Fastlane 2019: Predicting the quality of every match

The NEW Daniel Bryan will retain.
The NEW Daniel Bryan will retain.

WWE Fastlane is as filler as filler gets when it comes to pay per views, and the card reflects this. Most of the matches on the card are uninspiring and not an incentive to watch the pay per view. The card again raises the question as to why this show is happening at all.

There are eight matches on the card. Which ones should you go out of your way to watch? Which ones should you skip? We'll rank all eight in terms of how good they'll likely be right here.


#8 Asuka vs. Mandy Rose

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Whenever Asuka has a match against the latest blonde flavor of the week that Vince McMahon wants to push for no other reason, the results are usually dicey at best. Asuka is a pro and will get a decently worked match out of Mandy, but most people are just going to be watching and praying that she retains.

This isn't an exciting match like the one with Becky Lynch was always going to be. Mandy Rose is simply far beneath that level and wouldn't make for a good champion. That thought will ruin the match for many people and prevent it from being an enjoyable experience.


#7 The Boss 'n' Hug Connection vs. Nia Jax and Tamina

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It's a shame that the first defense of the women's tag team titles comes in such an underwhelming match. Let's be thankful for one thing though, this means that the match won't happen at WrestleMania, as many people originally feared.

Fortunately, Sasha Banks and Bayley will be there to carry the unexciting Nia Jax and Tamina. Sasha Banks, in particular, is great at taking bumps and should sell great for both of her opponents to tell a good story in the match.

#6 The Shield vs. Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, and Bobby Lashley

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As far as pure action goes, this should be fine, but it certainly isn't exciting. Corbin, McIntyre, and Lashley continue to team up for some reason as directionless heels. The latest of many Shield reunions happened just as suddenly, Dean Ambrose's recent feud with Seth Rollins be ignored.

Filler is as filler does.

This does nothing for Seth Rollins, who we must again remember, won the Royal Rumble. He hardly feels hot enough to defeat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania, which raises some big red flags.


#5 The Revival vs. Aleister Black and Ricochet vs. Chad Gable and Bobby Roode

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The presence of Aleister Black and Ricochet will pick this match up, but it certainly hasn't been built very well. Chad Gable and Bobby Roode are there for some reason. The Revival feel like the most undeserving champions in recent history.

As far as pure work rate goes, this match will be fine, especially with Black and Ricochet, but we can only hope that the titles change hands, given how badly The Revival have been booked. Roode and Gable stand as the default best options to win because Black and Ricochet are too good for this division.

#4 The Usos vs. The Miz and Shane McMahon

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The Usos in a tag team title match is always a recipe for good things. They'll likely retain. The Miz and Shane McMahon will thus begin their breakup arc that leads to a singles match at WrestleMania.

That will be a major event to sell the match. That's a lot more than can be said about most matches on this card.

Hopefully, it will deliver some of the blistering work rate The Usos are known for. We'll simply have to wait and see.


#3 Daniel Bryan vs. Kevin Owens

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This match is as filler as it gets and Kevin Owens has often disappointed in the main event. Nevertheless, Daniel Bryan is among the best of all time for a reason. If anyone can make this poorly built match interesting after the bell rings, it will be him.

The work rate should be good. Kevin Owens' feud with AJ Styles was a big disappointment, but hopefully, that won't be the case when it comes to Daniel Bryan, who is arguably even better at providing the right chemistry with his opponents.

#2 Andrade vs. Rey Mysterio

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Any time these two have met in the ring, we've seen great things. Their match on January 15th was a bona fide match of the year candidate - the first to be so in 2019.

Shunted to the pre-show though this may be, there's no reason to expect anything less than very good here. And there are good reasons to expect something much more than that.

How the match is booked will ultimately be the key. The feel is that Andrade needs the win a lot more, so hopefully, he can pull it off.


#1 Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch

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Though Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch's normal matches haven't always been the most exciting (the best ones have been their matches in hardcore settings, such as at Evolution and TLC), this will be the match that fans are most invested in.

The crowd will be hot to see Becky Lynch get back into the WrestleMania match (spoiler: she will). How it winds up happening will make for possibly the biggest intrigue of the night. Will it be a count out or something a lot more decisive?

Either way, people will be on the edges of their seats.

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