WWE's Fastlane will be the final PPV on the road to Wrestlemania and we should have a good idea on what matches will be populating the card on The Grandest Stage of Them All come the Monday morning.
There are a number of intriguing matches set up for Fastlane and the WWE will be hoping for a great PPV in order to build the hype around Monday Night Raw which has been playing second fiddle to Smackdown Live since the brand split.
So, without any further ado, let's jump right into the match card and results predictions for WWE Fastlane 2017:
Rich Swann and Akira Tozawa vs The Brian Kendrick and Noam Dar (Kickoff Match)
The kickoff match for Fastlane pits the babyface team of Rich Swann and Akira Tozawa against the heels, The Brian Kendrick and Noam Dar. The cruiserweight division has been lacklustre of late and hopefully, the addition of Tozawa can rejuvenate things.
We expect a win for Swann and Tozawa as it makes sense to capitalize on the momentum that Tozawa has been riding. As a bonus, it would probably set up a future singles match between Tozawa and Kendrick as a way for the Japanese wrestler to become a legitimate contender at the top of the division.
Prediction: Rich Swann and Akira Tozawa win.
Sasha Banks vs Nia Jax
The smaller of the two women's matches on the Fastlane card pits Sasha Banks against Nia Jax. Both women are potential names for the rumoured Fatal Fourway for the Raw Women's Championship match at Wrestlemania and this match should build towards that.
Jax has looked dominant of late and we expect that trend to continue here. Banks is a lock in for the four way match and a win for Jax will ensure all four women head into that match on an equal footing.
Prediction: Nia Jax wins.
Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (c) vs Enzo & Cass (Raw Tag Team Championship Match)
The Club face off against Enzo & Cass for the Raw Tag Team Titles in a match that really doesn't excite anybody. The tag team division is pretty dead in the water since due to the atrocious booking decisions courtesy WWE creative.
We expect The Club to retain because they haven't really had any sort of a decent run with the gold yet and hopefully they will be better booked in the future. Also, Enzo & Cass' routine has gotten old at this point. It doesn't make sense to put the belts on them.
Prediction: The Club retains.
Neville (c) vs Jack Gallagher (Cruiserweight Championship Match)
The Cruiserweight champion, Neville, takes on his countryman, Jack Gallagher in the second of the cruiserweight matches for the evening. Neville has pretty much been the only credible performer in the division, although, Gallagher has shown some promise.
This should be a pretty straightforward victory for Neville as he has been the best thing about the cruiserweights recently and Gallagher just isn't champion material yet. We could also see the wheels set in motion for the champ's eventual battle with Austin Aries.
Prediction: Neville retains.
Sami Zayn vs Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe faces off against Sami Zayn in an encounter that had to be put together after Seth Rollins’ unfortunate knee injury. Joe has been utterly dominant on his main roster debut and has had a number of run-ins with Zayn over the past few weeks.
Expect the Samoan Submission Machine to have to be pushed hard by The Underdog from the Underground in one of the most anticipated matches of the night. Regardless of how good Zayn is, though, it's logical to give Joe the victory on his PPV debut and make him look credible as we enter Wrestlemania.
Prediction: Samoa Joe wins.
Bayley (c) vs Charlotte (Raw Women's Championship Match)
The second, and more prestigious, women's match on the night sees the Raw Women's Champion, Bayley, take on the queen of PPVs, Charlotte. The two have been at each other's throats for weeks and Bayley's unexpected triumph to win the belt on Raw leaves Charlotte with a point to prove.
Despite the feel good factor of Bayley's championship reign, there is no way Charlotte's PPV win streak is going to be ended at Fastlane of all places. We expect that Charlotte will regain the title and take it into Wrestlemania for the planned four-way encounter.
This title feels like the potato in a game of hot potato, I tell you.
Prediction: Charlotte wins to become the new Raw Women's Champion.
Roman Reigns vs Braun Strowman
It's a battle of the giants as Roman Reigns takes on Braun Strowman in a grudge match that has been building since The Royal Rumble. Reigns and Strowman have clashed multiple times on Raw and this should be the match to blow over the feud.
I'm looking at this as a good opportunity for 7-time World Champion and the man who’s name is synonymous to WrestleMania, The Undertaker to make an appearance and hit start on his expected Wrestlemania feud against Reigns. If this is the case, can we please see a heel Roman? There is no way The Undertaker is going to be anything but the face in this feud so this might be a good chance for the turn.
Regardless of The Undertaker element, Strowman should pick up the victory here to keep his momentum on the rise as we move into Wrestlemania territory. For the love of God, we all know that Reigns doesn't need another win here.
Prediction: Braun Strowman wins, The Undertaker to make an appearance.
Kevin Owens (c) vs Goldberg (WWE Universal Championship Match)
The final match on the Fastlane 2017 card is Kevin Owens vs Goldberg for the Universal Title. We all know where this is going to go. Owens vs Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania and Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania. The only question is, which match will boast the Universal title?
For my money, it should be the Owens vs Jericho match simply because Goldberg vs Lesnar does not need the title. Two part-timers settling an age-old grudge is not worthy of one of the two top belts in the WWE.
Having said that, it is almost impossible to see a Kevin Owens victory in this situation. It simply doesn't make sense that KO is able to beat Goldberg when Lesnar has been smashed into the ground.
The best case scenario for this match would be for Goldberg to win the match via Countout or Disqualification allowing Owens to take the belt into Wrestlemania. Alternatively, we could also see a DQ victory for Owens if Jericho attacks his former best friend.
For now, though, my money is on Goldberg winning the title.
Prediction: Goldberg wins to become the new WWE Universal Champion
