Fastlane is one of those pay-per-views that people feel just doesn't need to exist.
Its sole purpose is to provide somewhat of a 'speed bump' on the Road to WrestleMania and while that's all well and good, it hasn't really had the desired impact since its inception. Well, actually we may be being a tad too nice - it just hasn't worked whatsoever.
The actual wrestling itself is always solid and if the goal was for it to be a commercial for Mania then they've definitely succeeded in the last two years, but that wasn't their intention and it's painfully obvious.
It also doesn't help that the main events of both shows have been based around Roman Reigns overcoming the odds once again - what a great idea.
But whilst it is fun to knock these events, it's also important to compare them and see which one was the more superior. Yes, that may be a case of choosing between a rock and a hard place, but at the same time we must prepare for the upcoming third instalment of the franchise which we can only hope is an improvement.
If the rumours are to be believed, however, then it most certainly won't be.
So we start off with the opening matches. In 2015, we had The Authority defeating Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan and Ryback in a feud that just wouldn't seem to die.
Alternatively, the next year we had Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks defeating Naomi and Tamina Snuka in an impressive bout, as the two former NXT standouts looked set to enter the Women's Championship match at WrestleMania.
2016 takes the first point in this one because the storyline just made sense. Banks had been exiled from the group and as such needed to prove a point, allowing herself and Lynch to stake a claim in the title hunt at the same time. The six man tag from 2015 just felt a little bit dry and nothing really came of it.
Next up we had Goldust vs Stardust in a battle of the brothers from 2015 against Kevin Owens vs Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship.
Whilst it was interesting to see the two brothers finally square off in this capacity, the botched ending and lack of emotion saw it fall short in comparison to the IC Title match. It may not have been great but it allowed Owens to get another win under his belt, so that ramps it up to 2-0 in favour of Fastlane 2016.
It's time for 2015 to get their first points on the board as Kidd & Cesaro vs The Usos was much more impressive than Big Show, Kane and Ryback defeating The Wyatt Family.
The Wyatts were already severely damaged by this point but a loss of this nature felt like the final nail in the coffin, meanwhile, the tag title bout at least had some real excitement involved. 2-1 in favour of Fastlane 2016.
2016 comes right back to take the two-point advantage once again with Charlotte vs Brie Bella being much better than Nikki Bella vs Paige.
The women's revolution was really starting to pick up some steam and the story behind Bella's impending retirement was a fascinating one, with some fans genuinely thinking she'd win the title. 3-1 in favour of Fastlane 2016.
We may have seen it before, but AJ Styles vs Chris Jericho was a top quality bout and was far more exhilarating than Bad News Barrett defeating Dean Ambrose by disqualification.
It was an IC Title match which kind of increased the anticipation, but Styles and Jericho were consistently putting on great matches and it would prove to be the gateway for their final clash at WrestleMania 32. 4-1 in favour of Fastlane 2016.
2015 isn't getting much love, but it's definitely going to take the victory in this one. Rusev's technical submission triumph over John Cena was great, meanwhile, a quick squash match between Curtis Axel and R-Truth certainly was not.
These are the kinds of bouts that feel like they belong on Monday Night Raw or even Superstars, and it's frustrating to see big pay-per-view spots wasted like this. 4-2 in favour of Fastlane 2016.
We conclude with the main event, and there's really only one winner here.
As good as 2016's triple threat between Reigns, Ambrose and Lesnar was, the 2015 equivalent was outstanding. Roman Reigns defeated Daniel Bryan in a brilliant 20-minute match, and while it didn't entirely stop the boos pouring in for The Big Dog, it certainly helped nudge him along towards the main event of WrestleMania. The final score is 4-3 in favour of Fastlane 2016.
So there you have it - it's a close one, but Fastlane 2016 reigns supreme with a 4-3 victory over Fastlane 2015. Both events certainly had their high spots and the wrestling was impressive as we previously stated, but that's not enough to warrant a successful show.
Everything that was achieved could've taken place on Raw or SmackDown Live, which begs the question - will they make us endure the same fate this time round?
Send us news tips at [email protected]
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
