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WWE Fastlane is a relatively new PPV, having been created in 2015. After the brand split it was a Raw-exclusive event, then became a Smackdown-exclusive event, and now is for both of the 'main' WWE brands.
The concept behind Fastlane is that it is the final stop on the Road to Wrestlemania -- the fast lane, if you will. It provides the final opportunity for some superstars to make it onto the biggest card of the year, as it did for Becky Lynch this time.
Despite some of the matches being thrown together at the last minute, WWE Fastlane wound up being a thoroughly entertaining card, with heavy ramifications for the biggest event of the year, Wrestlemania 35.
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2019's Fastlane was a dual-branded event, meaning that superstars from both Raw and Smackdown -- and in one match, NXT -- appeared on the card.
Now in the history books, Fastlane has certain repercussions for Wrestlemania and beyond. Here are ten takeaways from WWE Fastlane 2019.
#1 Shane McMahon swerved everyone
Be honest, now; when you first saw the tandem of the Miz and Shane McMahon in action, you knew it wasn't going to last forever.
The fact that the tag team split up was expected; after all, WWE has done an excellent job of building up tension between the Miz and Shane McMahon. However, the expectation from nearly everyone was that the Miz -- long a heel wrestler -- would be the one to turn on his partner Shane.
When Shane McMahon unexpectedly turned heel and attacked the Miz, it genuinely swerved the entire audience. This adds in yet another chapter to the compelling drama surrounding wrestling's odd couple tag team.
#2 Fire and Desire -- Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville -- may be heading for a split
Way back when Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville made their main roster debuts, they were part of Paige's Absolution stable. The villainous trio turned a lot of heads until Paige's unfortunate injury and subsequent retirement from in-ring action.
But the duo persevered, continuing to team together and even picking an official tag team name, Fire and Desire. Though Bayley and Sasha Banks--the Boss N Hug connection--were heavily favoured to become the first ever women's tag team champions of the modern era, there was a lot of momentum behind Fire and Desire as well.
After Mandy Rose managed to defeat Asuka on Smackdown, she was granted a women's championship match at Fastlane. Her well-meaning partner Sonya Deville attempted to interfere on her behalf, only to have those efforts backfire. Mandy Rose shrugged off Deville's attempts to make amends, adding credence to the theory that their tag team is heading for a split.
#3 Ricochet was the MVP of his match
Recently, superstars from NXT have begun showing up on WWE's Raw and Smackdown brands. One of the men chosen for this honour was Ricochet, the One and Only.
Ricochet certainly lived up to his hype during the wild triple threat that saw the Revival's Dash and Dawson take on Glorious Alphas--Bobby Roode and Chad Gable--and the NXT team of Ricochet and Aleister Black.
While Ricochet and Black were unsuccessful in wresting the tag team titles from The Revival's iron grip, they were none the less impressive. Ricochet pulled off two particularly insane moves; A huricanrana from the apron to the outside, which took out every man in the match, and an absolutely unbelievable somersault flip over the ring post to the outside.
Sometimes you can find victory in defeat, and Ricochet has definitely made his presence known to the main roster fans.
#4 Samoa Joe looks dominant as US champ
Many fans believed that hell would freeze over before they got to see Samoa Joe in a WWE ring, but it still happened.
From his dominant display during his NXT run to his brutal feud with AJ Styles, Samoa Joe has silenced the critics who said his ring style wouldn't mesh well with the WWE performers. At Fastlane, the Samoan Submission Machine proved his total dominance in a wild fatal four way for Joe's United States Championship.
Joe classes up the mid-card by his mere presence and the addition of the legendary Rey Misterio and the up-and-coming Andrade just made the match that much more prestigious. Despite a very game effort by everyone involved -- including the middle-aged Rey Misterio, who looks crisp as ever -- Joe was the clear cut winner after brutally taking out every man in the match at one point or another.
Joe is going to kill you--and retain his US title for the foreseeable future.
#5 Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix could be returning for Wrestlemania
The Boss N Hug connection of Bayley and Sasha Banks made their first successful title defence at Fastlane against the team of Nia Jax and Tamina Snuka, but what happened after the match is what everyone is buzzing about.
Hall of fame superstar Beth Phoenix was doing guest commentary and took exception to the sore losers Jax and Tamina's post-match beat down of the Boss N Hug connection. She got into a verbal altercation with Tamina Snuka, which ended when The Glamazon hauled off and decked the long-tenured women's wrestler. Nia Jax jumped in to save her partner, and the Samoan Sisters proceeded to double team Phoenix.
That's when Beth Phoenix's old Divas of Doom tag team partner Natalya appeared to make the save. Obviously, the bad blood was not settled at Fastlane, and match between the four women seems imminent--and it might take place at Wrestlemania 35.
#6 Kofi Kingston is officially a big deal
Sometimes, opportunity strikes at strange places in the world of pro wrestling, and those that seize the bull by the horns can catapult themselves to main event success.
Thus has it been with Kofi Kingston over the last few weeks. The New Day's longest-tenured member got a great response from the Smackdown Live crowd when he was given an opportunity to join the Elimination Chamber event by wrestling a gruelling gauntlet match. His performance at the Chamber event was greeted with nigh continuous Kofi chants, and many fans were disappointed when Kingston failed to capture the big belt which has eluded him throughout his career.
But a major thing happened at Fastlane; Vince McMahon became more personally involved with Kofi's storyline. When Vince McMahon opposes someone, that usually leads to a major push for that wrestler; Just look at what happened to Stone Cold Steve Austin, whose rivalry with McMahon defined the Attitude Era.
The fact that McMahon is so heavily involved with Kofi, forcing him into a handicap match, means that big things are probably in store for Kingston.
#7 Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev are not done with the New Day
On the Fastlane Kickoff Show, the WWE put on a special attraction match between the newly formed tandem of Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura and the New Day's Xavier Woods and Big E Langston.
The match, despite limited build up, was generally well received by the Fastlane crowd. The match built up momentum slowly until a flurry of near falls toward the end raised the fervour into a fever pitch.
The New Day defeated Rusev and Nakamura after hitting a tandem Up Up Down Down, despite interference by Lana. Probably most people figured that would be the end of things, but then Nakamura and Rusev attacked the New Day members later in the show.
This, of course, sets up a feud between the four men, which might just culminate at Wrestlemania 35.
#8 Mustafa Ali is a certified main event talent
205 Live star Mustafa Ali has already put on some quite impressive performances for the WWE universe, including his highly rated bouts against Buddy Murphy.
However, when he was elevated to the Smackdown brand many critics and fans were left scratching their heads. After all, Mustafa Ali may be a great wrestler, but many questioned whether he would be able to hang with top tier talents like Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles.
Those same critics have surely been silenced now because Mustafa Ali was the most impressive man in the three-way dance for the WWE Championship--and that's saying something, considering the talent involved all upped their game throughout the night.
Ali hit a sick looking Spanish Fly and a tornado DDT from the top rope during the match, and was also able to recover after being kicked right off the turnbuckle by Daniel Bryan. Mustafa Ali has cemented his place among the main event talent, and should see more opportunities in the future.
#9 The Shield still garners emotion and support from the WWE Universe
Recently, the WWE Universe was treated to a third Shield reunion, when Roman Reigns made an unexpectedly quick return from his Leukemia treatment.
While many wrestling critics complained that the Shield is getting stale at this point, there's no question that the fans in the Fastlane arena were thoroughly engaged with the Hounds of Justice in what might be their final match as a unit.
With Dean Ambrose planning to leave after his WWE contract expires after Wrestlemania, Roman Reigns wanted to stand together with his Shield brothers one last time. The match itself was chaotic and emotional, with lots of brawling and a broken announce table courtesy of a Shield bomb on Drew McIntyre.
Though some may have tired of their antics, clearly the majority of the WWE Universe is still smitten with the Shield--which makes their match and victory that much more bittersweet.
#10 Becky Lynch has definitely gotten into Rousey's head
These days, Ronda Rousey has generated a ton of interest for herself and WWE. From her expletive-laden, kayfabe breaking comments where she acknowledged that wrestling is 'fake,' to her heated social media war with Becky Lynch, the former UFC and Olympic champion, has certainly made her presence known beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Many have said that Becky Lynch has been worming her way into the champion's psyche with her tweets, sneak attacks, and refusal to back down from the former MMA fighter. At Fastlane, that point was proven unequivocally.
Ronda didn't have to interfere, and it certainly wasn't in her best interest to do so. After all, she had at least a fifty percent chance of walking out of Wrestlemania 35 as women's champion by just facing Charlotte; Now the odds have dropped down to one in three. So when Rousey attacked Lynch and forced the referee to disqualify Charlotte, the champion was acting against her own best interests.
Why did she do it? Because Becky Lynch got in her head. Now it remains to be seen what will happen when the three women square off at Wrestlemania 35.
There you have it; Ten takeaways from Fastlane 2019. Questions or comments? Please leave them after the article and as always thanks for reading!
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