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Fastlane 2021 felt like a tale of two pay-per-views. While it started off slow, the final four matches delivered in a big way. In terms of match quality, this has been the best WWE pay-per-view in months.
It's always the WWE shows that have low expectations that deliver in a big way - which is why we are considerably optimistic about WrestleMania 37. From having only a few matches on the card, Fastlane's last-minute additions also ended up delivering.
The final pay-per-view stop on the road to WrestleMania is now over. There were a lot of indications and hints for WrestleMania 37, which is what we will discuss. But let's start with the main event of Fastlane that has resulted in the confirmation of the WrestleMania 37 main event.
#7. Edge's controversial mistake at Fastlane and the fallout
The story of Fastlane's main event was how Daniel Bryan vowed to become the first man to make Roman Reigns tap out in WWE. We've seen Reigns lose by submission before, but he passed out and never actually tapped.
At Fastlane 2021, Reigns tapped to Bryan. But the victory was still his. How did it come about? After the referee was taken out in the middle of their intense main event, Edge came in to use his powers as the special enforcer.
That was when Jey Uso took advantage and tried to cost Daniel Bryan the match. At the time, it backfired because he got the running knee while attempting to use the steel chair.
Daniel Bryan tried using the steel chair against Roman Reigns, but the latter ducked and Edge was struck instead. When Bryan submitted Reigns, there was nobody in charge in the ring.
Instead, Edge smashed Daniel Bryan (and Roman Reigns) with a steel chair and walked away in fury - costing Bryan the match in the process. Reigns pinned a beaten-down Bryan, and Edge's mistake was indeed a controversial one.
It will be interesting to see how it plays out on SmackDown post-Fastlane. Will Daniel Bryan get inserted into the Universal Championship match at WrestleMania to make it a triple threat match? Or will WWE stick to their guns with Roman Reigns vs. Edge?
#6. Seth Rollins overcomes Shinsuke Nakamura at Fastlane and his next target is clear
For Seth Rollins, his first singles match in four months ended in victory at Fastlane. He faced Shinsuke Nakamura in what can arguably be described as the match of the night at Fastlane.
The story was about Nakamura trying to get revenge on behalf of his old tag team partner Cesaro. While he wasn't able to do that, he gave Rollins one of his best matches in a while.
Ultimately, Shinsuke Nakamura fell short after getting hit with the Curb Stomp. It was all about respect for Seth Rollins, and he likely earned Nakamura's. The next target is clear - Cesaro.
There will be three episodes of SmackDown between Fastlane and WrestleMania, giving it enough time to build to a good match for the two-day event. Cesaro is injured in the storyline, but he will be expected to return post-Fastlane.
If the Rollins-Nakamura match was a sign of anything, it's that Cesaro could be involved in an instant classic WrestleMania bout.
#5. Apollo Crews lost at Fastlane, but he could be WrestleMania-bound
In what we thought was a fun match to watch at Fastlane, Apollo Crews challenged Big E for the Intercontinental Championship. There weren't any other matches that had the same level of bad blood.
While we don't feel it was the best match at Fastlane, it served its purpose. Big E went right at Apollo Crews from the start and he was wrestling at a high pace before Crews slowed him down.
The finish was an awkward one to watch, but Big E ended up getting Crews' shoulders pinned down to secure a lucky victory. Without a second to waste, Crews attacked Big E post-match and screamed that it wasn't over.
We're not sure what the direction for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania is, but it seems that Apollo Crews will be involved in it.
He deserves it after the year he has had. The big question is as to whether any other superstar will get involved in the picture.
#4. Braun Strowman's WrestleMania match is all but confirmed after Fastlane 2021
Braun Strowman was originally scheduled to face Shane McMahon at Fastlane 2021. While everybody assumed that it would be the match that we would see at WrestleMania, WWE chose to book it for Fastlane.
Turns out, the speculation was right. It was revealed from pre-pay-per-view footage that Shane McMahon couldn't compete at Fastlane after suffering an 'injury' training with the pads beforehand.
Backstage at Fastlane, Elias tried to talk Shane McMahon into giving him yet another 'WrestleMania performance' - something that he talks about every year.
McMahon revealed that Elias would be taking his place against Braun Strowman at Fastlane - seconds before their match.
The result of the replacement match was never in any question. Braun Strowman eased past Elias to get the victory and momentum heading into WrestleMania 37. Shane McMahon's hilarious 'Stupid Express' shirt is also a big indicator of what's next.
We fully expect the build-up to Shane McMahon vs. Braun Strowman to begin on the RAW post-Fastlane 2021.
#3. The SmackDown Women's Championship rivalry heats up at Fastlane
The opening match on Fastlane saw SmackDown Women's Champion Sasha Banks team up with her WrestleMania 37 opponent Bianca Belair to challenge for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships.
WWE did well to make us think that Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler had tension with each other, and a refreshed Reginald was ringside at Fastlane - having a direct impact on the match.
Ultimately, it was Banks who got pinned and the women's tag team titles didn't change hands, thankfully. But what was more notable was the post-match interaction that the two women had. Sasha Banks struck Bianca Belair post-match and told her that she's a rookie while flaunting her title.
This was WWE's way of heating up the feud at Fastlane with three weeks remaining. It would have been better had the rivalry not been such a confusing one involving multiple other superstars.
Let's hope that WWE keeps it simple post-Fastlane and the two get a decent showing ahead of their SmackDown Women's Championship match at WrestleMania.
#2. Drew McIntyre ends his rivalry with Sheamus at Fastlane in a big way
Another major candidate for the match of the night at Fastlane 2021 was Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus in a No Holds Barred match. Looking at their last couple of matches on RAW, it's clear that both men have chemistry.
It was great to see Sheamus in such an important match at Fastlane and he justified his spot against McIntyre. Sheamus has had one of the best runs of his WWE career recently, and we hope that it doesn't conclude because of this loss.
Drew McIntyre was always going to win at Fastlane. He is scheduled for a WWE title match against Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania, and a momentum-building win was needed. The two former friends went to war and McIntyre, sporting a Braveheart-like facepaint representing Scotland, took Sheamus to the limit and ended up beating him with the Claymore Kick at Fastlane.
It's an appropriate end to their rivalry, but if Drew McIntyre were to win the WWE title at WrestleMania, then Sheamus would be a great title opponent.
#1. The bizarre return at Fastlane
Randy Orton vs. Alexa Bliss at Fastlane was always going to be an interesting affair. What we didn't realize was that Orton wasn't going to get even the slightest bit of offense.
Everything about the presentation was creepy and brilliantly done. From Alexa Bliss' horror-like face paint to the slowed and warped theme song, the match at Fastlane was well done from the get-go.
Orton had to face the wrath of Bliss and nearly got his face burned again and almost got crushed by the lights that fell from above. The biggest story, of course, was the return of The Fiend.
It was expected, but not in this way. Randy Orton's legs were being pulled from beneath the ring and The Fiend appeared. With a completely new and horrific look, he helped Bliss pin Orton to get the victory.
Orton is WrestleMania-bound against The Fiend - a new and even scarier version of Bray Wyatt. What will be the aftermath of Fastlane 2021 for Randy Orton?
