WWE Fastlane 2019: Results, Highlights, and Review

Going into the WWE Championship match at WWE Fastlane, it looked like we’d be seeing Daniel Bryan vs. Kevin Owens. In a surprise turn of events, the match was announced as a Triple Threat Match. The crowd suddenly began to buzz with excitement that Kofi Kingston, who had been destroyed by The Bar, would somehow still be joining the match. Instead, we got the return of Mustafa Ali as the third man in this contest.

WWE Championship Triple Threat Match: Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kevin Owens vs. Mustafa Ali

On paper, this is a fantastic match. In execution, it’s almost guaranteed to be a fantastic match. However, there was a serious issue going into this. Because of the way Kofi Kingston had been teased throughout the night, the crowd only wanted one man to enter this contest. Mustafa Ali is normally beloved by the crowd, but he wasn’t who they wanted this time.

As a result, the crowd at WWE Fastlane was absolutely livid. Mustafa Ali, who is almost universally loved by the WWE Universe, was heavily booed when he made his way to the ring. As the match got started, the the crowd began chanting “We Want Kofi!” That wasn’t a one-off either. That chant would continue to haunt this match, popping back up time and time again. The crowd rejected Ali much the way this dropkick did.

As the match progressed, everyone played to their strengths. Daniel Bryan’s technical skill and striking was coupled with his strategy throughout, but the impactful power of Kevin Owens kept him in the fight. The unexpected underdog Mustafa Ali used his agility at every turn, but the nature of the triple threat match meant no man could hold the advantage for very long.

The action often spilled to the outside, seeing cannonballs from Kevin Owens on more than one occasion and some stiff moments on the ring apron. After a 450 Splash on the apron by Mustafa Ali, it took the challenger a few moments to crawl into the ring for a cover. Ali hooked the leg, but Rowan yanked Bryan out of the pinfall at the count of two.

Rowan kept Bryan’s chances alive, but quickly ate a superkick from both Kevin Owens and Mustafa Ali that seemed to take him down. As the action spilled back to the outside, Owens hit a big dive that took Rowan down once again. He then hit a Pop-up Powerbomb on Ali, driving him back-first into the apron.

Rowan kept Owens from getting the follow-up pinfall, sending Kevin Owens into the timekeeper’s area. Rowan then tossed a seemingly lifeless Daniel Bryan back into the ring. Bryan went for the cover, but Ali still kicked out. It was a great final effort, but Ali’s moment didn’t last much longer. A last attempt saw Ali come flying off the top only to eat a devastating knee strike in mid-air from Bryan that sealed his fate and let The Planet’s Champion retain.

Result: Daniel Bryan def. Mustafa Ali and Kevin Owens to retain the WWE Championship