Top 5 in-ring moments from Fastlane 2018

Image result for wwe fastlane 2018 cena losses in the corner
A night that delivered some stellar in-ring action

Even though WWE’s Fastlane pay-per-view is the last stop on the road to WrestleMania, the show is almost always pegged as the least anticipated pay-per-view on the calendar. Over the years, WWE has done everything in their power to change that perception, as Goldberg, Brock Lesnar and Daniel Bryan have all wrestled on the show to give it a sense of significance

However, fans were of the mindset that Fastlane’s monotonous build will eventually dissatisfy. While the SmackDown Live PPV had a substantial amount of poor booking decisions which was prevalent throughout the show, WWE covered most of that disappointment up with cleverly crafted in-ring action that ranged from respectable to absolutely breathtaking. Here are five such in-ring moments:


#1 Machka Day

Image result for wwe fastlane 2018 rusev superkick
The one moment the entire WWE Universe thought Rusev had pulled off the upset

Going into this pay-per-view match between Shinsuke Nakamura and Rusev, many expected it to be a standard win for "the King of Strong Style". However, WWE gave Rusev a chance to shine in this white-hot opening match, in contrast to what most of the WWE Universe would’ve predicted.

The part of the bout that truly captivated audiences was the moment when Nakamura was looking to put an end to Rusev’s night with his patterned Kinshasa knee strike, and "The Bulgarian Brute" countered it into a thunderous superkick that left viewers stunned.

youtube-cover

#2 Old foes create new magic

Image result for wwe usos mid night hour
Another memorable tale from this heated rivalry

From Hell in a Cell to SummerSlam, the rivalry between The Usos and The New Day has produced some of the best in-ring work of the past year. Therefore, when the blue brand needed to produce a Tag Team Championship match for the show, it was not surprising they went with the masterful skills of some of the best wrestlers in the company.

However, what was surprising was the fact that The Usos and The New Day found a way to freshen up their lengthy feud, and that was by stealing each others' move set. This idea provided an exciting first half to this bout and added another memorable page in the book of this classic feud.

youtube-cover

#3 Harper and Rowan destroy the fray

Image result for wwe harper and rowan attack new day
WWE established the former Wyatt Family members as a force to be reckoned with

Although Harper and Rowan are saddled with a gimmick that majority of the WWE Universe know is overdone, the stars somehow make it work. At Fastlane, they might have laid out the biggest beatdown of their careers on The Usos and The New Day.

Even though it was an odd decision to book this beatdown in the middle of the Tag Team Championship match, it firmly established The Bludgeon Brothers as a force to be reckoned with on Tuesday Nights. From absolutely annihilating The Usos to destroying Xavier Woods on the steel steps, this shows that WWE has faith in the hammer-wielding brutes to ignite a new spark in the blue brand's tag team division.

youtube-cover

#4 The Women's Title match delivers

Enter c
A breakout performance

The Riott Squad was a concept that failed to reach its full potential, as WWE never gave fans an outline of their initial motivations, goals or even a reason for being a team. But that all changed when Riott and Charlotte exchanged a war of words which gave their match at Fastlane a personal feel.

While the entire match was later overshadowed by Asuka’s surprise appearance, Ruby Riott and Charlotte delivered excellent storytelling and good in-ring action. From Riott's hurricanrana off the top rope to Charlotte's moonsault from the barricade, this match helped both competitors look strong.

youtube-cover

#5 Some thrilling main-event sequences

Image result for wwe fastlane 2018
Every competitor had achance to shine

The bout that set an underwhelming tone for the Fastlane pay-per-view was the overbooked WWE Championship match. However, even with bad booking looming over this contest, it managed to utilise the strengths of each competitor involved brilliantly.

Thrilling in-ring action and well-balanced storylines resulted in some brilliant moments such as- Baron Corbin smashing Dolph Ziggler through a barricade, Ziggler countering an AA into an Fameasser, John Cena sending AJ Styles through the announce table with an AA and many more moments that ended Fastlane on a high note, with AJ Styles as WWE Champion.

youtube-cover