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With WWE Fastlane now in the bag, the WWE Universe is looking forward to the biggest night of the year, WrestleMania. Fastlane provided a stepping stone for SmackDown to promote its matches for WrestleMania, as well as sow some seeds for feuds past the 'show of shows'. Although not a massive A+ for the show as a whole, some matches were better than others and nearly all of them left us with more questions than answers!
#6 Women's tag match - Becky Lynch & Naomi vs. Carmella & Natalya
Although not a bad match, this did lack the intensity of the other matches on the card and perhaps highlighted that Carmella still has a long way to go before being looked at as championship material. All other competitors in the match have been former Women's Champions and with Carmella holding the Money in the Bank briefcase and awaiting the perfect cash-in opportunity, it is likely she will be champion sooner rather than later.
Both teams worked back and forth in the match to ensure they all had a part to play, with the WWE audience audibly rooting for Becky Lynch over the other 3 ladies in the match. A final flurry from Carmella allowed her to pin Becky Lynch. This does not set up a logical match at WrestleMania which adds to the rumor of a briefcase cash-in by the 'Queen of Staten Island'.
#5 Shinsuke Nakamura vs Rusev
The result of this match was never in question, with the challenger to the WWE Championship needing to be strong going into WrestleMania. Rusev and Aiden English have taken 'Rusev Day' to new heights in the last couple of weeks, so it was a shame to see a loss for Rusev here. But Shinsuke was taken to the limit by the Bulgarian Brute and required two Kinshashas to Rusev's head before getting the pin.
Rusev may find himself in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal but with the WWE Universe behind him, may be a dark horse for winning that and inserting himself into the title picture as Jinder Mahal did the year before.
#4 WWE United States Championship - Bobby Roode vs Randy Orton
The match itself was exactly what we expected from a Roode vs Orton match. Both guys are multi-year veterans in the Pro Wrestling business, and both needed the win to cement themselves on the SmackDown Live roster and earn a spot in WrestleMania. With Orton overcoming Roode's offense throughout the match and gaining the victory, an automatic re-match at WrestleMania for Roode seems likely.
Roode first saved Randy from the attack at the hands of Jinder Mahal, before delivering a 'Glorious DDT' to the new champion, thus setting up a potential triple threat between the men for the championship at WrestleMania.
#3 WWE SmackDown Women's Championship - Charlotte vs Ruby Riott
This championship match saw Charlotte Flair finally get her hands on the leader of the Riott Squad, Ruby Riott, and it was not a bad match at all. A back and forth throughout the match with Riott seemingly on top of the matter until appearances from the Riott Squad and then Naomi / Becky Lynch started to affect the match quality.
What followed, however, was the reason why this match is higher than expected in the rankings. Monday Night Raw's Asuka appeared to triumphant cheers from the audience, pointed at the WrestleMania sign and indicated that it would be the SmackDown championship she would be battling for, not the Raw one.
#2 Men's SmackDown Tag Team Championship - The Usos vs The New Day
Matches between these two teams throughout the second half of 2017 and now have been excellent, with new and innovative ways to showcase how good both teams are. Promo's before the match were heartfelt and real, which made this match seem fresh.This match kept the thrill factor alive and ensured the audience was entertained throughout, with each team using each other's signature moves to finally try and beat the other.
The match ended abruptly however with the entrance of the Bludgeon Brothers, who proceeded to decimate both teams and leave them all requiring medical attention for a long period of time. Possibly setting up a match for Wrestlemania.
#1 WWE Championship 6 pack challenge - AJ Styles vs John Cena vs Baron Corbin vs Kevin Owens vs Sami Zayn vs Dolph Ziggler
This type of match was always going to have twists and turns, with storylines for WrestleMania needing to be ironed out. That being said, the match delivered in terms of entertainment, ensuring each competitor looked strong throughout.
The seemingly obvious storyline of best friends / mortal enemies, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens imploding at FastLane and facing off in a singles match at WrestleMania was muddied once again as Shane McMahon stopped both guys from winning the WWE Championship, as well as the absence of SmackDown's GM, Daniel Bryan.
John Cena's path to WWE immortality and his 17th World Championship ended with an AJ Styles victory here, and there seems to be no-one on the horizon to face 'big match John' at WrestleMania. Multiple AA's throughout the match to everyone, including a massive one to AJ through the announce table kept his aura strong, but the next 4 weeks will determine whether we see him at 'Mania.
Corbin and Ziggler both looked good in the match, hitting finishes and high spots on everyone in the match, but both ultimately fell short of capturing the title. Without a known programme going in to 'Mania, I would expect both these guys to be in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal.
