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From a newsworthy intergender match to a controversial main event, WWE Fastlane 2021 featured many contrasting moments.
Sunday's pay-per-view was a tale of two halves. Fastlane began on an underwhelming note, but the event soon turned into an engaging show during the second half. It was not the most cohesive pay-per-view as a whole, but there were just enough moments to make it a decent and enjoyable offering.
At the same time, most finishes from this event served to build towards WWE WrestleMania 37. What are your thoughts on this year's WWE Fastlane pay-per-view? Do leave your opinions in the comments section below.
Here are the five biggest news stories from WWE Fastlane 2021.
#5 Bianca Belair got slapped by her own tag team partner at WWE Fastlane
At Fastlane, Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair teamed up to take on Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler with the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships at stake.
Heading into this bout, Banks and Belair were on the same page. Meanwhile, Jax and Baszler had a bad night on the SmackDown episode before Fastlane. But over the course of their match at Sunday's pay-per-view, this equation was reversed for Jax and Baszler's benefit.
In addition to Reginald's shenanigans, the conflict between Banks and Belair allowed Jax and Baszler to retain their titles.
After the match, The EST of WWE and The Legit Boss argued about their loss in the ring. This sequence should have led to a significant brawl between the two stars, as Banks slapped Belair and stormed off immediately. But for some reason, Belair did not retaliate in any capacity.
Sasha Banks is now the clear heel of their feud, while Bianca Belair is the babyface. Unfortunately, the SmackDown Women's Championship storyline has already lost a lot of momentum because of Banks and Belair's passive equation in WWE. Both have verbally expressed their frustrations on television, but the duo's overcomplicated presence in the tag team division has been a problem.
Let's hope that the two stars can solely focus on their WrestleMania clash from this point onward.
#4 Mustafa Ali was betrayed by his RETRIBUTION teammates at WWE Fastlane
There were rumors that something major would go down with RETRIBUTION at WWE Fastlane. At the event, RETRIBUTION finally took action against their leader for having a nasty attitude towards other members of the group.
During the pre-show, Riddle defended his United States Championship against Mustafa Ali. Despite Ali's tendency to present himself as a superior competitor to his allies, the star had lost two of his previous matches against Riddle. This pattern would stay the same, as Ali failed to pick up a victory against his opponent at WWE Fastlane.
However, Ali berated his allies after the match and blamed them for his most recent loss. While Reckoning and Slapjack simply walked away from the scene, T-Bar and Mace stood in the ring to physically confront their leader. The two stars executed a double chokeslam on Ali, thus kicking him out of the faction.
Mustafa Ali was supposed to be RETRIBUTION's saving grace. While he did become a much-needed presence within the faction, their onscreen booking remained poor and it hasn't yet improved in terms of quality.
Will Ali's exclusion from the group lead to a major improvement? The fact that this particular plot development took place during the pre-show proves just how little faith WWE has left in this idea.
#3 Sheamus and Drew McIntyre went to war in the best match of WWE Fastlane 2021
Drew McIntyre channeled his inner-Braveheart against his former best friend, Sheamus, at WWE Fastlane. The two fought in a No Holds Barred match, and their clash quickly sprawled all over the arena.
In terms of physicality, this was a brutal encounter to end Sheamus and McIntyre's current WWE feud. At one point, The Scottish Warrior tossed Sheamus through the ThunderDome's screens, which led to an unexpected explosion.
After a few unmerciful spots, McIntyre managed to Claymore Kick his opponent and earn the victory. While WWE fans did expect McIntyre to win at Fastlane, the two stars might have put on the best match out of their recent series of bouts.
It's safe to say that the quality of this year's WWE Fastlane event improved a lot by having this match on the card.
Drew McIntyre can now solely focus on his WrestleMania clash against current WWE Champion Bobby Lashley. If McIntyre put on such a physical bout against Sheamus, fans can only imagine what will happen when The Scottish Warrior steps toe-to-toe against The All-Mighty at WrestleMania 37.
#2 Edge went berserk during Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan's WWE Fastlane contest
The main event of WWE Fastlane featured Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan's highly-awaited match for the Universal Championship. For the most part, Bryan and Reigns proved why they deserve to be called "the best of the best."
Special ringside enforcer Edge even got to play referee when the actual WWE official was knocked out at one point. However, Edge's inclusion is when the situation got out of hand at WWE Fastlane.
Towards the end, Bryan accidentally hit Edge with a chair shot that was intended for Reigns. Soon after, the Yes Movement's leader managed to accomplish the impossible - he tapped out The Tribal Chief. Despite this monumental achievement, Bryan wasn't awarded the victory. Instead, Edge threw a fit and attacked both Bryan and Reigns with a chair.
Clearly, Edge seemed insecure over his planned WrestleMania spot, something which had been teased for weeks. The Ultimate Opportunist reached his limit and snapped against the two Universal Championship contenders, leaving Reigns to cover his opponent for the victory.
At first, the finish seemed like a cheap way to build towards a triple threat match for the Universal title at WWE WrestleMania 37. But at the same time, this ending paints Daniel Bryan as the clear babyface, Roman Reigns as the clear heel, and Edge as the most conflicted personality between the two stars.
Whether or not Edge crosses the line and becomes a full-fledged heel after WWE Fastlane remains to be seen. But the seeds have been planted for Edge's possible heel turn, while Bryan gets a chance to create the same narrative as his iconic WrestleMania 30 run.
For the first time throughout The Tribal Chief's title reign, there is a huge chance he could lose the gold at The Show of Shows. After WWE Fastlane, the stakes have been significantly increased, even if the path to achieving that goal did not please everyone at the same time.
#1 The Fiend made his long-awaited return at WWE Fastlane
Alexa Bliss and Randy Orton's intergender match was one of the most awaited matches at WWE Fastlane. Many fans and critics wished for The Fiend to return during this bout, which is exactly what happened at the pay-per-view.
Bliss deserves a lot of credit as she carried the match just through her facial expressions. WWE's production team did a good job with the effects, which allowed Bliss to play mind games with Orton and delay the inevitable.
The Fiend had symbolically melted into the ground to retreat to his home/hell at last year's TLC pay-per-view. At WWE Fastlane, The Fiend rose from the ground up and revealed a new "burnt look" that has already gained significant praise all across social media. A Sister Abigail maneuver from The Fiend sealed Orton's fate as Bliss gladly capitalized on the opportunity and pinned him to earn the victory.
Monday Night RAW's demonic duo reunited at WWE Fastlane, which has become a trending topic of conversation among members of the WWE Universe, as expected.
The intergender match's events provided some answers but also raised a few important questions for the future of this storyline. Also, The Fiend's return seemingly added more weight to the obvious rumors that he will have a match against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 37.
What are your thoughts on The Fiend's new look? Are you excited for Randy Orton and The Fiend's potential clash at WrestleMania? Let us know your opinions in the comments section below.
