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Instead of building its WWE WrestleMania card, SmackDown is building toward the filler Fastlane event, and it shows. The blue brand currently feels very much like an afterthought, and its top stars feel like lesser versions of themselves at precisely the wrong time.
Let's just hope that things heat up quickly after Fastlane.
Losers: Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
Things started off so well for them. It looked like their issues were patched up at the start of the show as they attacked Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler. Then they would go on to lose to both men later that night, setting up a fatal 5 way for Fastlane.
The problem is that it's obvious Baron Corbin and Dolph Ziggler are in that match just to be there and that neither of them have anything going for WrestleMania. Both men have little credibility and this damaged Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, who are supposed to be SmackDown's top heels. It would be analogous to someone like Samoa Joe losing to Apollo Crews on Raw.
The result is that the filler at Fastlane got even more filler.
Winner: Charlotte Flair
This match was more competitive than it should have been, but the champ prevailed against the second member of the Riott Squad. The idea here should be to heat Charlotte up as much as possible ahead of her WrestleMania match, which looks more and more likely will be against Asuka.
Truthfully, Charlotte has no credible competition on the blue brand, and if the plan truly is for the Queen to clash with the Empress of Tomorrow, the former should look the part. I'd personally book a 3 on 1 handicap match at Fastlane and have Charlotte destroy the Riott Squad once and for all.
Winners: Randy Orton and Jinder Mahal
Randy Orton and Jinder Mahal inserted themselves into the U.S. title hunt, with the latter citing the SmackDown top 10 list, giving it more meaning.
For Mahal and Orton, who had no clear path to WrestleMania ahead of them, this segment could prove influential.
Winners: The New Day
With Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin thoroughly out of contention, The New Day surged ahead as WrestleMania draws closer.
Though we've seen it before, I sure wouldn't complain if The Usos and The New Day had a match at WrestleMania. They actually deserve it after their fantastic feud last year.
Losers: The Bludgeon Brothers
Why would the Bludgeon Brothers be losers after last night? It's simple - they're heading into a rivalry with the champions at the wrong time. They might wind up just being Fastlane filler and left off the WrestleMania card.
It's still early, though. The feud could last beyond Fastlane.
