Best and Worst of WWE Fastlane 2018

Looking at the ups and downs of Fastlane
Looking at the ups and downs of Fastlane

Fastlane wasn't a terrible show when it was all said and done. As we had expected, the undercard was a tad disappointing and the main event lived up to all the hype. We wonder, however, if it was an important show, on the road to WrestleMania. We're still torn with regard to that aspect.

Welcome to the Best and Worst of Fastlane. If you're a new reader, this is a recap of the events that transpire on any WWE show, and our analysis of the same. Additionally, we also invite you to leave your opinion of the show in the comments.

What did you think of Fastlane, ahead of WrestleMania 34? Was it the show that you wished for or did it not deliver, as per your expectations?

In this article, we present our own opinion of Fastlane...


#1 Best: The main event

All of the men involved in the match gave it their all!
All of the men involved in the match gave it
their
all!

It would be fair to call Fastlane a one-match show, really. The Six Pack Challenge was the central focus of the advertising for Fastlane, and considering how good each of the men involved in the match are, we're glad it delivered. In fact, it even exceeded our expectations in some ways. We're talking about the sub-plots that emerged from the match.

In our opinion, the implosion of the friendship between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn was the primary highlight of the match. The secondary highlight was how Shane McMahon involved himself in the scheme of things, and refused to let Owens or Zayn win the match. A heelish thing for a babyface to do, but hey, it's still a plot twist.

As for AJ Styles, we're really glad that the dream match with Shinsuke Nakamura is still on and that a wrench was not thrown into the WrestleMania plans at Fastlane.

There was a lot of speculation with regard to The Undertaker showing up at Fastlane, but we suppose that didn't happen because the build to John Cena vs. The Undertaker will happen on SmackDown Live in the coming weeks, as reports indicate.

#1 Worst: Felt like a 3 hour SmackDown Live episode

Somehow, the undercard was extremely underwhelming to us
Somehow, the undercard was extremely underwhelming to us

With no disrespect meant to the men and women who competed on the card, somehow Fastlane was just an underwhelming show except for the opener and the main event. This is because of the inability of WWE creative to have us connect with the characters on the show, to any real degree in our opinion.

What made it even worse is how predictable some of the outcomes were, throughout the course of the pay-per-view event. Except for Randy Orton's win, it wouldn't take a genius to figure out how the rest of the matches would go.

#2 Best: Asuka's surprise arrival

Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair should be a good match
Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair should be a good match

Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair will be a better match than Asuka vs. Alexa Bliss, for certain. It seems like WWE may want to head into an Alexa Bliss vs. Nia Jax direction, based on their interaction the week before.

We do have to admit that we marked out just a little bit when Asuka showed up and pointed at the WrestleMania sign. Now, that was most certainly awesome. With a strong competitor like Charlotte Flair, there will be the constant question of whether Asuka's streak is in jeopardy.

With two probable singles matches at WrestleMania, this is certainly the next stage of the Women's Evolution. Congratulations to the women for upping the ante with their performances, every week.

#2 Worst: A face vs. face contest

Orton vs. Roode was a solid match, with no crowd support
Orton vs. Roode was a solid match, with no crowd support

Orton and Roode did no wrong, during their United States Championship match. Unfortunately, the crowd did not care. And no, it was not just because the feud stemmed from the 'Top 10 List'. It was because both men were babyfaces.

There were a lot of technically perfect spots during the course of the match. Because of the reason we've outlined, the crowd did not get into it. They even started chanting for Byron Saxton.

If there's any positive to be taken out of this match, it's that Bobby Roode showed some heelish tendencies towards the end of this match. Could we see a big heel turn down the line from the Glorious One?

#3 Best: Nakamura vs. Rusev

Somehow the match was far better than we thought it would be
Somehow the match was far better than we thought it would be

This was a match with no stakes and with very little build. However, the two men involved are fantastic performers and they made it work with their in-ring prowess. It helped that both Rusev and Nakamura are over with the crowd, and the WWE Universe was actually hot for the match. There were quite a few nice spots during the course of this outstanding contest.

We are glad that Nakamura actually went over in this match. If he'd lost the contest, it would have killed his WrestleMania momentum entirely.

#3 Worst: Pinning Becky Lynch

Becky Lynch is SmackDown Live's Bray Wyatt
Becky Lynch is SmackDown Live's Bray Wyatt

Even though the crowd is always behind Becky Lynch at every single opportunity, their chants fall on deaf ears when it comes to WWE Creative, in our opinion. Did she have to be the one to take the pinfall, on pay-per-view, in a match with no real stakes?

People often talk about how far down the ladder Bray Wyatt has fallen. Becky Lynch has fared no better, in our opinion.

#4 Best/worst: The tag team title match

Harper and Rowan's interference was a mixed bag
Harper and Rowan's interference was a mixed bag

Going into the pay-per-view, we were hoping to see The New Day and The Usos tear it up. Every time they've shared the ring, the outcome has been exceptional. The match did start off great. And then the Bludgeon Brothers interfered, destroying almost everything in their path.

This development was inevitable. The Bludgeon Brothers had a few run-ins with both teams over the past few weeks. It's also great to see Harper and Rowan finally get their due.

However, we wonder if this could have happened on SmackDown Live instead of Fastlane, so that we could have had the dream match we all wanted to see and enjoy. What do you guys think?

We'll see you in a few hours, for the best and worst of RAW. We're officially on the road to WrestleMania 34. And no, we simply cannot wait. This is awesome!