns. More than that, it was an opportunity. Bryan was unlike any other opponent he had faced until then. He had the chance to learn from one of the best in the industry, an in-ring general, a man capable of carrying an entire match on his own. This was a test and a learning opportunity for Reigns and boy did he deliver his best match at that point in his career.

It was Reigns’s power against Bryan’s skill. It was the WWE’s chosen one vs the people’s champion. The emotions were high and the stakes were even higher. The two stars delivered an excellent bout and Reigns came out of this like a true star. He was presented an opportunity that could make or break his career and he brought his best performance with him. More than that, Reigns took much from this match as a learning experience and perhaps this match has a big role in carving out the Roman Reigns we see today.

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

He is no Daniel Bryan in the ring. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve praise for the staggering number of spectacular matches he has put on. A nice way to end this slide show would be to refer the very first match we talked about. Reigns vs Braun Strowman at 2017’s Fastlane. Two years and a bunch of matches with the best in the WWE had turned Reigns into a compelling figure in the ring. In short, in the match against Strowman, Reigns was to Strowman what Bryan was to Reigns in 2015.