WWE Fastlane 2021: Last-minute predictions

By Levi Grayshon
Modified Mar 21, 2021 17:53 IST
Four titles will be on the line at Fastlane
Four titles will be on the line at Fastlane

Fastlane is WWE's last stop on the road to WrestleMania. At the event, four championships are set to be on the line, as well as three non-title matches being featured. There has been much speculation about possible title changes over the weekend, as the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships, United States, Universal, and Intercontinental Championships are up for grabs.

As the last pay-per-view before WrestleMania 37, Fastlane is the perfect event to kick-off those last-minute rivalries before the two-night event, which is just three weeks away. Fastlane could also see some title changes before WrestleMania and some new feuds and fallout established.

Here are some last-minute predictions for WWE's Fastlane 2021.

#5 Big E could lose the Intercontinental Championship at Fastlane

The feud between Big E and Apollo Crews has been one of the biggest rivalries recently on SmackDown. During the feud, Crews turned heel and had a complete character revamp, and began to embrace his roots of Nigerian royalty. As this developed, he also attacked Big E with steel steps on two occasions and had left the current champion requiring medical assistance.

Apollo Crews winning the Intercontinental Championship with be a great way to carry on the feud between the two on the road to WrestleMania 37.

During the build towards Fastlane, both Crews and Big E have kept fans captivated with their promos and moments of tension on SmackDown. One of the most notable moments of this rivalry was Big E's return to television following his injuries at the hands of Crews, in which he berated Crews in a damning and powerful promo segment.

Having Big E lose the title to Apollo Crews just three weeks before WrestleMania could lead to a huge blowout between the two at the event in April.

#4 RETRIBUTION could implode at Fastlane

At Fastlane, RETRIBUTION leader Mustafa Ali will once again face Riddle for the WWE United States Championship. The pair have already come to blows on RAW, with Ali winning a non-title match, but Riddle managing to retain when the championship was on the line.

There have been hints at tension between Ali and the other members of RETRIBUTION as Fastlane draws closer. In the United States title match on RAW, T-Bar accidentally cost Ali the match, which led to the leader shouting at the rest of the group.

Since then, T-Bar has made changes to his Twitter account, unfollowing everybody apart from fellow RETRIBUTION member Mace, changing his name on his account to "Don't Blink" and his bio to "Sunday." Another strange turn has been the star liking multiple tweets about the song Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson.

The signs are pointing to a split being on the cards for RETRIBUTION at Fastlane, with either T-Bar leaving the group, the entire group going their separate ways, or even the members ousting Mustafa Ali as their leader.

#3 Roman Reigns will retain the WWE Universal Championship at Fastlane

At Fastlane, Roman Reigns will once again put his championship on the line against Daniel Bryan. The pair previously faced off in a title match at Elimination Chamber, but Bryan was exhausted from a chamber match between himself and five others, leaving Reigns at an advantage.

It is difficult to imagine that Roman Reigns will lose the championship when WrestleMania 37 is just weeks away. Men's Royal Rumble winner Edge chose to challenge him at the Show of Shows, and will also be involved in the upcoming title match at Fastlane as a special guest enforcer, a role he earned recently on SmackDown.

With Edge involved in the match, it is the perfect opportunity to build more towards the title match between himself and Reigns at WrestleMania 37. As the feud has developed, Edge has also taken issue with Daniel Bryan having a shot at the Universal Championship. It could end up with the WrestleMania match becoming a Triple Threat between the three men come April.

#2 The rivalry between Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair will kick off at Fastlane

At Fastlane, Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks will be teaming up once again to compete for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. The pair have been in a rivalry with current champions Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax for quite a while and previously competed for the titles at Elimination Chamber last month.

Fans have been eager for the rivalry between Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks to well and truly begin ever since Belair, who won the Royal Rumble back in January, chose Banks as her WrestleMania opponent.

The build to their rivalry has been slow, and although there have been some glimpses at tension between the two, it could do with ramping up a little. Their tag team match at Fastlane is a great opportunity for this to happen. WrestleMania 37 is just weeks away, so the pair need to establish their rivalry over the SmackDown Women's Championship quickly.

The tag team championship match at Fastlane could be the perfect catalyst to set off Banca Belair vs Sasha Banks, whether they are successful or not in winning the belts.

#1 The Fiend may return to WWE at Fastlane

At Fastlane, Alexa Bliss is currently set to face Randy Orton in an intergender match. The two have been feuding ever since Orton burned The Fiend alive at TLC back in December 2020.

Over the past few months, Bliss has made a target of Orton. She has interfered in his matches, tried to get him to set her alight, and seemingly put a curse on him that made him ooze black liquid from his mouth. Intergender matches aren't too common in WWE, and this setup between Bliss and Orton could be a way for The Fiend to return at Fastlane, ahead of WrestleMania 37.

There is bound to be strange goings-on during this match, especially as the match is taking place in the Thunderdome. This gives WWE an opportunity to use the empty arena to an advantage, for instance when they filled the screens with Alexa Bliss, or when the performer transformed between her different personas in previous matches against Asuka and Nikki Cross.

Fastlane feels like the perfect time for The Fiend to return, setting up a WrestleMania match between himself and Randy Orton that could end the rivalry for good.