WWE Fastlane 2018: Analysing and grading each match

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The main event stole the show

The final WWE pay-per-view before WrestleMania 34, Fastlane, took place in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday night.

Four title matches were on the card, with AJ Styles defending his WWE Championship in the main event against John Cena, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin.

Bobby Roode vs. Randy Orton (United States title), The Usos vs. The New Day (SmackDown Tag Team titles) and Charlotte Flair vs. Ruby Riott (SmackDown Women’s title) were the other featured title matches on the show.

In the two non-title matches, Shinsuke Nakamura faced Rusev and Becky Lynch teamed with Naomi to take on Carmella & Natalya, while Tye Dillinger & Breezango vs. Mojo Rawley, Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin was included on the kickoff show.

In this article, we take a look at all seven matches and analyse what was good and bad about the final SmackDown-exclusive PPV before dual-brand PPVs become a monthly occurrence.


#1 Kickoff show: Tye Dillinger & Breezango def. Mojo Rawley, Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin

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The unlikely trio won the first match of the night

Storyline: With Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin by his side, Mojo Rawley labelled Tyler Breeze a “joke”, Fandango a “clown” and Tye Dillinger a “perfect disappointment” in a Fashion Files segment before Fastlane, leading to a six-man tag match on the kickoff show.

Match: Rawley, Gable and Benjamin were on top for much of the match and it looked at one point as if Gable would get the win for his team. However, it was the babyface trio who picked up the victory after Dillinger struck Rawley with a knee to the face.

Verdict: Expectations were obviously low for this last-minute kickoff match, but it was certainly an entertaining match which had a little bit of everything for everyone. Gable was particularly impressive, as ever, and it’ll be interesting to see if he gets more television time post-WrestleMania.

Grade: C+

#2 Shinsuke Nakamura def. Rusev

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Shinsuke Nakamura has his sights set firmly on WrestleMania

Storyline: Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Aiden English on SmackDown two weeks ago, damaging his opponent’s vocal chords in the process. This led Rusev to challenge the Royal Rumble winner to a one-on-one match at Fastlane.

Match: After English got the crowd warmed up with his best vocal performance to date, Nakamura and Rusev traded some strong kicks and strikes in the opening contest of the main show. It was “The King of Strong Style” who got the win, hitting his opponent with two Kinshasas after just kicking out of a Machka Kick.

Verdict: This match was a lot more entertaining than it had any right to be! With no title up for grabs and barely any storyline surrounding it, the expectations were low for this opening contest. However, it turned out to be one of Nakamura’s best PPV matches so far and, believe it or not, it really did seem like Rusev was going to win after his lethal Machka Kick.

Grade: B

#3 Randy Orton def. Bobby Roode (United States title)

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Randy Orton won his first United States title

Storyline: Bobby Roode finished higher than Randy Orton in the SmackDown ‘Top 10 list’ – a power ranking voted for by fellow Superstars. Jinder Mahal continually brought up the list to Roode and Orton, causing tension between the two and leading to a United States title match.

Match: Roode and Orton each shared plenty of offence, with both men attempting their finishers on multiple occasions. In the end, Orton was successful, surprisingly winning the US title after connecting with an RKO “outta nowhere”. Jinder appeared after the match to attack Orton but it was Roode who stood tall after hitting both men with a Glorious DDT.

Verdict: Like Rusev vs. Nakamura, this match was much more exciting than anticipated, mostly because it felt beforehand that Roode (who this crowd hated!) was going to win but Orton’s chances grew as the match went on. This was easily Roode’s best main-roster match, and congratulations to Orton – he’s now a Grand Slam champion!

Grade: B+

#4 Carmella & Natalya def. Becky Lynch & Naomi

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Carmella pinned Becky Lynch to get the win for her team

Storyline: After being mocked by Carmella in a social media Q&A, Becky Lynch made her rival tap out on last week’s SmackDown. Natalya and Naomi were involved in a confrontation backstage after Becky’s win, leading to a tag match between the four women being confirmed for Fastlane.

Match: Natalya and Carmella dominated much of this tag match against Naomi, while the increasingly popular Becky received adulation from the crowd every time she was tagged in. The finish saw Natalya use the Money In The Bank briefcase as a diversion, allowing Carmella to defeat a distracted Becky with a superkick.

Verdict: Considering this was a largely meaningless PPV match, it was actually rather good. The crowd was into it right from the start and the creative finish made the Money In The Bank contract feel more important than it has been in months, especially with Charlotte Flair vs. Ruby Riott still to go on the show.

Grade: C

#5 The Usos vs. The New Day ends in no contest (SmackDown Tag Team titles)

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The Bludgeon Brothers brought a destructive end to the match

Storyline: The New Day renewed their rivalry with SmackDown Tag Team champions The Usos after defeating Shelton Benjamin and Chad Gable in a #1 contender match. With four weeks until WrestleMania, Jimmy and Jey have made it their goal to appear on the ‘Mania main card for the first time in their careers.

Match: The Usos and The New Day (Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston) were having a back-and-forth match, which included both teams stealing moves from each other, before The Bludgeon Brothers appeared and dismantled everyone. The most brutal attack was on Xavier, who was slammed onto a set of steel steps by Harper and Rowan.

Verdict: Credit to both teams for creativity. It was always going to be difficult to top what they achieved in 2017, but the unique story of the match ensured this one will also be remembered. One imagines we’ll see all three teams compete at WrestleMania 34, with The Usos surely making the main card for the first time.

Grade: B-

#6 Charlotte Flair def. Ruby Riott (SmackDown Women's title)

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Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka is official!

Storyline: Ruby Riott defeated two of Charlotte Flair’s allies, Becky Lynch and Naomi, to earn an opportunity at the SmackDown Women’s title. She revealed on last week’s SmackDown that she created the Riott Squad to “destroy the myth that Charlotte is the personification of the Women’s Revolution”.

Match: It didn’t take long for Ruby’s fellow Riott Squad members to appear at ringside, only for them to be countered by Becky and Naomi. All four women were ejected from ringside in the closing stages of the match, which came to an end when Charlotte made Ruby tap to the Figure Eight. Following the match, Royal Rumble winner Asuka appeared and pointed to the WrestleMania sign.

Verdict: Quite honestly, this match didn’t live up to expectations, but it was always going to be difficult when the outcome was blatantly obvious. The SmackDown women’s division has never lacked star power, only interesting stories, but it now has one of the best stories on either brand with the addition of Asuka to the roster.

Grade: B-

#7 AJ Styles def. Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Baron Corbin, Dolph Ziggler & John Cena (WWE title)

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AJ Styles successfully retained his title in the main event

Storyline: Baron Corbin, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler and John Cena qualified for a six-pack challenge match for AJ Styles’ WWE Championship, with the winner going on to put the title on the line against Royal Rumble winner Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania 34.

Match: The match began with Cena hitting an AA on every opponent except Styles, then everyone ganged up on the 16-time champion. Owens and Zayn – rivals again after Zayn tricked Owens by lying down before rolling him up for a pin – were split-seconds away from getting 3-counts at times but Shane McMahon, ringside for the match, broke up both falls. The finale saw Styles, who had just recovered from being put through the announce table by Cena, connect with a Phenomenal Forearm on Owens for the win.

Verdict: Every so often, WWE produces a match that you just don’t want to end, and this was one of them. Every single Superstar delivered from start to finish and the story between Owens, Zayn and Shane was told brilliantly. Yes, the outcome was obvious, but the match had plenty of moments that made you genuinely question if someone else really was going to win.

Grade: A