The final pay-per-view before WrestleMania is nearly upon us. WWE Fastlane takes place this Sunday in Milwaukee and there is sure to be plenty of developments as we head toward the biggest PPV of the year.
With numerous title matches that could seemingly go either way, Fastlane may actually be one of the most unpredictable PPVs of the year. That’s impressive since WrestleMania plans are usually somewhat laid out by now.
Bayley is the Women’s champion and even though Charlotte is undefeated on PPV, are they really going to play hot potato with the title yet again?
Neville heads into Fastlane as the Cruiserweight champion and looks unbeatable, but we’ve been surprised before, and with Jack Gallagher arguably being the most popular member of the Cruiserweight division, could he pull off the shock victory over the King of the Cruiserweights?
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson finally captured tag team gold (or silver?) but have been booked horrendously since. Could WWE push the reset button and hand the titles over to Enzo and Big Cass?
And then the biggest question of all. Will it be Kevin Owens or Goldberg who carries the Universal title into WrestleMania 33?
Only time will tell. But until then, we’ve got bold predictions for some of these matches as well as others set to go down at WWE Fastlane.
#5 Bayley retains the Women’s Championship vs Charlotte
Betting against Charlotte on PPV is never a safe bet, but these aren’t called bold predictions for nothing.
Bayley won the Women’s championship on Raw a few weeks ago when she shockingly defeated Charlotte in the main event. It was a victory that some fans may believe was rushed and could have been saved for WrestleMania, but nevertheless, the Huggable One is carrying the title as we head into Fastlane.
The question is, can she retain? We’re going out on a limb and saying yes.
Also read: When is WWE Fastlane 2017? Date, time, match card, how and where to watch, live stream
Yes, it is unlikely that Charlotte’s acclaimed PPV win streak ends on a B-level PPV such as Fastlane. But that would make it all the more surprising and memorable.
After all, everyone is just expecting her to win at this point. For once, the swerve would be Charlotte losing, rather than regaining the title on PPV for the 4th time.
If Bayley wins, it would finally bring some stability to the Women’s title. Hopefully, WWE realises this and doesn’t keep flip-flopping the title just so to Charlotte can eventually become a 16-time champion like her father.
#4 Jack Gallagher becomes Cruiserweight Champion
Jack Gallagher should not win the Cruiserweight title at Fastlane.
Although he’s popular, WWE would be smart to hold off on his eventual title victory for now. It will be a much more special moment if his journey to the championship involves more of an uphill climb as opposed to the brief buildup that has happened leading into Fastlane.
But that doesn’t mean Gallagher can’t come out on top this Sunday. Ill-advised title changes are nothing new to WWE who have shocked fans more than a few times over the years, whether it be for better or worse, and this feels like it could be one of those times.
Just take the aforementioned Women’s title for example.
Although it has changed hands via some incredible matches, it has probably changed hands a few too many times. Before the pattern was established, nobody would have expected Sasha Banks to win the belt on Raw three times or Charlotte to do so on PPV three times.
With Gallagher, WWE knows they’ve finally developed a decent babyface in the Cruiserweight division and that could prompt them to put the title on him. And although Neville is more suited to carry the division, he could easily just win the title back at WrestleMania 33.
So we’re going out on a limb and saying Gallagher comes out on top at Fastlane.
#3 Braun Strowman squashes Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is WWE’s golden boy. that’s been proven by the near constant push he has been receiving over the past couple years. So they would never let him get dominated by another Superstar, right? Well, that’s what we all thought about Brock Lesnar too.
WWE has done some surprising things as long as it makes sense in the storyline, and making sure Braun Strowman continues to look like a monster would be beneficial for them in the long-term. They’ve been in need of a credible monster heel for a long time.
Feeding Strowman to Reigns would undo everything they’ve accomplished.
Of course, logical booking doesn’t always happen when it comes to Reigns. This is the guy we’ve seen get pushed to the moon in the past despite a majority of the fanbase being vehemently against it.
So there is a chance that not only is Reigns not squashed in this match, but that he actually wins.
But we’re predicting that WWE uses the shock factor to continue Strowman’s rise to stardom. Reigns won’t be hurt by the loss, but Strowman would benefit greatly by decimating the former WWE champion.
The Monster Among Men should destroy Reigns this Sunday at Fastlane, for the good of his career.
#2 The Hardy Boyz debut
The Hardy Boyz made quite the career for themselves in TNA. Both men were highly-decorated champions and they became the hottest acts in all of pro wrestling this past year thanks to their “Broken” gimmick.
But it appears that their time with the rebranded Impact Wrestling has come to an end as they have left the company and vacated the tag team championships.
WWE has reportedly shown interest in bringing back one of the most popular tag teams of the Attitude era. If they come back, it’s unclear what their roles would be, or what their gimmick would be.
Would they be allowed to continue on with the broken gimmick, or would they return to their original identities as the Hardy Boyz?
Well, we may find out soon. Matt and Jeff have reportedly had preliminary talks about returning to WWE, as per Pro Wrestling Sheet. There’s no telling how quickly the deal could get done, but it’s not an impossibility for it to get done before Fastlane.
That’s why we’re predicting that the Hardyz make their long-awaited return this Sunday.
The Hardyz would revitalise a somewhat dry tag team division. Gallows and Anderson are weak champions, Enzo and Cass are uninspiring challengers, and the New Day basically have nothing to do.
This would be a major shot in the arm for the Raw tag division.
#1 Kevin Owens retains with the help of Samoa Joe
Predicting that Kevin Owens retains his title this Sunday may be bold in and of itself.
Goldberg has been booked like a monster and it wouldn’t be surprising to see WWE put the title on him before his clash with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 33. But Owens has good reason to retain as well, and he could do so via some questionable means this Sunday.
Owens and Samoa Joe have not interacted on Raw as of yet. But they do have one big thing in common: they were both hand-picked to be at the forefront of Raw by Triple H. This suggests that there could be a stable forming here, and it would be intimidating, to say the least.
We could see the formation of the stable at Fastlane.
Joe has a match against Sami Zayn, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t get involved in the main event. Owens is no stranger to his matches ending in shenanigans, just ask Chris Jericho.
There is a chance that, at the request of Triple H, Joe somehow ensures that Owens retains the Universal title against Goldberg. We would officially see the creation of perhaps the most interesting and dominant faction since the Shield.
Owens retaining makes a lot of sense. Goldberg vs Lesnar doesn’t need to be for the Universal title; it feels like a huge match regardless. Owens could do a lot more as Universal champion, and Joe could make sure that happens.
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