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WWE Fastlane delivered a decent pay-per-view that had its fair share of controversies. The show's main event teased Edge’s heel turn and reminded us why Daniel Bryan is regarded as one of the best in the business. Drew McIntyre tore the house down with his match against Sheamus. The show also marked the return of ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt after three months.
None of the titles changed hands tonight, but we undoubtedly got a lot of talking points. In this article, we will look at superstars who impressed us at WWE Fastlane and those who didn’t.
#1 Impressed at WWE Fastlane: Daniel Bryan
The main event of WWE Fastlane saw Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan engage in a brutal Universal Championship match. Both superstars unleashed hell upon each other inside the squared circle. In addition to their grueling battle, the match featured huge interferences and ended controversially. Regardless of the final result, Bryan deserves to be praised for his brilliant in-ring performance tonight.
The contest was close between Bryan and Reigns right from the start of the match. Bryan relied on his pace to keep The Tribal Chief from dominating their bout for long. The latter tried to force Bryan into submission on multiple occasions, but he consistently hit back with jaw-dropping counters. Reigns also deserves credit for taking a lot of punishment throughout this match at WWE Fastlane.
Bryan was vicious in his assaults, and Reigns often had no answer for the devastating Yes Kicks. The Tribal Chief was on the verge of submitting on multiple occasions before Bryan accidentally attacked the match official. Following that, Edge entered the ring as a referee since he was the special guest enforcer during this title match at WWE Fastlane.
Bryan continued to dominate the match even after The Rated-R Superstar was in the ring. Out of nowhere, Jey Uso got inside the ropes and hit Edge with a Superkick. He then attacked Bryan before leaving the ring to get a chair. However, when Uso got back, Bryan hit back at him and took away the steel chair.
He then used the same weapon to assault Uso inside the ring and turn things around in the blink of an eye. This Universal Championship match at WWE Fastlane clearly showed Bryan's overall impact on any world title picture.
Despite a commendable performance, Bryan could not get his hands on the title. Daniel Bryan forced Reigns to tap out, but Edge was down after an unintentional chair shot by Bryan. When the Rated-R Superstar got back up, he attacked both Bryan and Reigns with the steel chair. Edge seemingly turned heel and left the ring, costing Bryan a huge opportunity at WWE Fastlane.
A new match official then ran to the ring, and Reigns got ample time to get his hands over a brutalized Bryan. The referee counted to three and Reigns retained his Universal Championship at WWE Fastlane. Bryan was inches away from the title, but Reigns’ backup plan and Edge’s fixation on facing The Tribal Chief at WrestleMania robbed him of a huge title win tonight.
#1 Flopped at WWE Fastlane: Sasha Banks
WWE Fastlane was not the best night for SmackDown Women’s Champion, Sasha Banks. She teamed up with Bianca Belair to take on Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler in the Women’s Tag Team Championship match. Both Jax and Baszler successfully defended their gold after the latter pinned Banks in an underwhelming fashion.
This match at WWE Fastlane started well with all four superstars playing to their own strengths. Soon, Jax and Baszler gained momentum and took control of the match. Belair did manage to counter at one point and even got close to winning the titles. However, the referee got distracted by a spat between Banks and Reginald.
Belair confronted Banks and asked the champion to focus on the match. This did not sit well with The Boss, who referred to Belair as a ‘rookie’ and forced her to get out of the ring. Baszler sneaked up from behind and rolled Banks for a pinfall at WWE Fastlane. Following the loss, Banks and Belair blamed each other, and the SmackDown Women’s Champion slapped her tag team partner.
The creative could have booked a better end to this match at WWE Fastlane. The only positive to take away from this title bout is that we will finally see Banks and Belair in a full-fledged rivalry on SmackDown.
#2 Impressed at WWE Fastlane: Drew McIntyre
Fans witnessed an epic match between Drew McIntyre and Sheamus at WWE Fastlane. The two former best friends pushed each other to their limits and delivered one of the best bouts of the night. The match ended with McIntyre picking up a well-deserved victory over The Celtic Warrior.
From driving each other through the steep steps to brutalizing with kendo sticks and steel chairs, both McIntyre and Sheamus did it all at the No Hold Barred match at WWE Fastlane. The two battled all over the arena and McIntyre used the backstage equipment to keep Sheamus down.
The Celtic Warrior put up a great fight too. This match made both of them look equal in their resilience, and their chemistry was excellent. In the end, McIntyre delivered a brilliant Claymore to pick up his victory. Everything about this match was perfect. Both McIntyre and Sheamus deserve a lot of credit for delivering beyond expectations tonight.
This victory at WWE Fastlane will be huge for McIntyre’s momentum, who now has to turn his attention towards Bobby Lashley. The two superstars are set to meet in the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 37, and McIntyre looks determined to reclaim his gold. When that eventually happens, he should get to defend his title against Sheamus in a one-on-one encounter.
#2 Flopped at WWE Fastlane: Big E
Big E looked far from his best at WWE Fastlane. He put his Intercontinental Championship on the line against Apollo Crews. This match looked promising after the recent altercations between Big E and Crews on SmackDown, but it didn't deliver on them. A little more time inside the ring might have helped with better in-ring narration.
The match had a good start with both superstars showing their brute strength. Soon, the equation between them changed as Crews landed more devastating blows to keep Big E down. The latter responded with a couple of maneuvers of his own, and that went on for a while until a chaotic roll-up pin helped Big E retain his title at WWE Fastlane.
Following the match, Crews attacked Big E and humiliated him. It's clear their feud is far from over, but they could still have been booked in a better match at WWE Fastlane. It appeared too rushed, and neither could add credibility to their recent claims about in-ring dominance.
#3 Impressed at WWE Fastlane: Alexa Bliss
At WWE Fastlane, Randy Orton and Alexa Bliss were scheduled to meet in an intergender match. Bliss had done well in keeping Orton on his toes after ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt had disappeared. This match was the perfect setup to bring back the three-time world champion, and the creative did that brilliantly.
Orton was struggling right after he entered the ring, and he looked confused. Bliss used fire to keep Orton distracted, and successfully dodged all his attacks. Finally, when the Viper tried to attack Bliss, someone caught his leg. It was The Fiend who emerged from under the ring. Orton stared at Fiend's changed avatar in horror before the latter delivered a Sister Abigail. Bliss then pinned Orton to win the match at WWE Fastlane.
Randy Orton and The Fiend have been feuding for a long time. In the latter’s absence, Bliss punished Orton for his actions back at TLC. Now that the Fiend is back, he can continue his rivalry with The Viper until WrestleMania while Bliss can turn her attention towards the RAW Women’s Championship. This was an interesting match, and it will be exciting to see how this feud will continue after WWE Fastlane.
#3 Flopped at WWE Fastlane: Elias
At WWE Fastlane, Braun Strowman was scheduled to face Shane McMahon. The latter made fun of Strowman’s intelligence, and The Monster Among Men didn’t respond well. The match was called off after Shane McMahon sustained an injury while training for this in-ring bout.
As a result, he was replaced by Elias in the match against Strowman at WWE Fastlane. It was a one-sided encounter where Strowman did most of the work. Elias had a brief moment to shine when Jaxson Ryker helped him catch The Monster Among Men off guard. The latter soon managed to counter and ended their short match with a quick pinfall.
This match at WWE Fastlane did nothing for either of the two superstars involved. Elias was never going to win against Strowman, but at least he could have been booked to put up a fight.
Such wins don’t help Strowman either because though he looked dominant tonight, he'll be humiliated by Shane McMahon on RAW tomorrow. We hope that the creative will have better storylines in store for both Elias and Strowman following this pay-per-view.
