5 surprising moments from WWE Fastlane 2021

WWE Fastlane was a decent show on Sunday night. It certainly did a lot of building for WrestleMania in three weeks. A majority of the matches had some very inconclusive finishes that made the first hour of the show disappointing in terms of match quality. The show was certainly saved by two really good matches. The No Holds Barred Match was quite a physical brawl. And the main event of WWE Fastlane was a fantastic match filled with some great storytelling. The Road to WrestleMania has just gotten far more interesting for the WWE Universal Championship.

As we try to figure out why the Old Spice Guy won the 24/7 Championship, we should try to distract ourselves and present the list of the top five most surprising moments of WWE Fastlane 2021:

#5 RETRIBUTION Ends at WWE Fastlane 2021

It might be a good idea to not be a jerk to your group Ali.

When Slapjack leaves your group at WWE Fastlane, you know it is the end of an Era. Sad times, indeed.

Mustafa Ali had a match against Riddle for the WWE United States Championship. It was a good match filled with strong action through the fast-paced 10 minuters. Ali looked like a credible threat as he controlled a majority of the offense. Ali’s problem was he was so busy bragging to RETRIBUTION that he allowed Riddle to get back into the match. This allowed Riddle to hit his Bro Derek slam from the top rope for the win. It was an impressive end to their match at WWE Fastlane. However, the post-match events were the most surprising part of the Kickoff Show.

Ali felt the need to blame RETRIBUTION for the loss. This led to Reckoning leaving the ring first with Slapjack quickly following. This left T-Bar and Mace to hit Ali with a double chokeslam. It sure seems like RETRIBUTION is over after the events of WWE Fastlane. It has been one of the most disappointing stables in recent WWE history. Here is hoping the talented wrestlers in this group get better storylines going forward.

#4 The bizarre finish in the Intercontinental Championship match at WWE Fastlane 2021

Apollo stands tall after losing the match at WWE Fastlane.

Apollo Crews has done his best work in recent weeks since turning heel on SmackDown ahead of WWE Fastlane. It has allowed him to show a vicious side and incorporate his Nigerian roots into his character. It seemed well set up for an excellent match between Big E and Apollo Crews for the Intercontinental Championship at WWE Fastlane. What we got instead was very surprising and disappointing.

The first five minutes of action at WWE Fastlane was intense. Then they rushed to a finish where both Big E and Crews tried to get the pinfall. It was hard to tell who was pinned as the referee restarted her count multiple times. Just when it seemed they were getting back into the match, the referee counted to three and said Big E won. It was a confusing and disappointing way to end what should have been one of the best matches at WWE Fastlane.

Crews wasn’t pleased and attacked Big E after the match. That seems like a good way to get Crews his heat back and set up a potential rematch at WrestleMania. It just felt like a cheap and surprising way to get to that match. It made their clash at WWE Fastlane seem like a waste of time. Here's hoping their rematch at WrestleMania is much better.

#3 The very physical No Holds Barred Match at WWE Fastlane 2021

Drew survives a war at WWE Fastlane.

Ahead of WWE Fastlane, Monday Night RAW has done a good job of building up the friendship between Drew McIntyre and Sheamus as well as its demise. When the friendship ended, they have had a series of physical matches in recent weeks on RAW. At WWE Fastlane, they took that battle to another level.

The No Holds Barred Match at WWE Fastlane seems like the perfect end to a very personal feud. For nearly 20 minutes, the two friends simply went to war. Drew McIntyre even wore facepaint. They both inflicted multiple kendo stick shots on each other that left visible cuts and bruises. The intensity picked up when Drew whipped Sheamus through a bunch of the Thunderdome screens, causing some sparks. Sheamus recovered enough to hit a White Noise on the announce table. It was a painful few minutes.

They got back into the ring for the finish. Sheamus brought part of the announce table into the ring to use. He was unsuccessful, as Drew dropped Sheamus with a Future Shock DDT and quickly followed it up with a Claymore Kick for a victory. The WWE Championship match between Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley will have a lot to live up to the brutal nature of the McIntyre/Sheamus feud.

#2 The Fiend Returns at WWE Fastlane 2021

Not at all scary moment by Bray Wyatt.

It was quite surprising to see WWE announce a match between Alexa Bliss and Randy Orton at WWE Fastlane. While we have seen many crazy things in recent weeks involving this feud, an intergender match is rare in the WWE. At WWE Fastlane, we (kind of) saw a match between the two Superstars. What we really saw were some unexpected surprises.

Calling what occurred at WWE Fastlane a "match" is a bit of a stretch. It was more of a cinematic experience featuring Alexa Bliss tormenting Randy Orton. She somehow had stage lights fall and almost hit Orton. She even tried the fireball trick yet again. Just as it seemed Randy Orton was about to get his hands on Alexa Bliss, it was time for a horrifying return.

The Fiend came up and through the ring canvas in a plume of fire. This time, his mask and entire body appeared horribly burned. His mask was especially uncomfortable to look at on Sunday night. This return allowed a distracted Orton to be felled by The Fiend's Sister Abigail neckbreaker. Alexa Bliss then quickly picked up the victory at WWE Fastlane. Expect more mind games and creepy moments between these three ahead of WrestleMania.

#1 Roman Reigns taps out at WWE Fastlane 2021

Roman Reigns moments before he tapped out at WWE Fastlane.

WWE has done a good job of building up the upcoming WrestleMania match between Roman Reigns and Edge, so it was interesting to see Daniel Bryan pushed into the title picture at WWE Fastlane. He has shown the same desperation as Edge in recent weeks as he believed this was his only chance to get back into the WrestleMania main event. However, it seemed inevitable that Roman Reigns would win and get a shot at Edge at WrestleMania. That quickly changed in a shocking and surprising finish on Sunday night.

The 30-minute match between Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns was among the best in pro wrestling this year. It was an excellent mix of Reigns’ power moves versus Bryan’s submission prowess. Daniel Bryan was certainly in his A-game for submission offense at WWE Fastlane. It was the surprising finish that will impact WWE storylines going forward.

The referee was knocked out late in the match. This forced Edge to actually step into the WWE Universal Championship match at WWE Fastlane as the enforcer and temporary referee. He tried to call the match down the middle until Jey Uso interfered. This brought a chair into the equation that Daniel Bryan used to accidentally hit Edge. With no official available, Daniel put the Yes Lock onto Roman Reigns, who proceeded to tap out. Edge, finally recovered, then hit Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns with a chair before leaving in frustration. Roman Reigns was able to take advantage and get the pinfall.

It was surprising to see Daniel Bryan booked so strong on Sunday night. It leads to the important question: how can WWE possibly keep Daniel out of the Universal Championship match at WrestleMania? It will be a fun story to follow over the next three weeks.