WWE Fastlane 2021 Results & Grades: The Fiend returns

WWE WrestleMania is a few nights away and before the WWE Universe reached the biggest show of the year, they had to get through WWE Fastlane. There were several big matches to pay attention to throughout the night, as a few had implications on what would happen at WrestleMania.

On the kickoff for WWE Fastlane, Matt Riddle and Mustafa Ali stepped out to battle for the WWE United States title. The match starts off with emotions high from the very start, with Riddle grounding Ali to lay in some knees, following by an overhead toss and a Broton. Ali got the advantage back in his corner, using the steel post to injure Riddle.

Ali continued to inflict pain on Riddle, hitting a rolling back stabber before locking in a submission hold. Riddle eventually countered and things turned into a back-and-forth battle. He would hit the powerbomb to final flash combo, but Ali kicked out to stay alive. Riddle hit the Fisherman’s Buster, but Ali kicked out and went into the Koji Clutch. Ali attempted to attack Riddle while he was on the top by Riddle countered into the Broderek from the top rope, getting the win and keeping the title around his waist.

Matt Riddle defeated Mustafa Ali via pinfall: A-

This match was a sprint right from the start. Ali and Riddle work very well together, mixing up their offense to find new ways into their moves. The transition into the Broderek from the top was a beautiful thing to see and a new wrinkle to Riddle’s offense. The post-match segment saw RETRIBUTION lay Ali out, leaving him alone in the ring.

The opening match on the PPV was Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks challenging for the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles against Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax.

Banks and Baszler started things off, with Banks jumping on her right out the gate. She and Belair would stomp Baszler down to the ground, using frequent tags to get things off to a great start. Things fell apart when Baszler was able to counter, tagging in Jax. Jax was able to gain control when Baszler distracted Belair, who ended up getting laid out on the floor for her trouble. Jax and Baszler tagged in and out, isolating Belair on their side of the ring.

Belair was finally able to get the tag to Banks, who came in and cleared out both women. Belair hit a 450 from the top and had Baszler pinned, but Reginald caused the distraction. They then hit a tag team move into the Banks Statement, but before Baszler could tag out, Jax pushed Belair into Banks to break up the hold. As Banks and Belair argued, Baszler rolled Banks up for the pinfall victory.

Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax defeated Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair via pinfall: C

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This was a great match, but the finish nearly ruined it all. It did not need to happen, Banks looks like an idiot because she clearly saw Jax push Belair, then she immediately gets rolled up. The post-match segment led to the heat that WWE was trying to build between the two, but there were so many other ways to get there.

Apollo Crews versus Big E was out next with the Intercontinental title on the line. They started throwing fists at each other immediately, ending up with Big E spearing Crews to the floor. Big E was in firm control to start the match, hitting Crews with everything he had. He then followed up with overhead belly-to-belly suplexes. Crews was finally able to counter, cutting Big E’s knees out from under him.

Crews landed multiple German suplexes, a spinebuster and then a frog splash, but Big E kicked right out. The two men then exchanged counter after counter, but Crews rolled up Big E in a small package. Big E shifted his weight to remain on top and get the victory. Before any celebration could begin, Crews attacked, laying out the IC champion.

Big E defeated Apollo Crews via pinfall: C

The finish was bad. Not sure if this was a mistake or on purpose, but at the end of the day, that moment really impacted what was starting to be a strong match for both men.

Shane McMahon was forced out of his planned match with Braun Strowman, but Elias stepped in as the replacement. Strowman was all over Elias from the start, throwing him across the ring with ease. Strowman was about to smash Elias in the corner, but Jaxson Ryker got involved in the last minute. Ryker and Elias were able to open just enough space to allow Elias to get the upper hand, but it did not last long. Elias was flattened after a powerslam and Strowman pinned him with ease to pick up the victory.

Braun Strowman defeated Elias via pinfall: D

Another match that did not need to happen as it felt like something from Monday Night Raw, rather than an important match on a PPV. Plus, this keeps the Shane McMahon versus Braun Strowman angle that no one wanted to see going through WrestleMania.

Seth Rollins looked to send a message to Cesaro via a singles match with his former tag team partner, Shinsuke Nakamura.

Nakamura was out to the early advantage, dropping Rollins multiple times with stiff kicks. However, Rollins was able to take over, tossing the former champion from the ring. Rollins attempted to pin Nakamura after a series of knees, but Nakamura kicked out at one. Rollins was in control, using Nakamura to taunt Cesaro who was at home. Rollins kept taunting Nakamura until he found himself squealing in an arm bar.

Rollins would find a way to knock Nakamura from the top rope and followed up with a fantastic suicide dive, into a springboard knee and sling blade. The two men stood in the ring exchanging blows, with neither man able to take over. Rollins hit the buckle bomb to the Falcon Arrow but was still not able to get the win.

Nakamura ducked the attempted curb stomp but could not duck the kick to the back of the head. Rollins closed out the match, hitting the curb stomp to get the victory.

Seth Rollins defeated Shinsuke Nakamura via pinfall: A

This was an excellent match from bell to bell. Rollins and Nakamura are both incredible talents with what they do, and they delivered in this match. It furthers the narrative for the match with Cesaro at WrestleMania, keeps Rollins looking strong and does not hurt Nakamura too much.

Sheamus versus Drew McIntyre were set for a no-holds barred match after weeks of beating each other into the dirt.

The fists started flying from the very start and it was not long that they spilled outside the ring. McIntyre threw Sheamus to the ground but was barely able to get out of the way when he had to duck a shot from a kendo stick. He was not so lucky back in the ring, where Sheamus laid him down repeatedly with kendo shots to the back and the chest.

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McIntyre turned things around with the kendo stick in his hands, dropping Sheamus with a leg sweep using the weapon. They ended up back outside the ring where McIntyre would throw Sheamus into the barricade from the announcers’ table. They continued to fight throughout the ThunderDome, with McIntyre throwing Sheamus through electrical equipment. McIntyre was attempting to toss Sheamus back into the ring before eating a Brogue Kick for his trouble. Things got even worse with a White Noise through the table.

Sheamus got McIntyre back into the ring and looked to drop him on a part of the table. McIntyre was able to reverse and land the Claymore, picking up a big victory.

Drew McIntyre defeated Sheamus via pinfall: A

This was an amazingly brutal match. Both men took a wealth of damage and you can tell they enjoyed it along the way as friends performing together. While it was clear from the start that McIntyre was winning, it was an excellent match between the two veterans.

Randy Orton and Alexa Bliss were scheduled for a one-on-one match, but it was not clear what was going to happen in this scheduled intergender contest.

The match did not even get underway before Orton started spitting up the black liquid. Bliss eventually joined Orton in the ring and that is where things began to get weird. First it was fire that kept Orton away from Bliss, and he charged at her, smashing into the ring post. Orton stalked Bliss around the ring, almost getting crushed by falling lights.

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Back in the ring a hand came through the canvas, grabbing Orton’s leg to reveal that the Fiend had returned. Bliss pushed Orton into the Fiend who landed the Sister Abigail. She then sat on him for the pinfall.

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Alexa Bliss defeated Randy Orton via pinfall: F

This was every bit as bad as viewers thought it would be. Yes, the WWE is trying new things, but that does not mean the new things go over well. It will be interesting to see what this version of the Fiend does in the future, but the excitement is exceptionally low.

The main event of the evening brought out Daniel Bryan to challenge Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal title.

Bryan attempted to start the match out maneuvering the bigger man, which seemed like it was working until Reigns got his hands on Bryan. Reigns was able to throw Bryan to the ground, but that was where Bryan had a clear advantage, controlling him with his grappling. Reigns hit some power moves, but Bryan continued to control the match with grappling, leaving Reigns in pain.

Reigns eventually countered with a one-handed, Tilt-a-Whirl slam, but Bryan was able to kick out. Bryan tried to fight back to his feet, but Reigns continued to stomp away at the smaller man while Edge looked on from outside. They battled outside the ring, where Bryan had his moments, only to be dropped once again by the powerful champion.

Outside the ring Bryan hit a powerful combo, pushing Reigns into the steel post, and hitting a running knee off the apron. Back in the ring, Bryan laid into Reigns with Yes kicks to the chest and back. Even as Reigns fought back, Bryan dropped him with another kick to the back of the head, but Reigns kicked out. Reigns locked in the Yes Lock, positioning Reigns in the middle of the ring. Both men pulled themselves up and Bryan went for the flying knee but laid out the referee.

Reigns hit the spear and Edge had to come in to make the count. Reigns went back on the attack, but Bryan reversed it into a triangle. Jey Uso ran in and laid everyone out. Bryan with a chair in hand took out Jey and accidentally hit Edge. Bryan locked the Yes Lock in again and Reigns tapped but the referee was not there. Edge then started to assault both men with the steel chair. Reigns pulled himself across the ring and laid on Bryan to get the pinfall. Keeping the title.

Roman Reigns defeated Daniel Bryan via pinfall: A+

This was a great match and all the parties involved excelled. This was an exceptional showcase of Daniel Bryan as a babyface and Roman Reigns’s development as a character. The wrestling was also great. The finish was strong as it sets up a potential triple threat for WrestleMania, creating intrigue around how that match will finish.