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We’re just a few weeks away from WWE Fastlane, which will be the final stop on the road to WrestleMania. The secondary event was a Raw-exclusive show last year but this time around it’ll be SmackDown Live who bring the curtain down on all pre-Mania PPVs, as the blue brand attempt to really build the hype for the showcase of the immortals in New Orleans.
Several big names are set to do battle on this card as they attempt to worm their way into the plans for Mania, although as we know, not all of them will be successful. Regardless of that this should still be a fairly entertaining event, with the venue being the Nationwide Arena in Columbus.
With this being one of the last chances for superstars to impress WWE management you can bet that there are going to be some world class matches on display, which is really all we can ask for from FL at this point.
With that being said, here are five potential matches for Fastlane 2018.
#1 AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn
This is the first of two scenarios that we can see being created tonight on SmackDown Live, and to be honest, it’s probably our favourite. Although we all know that AJ Styles has a 99.9% chance of walking into the Superdome as WWE champion, having Owens and Zayn refuse to fight each other tonight could lead to an interesting triple threat scenario.
It would be the perfect time for Sami to turn on Owens and cost him the WWE title one more time, and it’d allow AJ to grab the victory on his way towards a dream match against Nakamura in New Orleans.
Plus, it’s a little bit different from their handicap match at the Royal Rumble, which always helps when you’re trying to keep things fresh.
#2 Charlotte Flair vs. Ruby Riott
This is a match we’ve seen before, but if we ramp up the stakes a little, then things could get interesting.
We all know that the Riott Squad hasn’t been the most successful faction in WWE history, but if you give Riott the opportunity to win the title in a no disqualification match, then that could all change. Because of the stipulation, you could have Naomi, Lynch, Logan & Morgan all interfere, which would lead to Daniel Bryan making the eventual title match for WrestleMania.
Plus, there’s always the possibility of Charlotte retaining before Asuka comes out to officially challenge her to a dream match for the strap at WrestleMania.
The possibilities are endless and while it may be a little bit messy, it’d also be a lot of fun.
#3 AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens or Sami Zayn
We’ve landed at scenario two of a possible two for tonight’s SmackDown Live, and it’ll be interesting to see what they do with this given how many different booking scenarios are on the table.
If Owens and Zayn do in fact decide to square off, then the loser of this could well cost the other at Fastlane. It’d make all the sense in the world given their current alignments, although if it’s Kevin who does the turn, it would be a case of ‘lather rinse repeat’.
We’re hoping that it’s Sami who wins the bout tonight if indeed one of them does reign supreme above the other because let’s be honest, Styles vs Zayn would be one hell of a main event.
#4 Bobby Roode vs. Dolph Ziggler
You won’t find too many people who want to see Bobby Roode vs Dolph Ziggler in a United States Championship unification match, but we’d still rather see it go down at Fastlane than on the grandest stage of them all.
WWE has tried and tried again to make Ziggler a relevant member of the SmackDown Live roster, but nothing they try is working. It seems as if they’re just banging their head against a brick wall at this point, and if you want to make this potential showdown a little bit more dramatic, then we’ve got the perfect thing for it.
Have Ziggler be that confident that he puts his career on the line, only this time, he loses. Then he can do his thing on the independent scene for a few years before returning, and everyone goes home a winner.
#5 Bludgeon Brothers vs. The New Day
The Bludgeon Brothers are coming for the SmackDown Live Tag Team Championships, and that’s an extremely exciting thought.
We’ve seen Harper & Rowan square off against The Usos many times over the last few years, and we’d love to see it again – but this time, why not throw in the hottest tag team act of the last decade?
Make Bludgeon Brothers vs New Day a number one contender’s match for Fastlane, only for the bout to be thrown out after a 20-minute war. Then you can have a triple threat ladder match for the belts at WrestleMania, which is a spot that all seven guys involved deserve.
Sure, it’s similar to what they did with the Raw tag titles last year, but the spotlight needs to be on the blue brand this time around.
