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WWE's upcoming Fastlane pay-per-view is set to take place this weekend, with multiple championships on the line as WrestleMania 37 also draws closer. So far, seven matches have been announced for the event, which is due to take place in WWE's Thunderdome at Tropicana Field this Sunday.
Overall, four championships are being put on the line at Fastlane, with the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, Universal, Intercontinental, and United States titles all being competed for. This could spell out a handful of last-minute title changes just before WrestleMania 37, with the two-day event now just a mere three weeks away.
Interestingly, there is also an intergender match between Alexa Bliss and longtime rival Randy Orton planned for Fastlane, as well as a No Holds Barred match, where Drew McIntyre and Sheamus will go head-to-head.
Here is the build-up to every match at this weekend's WWE Fastlane pay-per-view, ranked.
#7 Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Seth Rollins at WWE Fastlane
The match-up between Shinsuke Nakamura and Seth Rollins was one of the latest to be announced for this weekend's pay-per-view. The bout between the two is sure to be great, given the level of talent that the two possess, but there hasn't been much time to build hype towards it.
Over the past few weeks since his return to SmackDown, Rollins has been feuding with Cesaro. On the most recent edition of the Friday night show, Seth Rollins trashed his rival Cesaro whilst in the ring. Former Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura appeared to have enough of Rollins and made an appearance to attack him, setting up their match this weekend.
Although the two men will certainly put on a good showing, this bout feels as though it is more of a stepping stone towards Seth Rollins facing Cesaro at WrestleMania 37 next month.
#6 Riddle vs. Mustafa Ali (WWE United States Championship match at Fastlane)
The United States Championship match set to take place at Fastlane is another rematch between current titleholder Riddle, and his rival Mustafa Ali. Riddle has already put the title on the line against Ali on RAW, and successfully managed to retain the belt.
Prior to this, however, Ali had managed to defeat Riddle in a non-title match, meaning that the pair both have a win over the other.
Mustafa Ali has used social media to his advantage during the ongoing rivalry, uploading numerous promo videos attacking Riddle, and staking his claim for the United States Championship. This has been a wise move on behalf of Ali, as the duo are not currently in one of the most prominent positions on RAW.
The title match for Fastlane was announced on Twitter shortly after Friday Night SmackDown. A talking point of the rivalry between Mustafa Ali and Riddle's rivalry has been the apparent tension between the RETRIBUTION members. It will be interesting to see what role the stable will have during and following the title match at Fastlane on Sunday.
#5 Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus (No Holds Barred match at WWE Fastlane)
At Fastlane, the fiends-turned enemies feud between Drew McIntyre and Sheamus appears to be finally coming to a close. The duo began their rivalry after this year's Royal Rumble when Sheamus decided to go after the WWE Championship, which McIntyre was holding at the time.
However, Sheamus never got the one-on-one WWE Championship match that he wanted with McIntyre. He was part of the Elimination Chamber match for the title, but was eliminated by AJ Styles following a Phenomenal Forearm. McIntyre lost the WWE Championship immediately after the match, when he was the victim of a beatdown by Bobby Lashley, and then The Miz cashed in his Money in the Bank contract.
The pair have faced one another since on RAW. First, in a regular one-on-one match, which was won by McIntyre. Then the week after, in a no disqualification match which was stopped by the referee after the pair ran into one another with steel steps on their heads.
While this storyline was developing, it was announced that Drew McIntyre will be facing Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania, so the Fastlane match between McIntyre and Sheamus is a good way to tie up their feud before this.
#4 Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler vs. Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair (WWE Women's Tag Team Championship match at Fastlane)
The WWE Women's Tag Team Championship match was one of the first matches announced for Fastlane. The two teams have been feuding with each other for some time now, and have already fought over the titles at Elimination Chamber, where Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax retained.
The rivalry overall has been messy, with Carmella's ex-sommelier Reginald having heavy involvement in the storyline, which has hindered it somewhat. The WWE Women's Tag Team Championships have at times felt a little more like a vehicle for the singles title picture at times, such as in SummerSlam 2020 when they ignited the feud between Bayley and Sasha Banks. The current goings-on with the title feels very similar - more like a springboard for the upcoming title match between Banks and Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 37.
As well as the tension between Banks and Belair leading into this match, it has been a running theme that current champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler are not too fond of one another. The past few WWE Women's Tag Team Championship matches have been chaotic, to say the least, and the upcoming title bout at Fastlane could be no exception.
#3 Alexa Bliss vs. Randy Orton at WWE Fastlane
After months of rivalry, Alexa Bliss is set to face Randy Orton at Fastlane in an intergender match, which is a rare occasion for WWE. Alexa Bliss has made a target of Orton after he burned The Fiend alive at TLC back in December 2020.
Since then, Bliss has been tormenting Orton, causing him to lose matches, appearing on the screens in the Thunderdome, and even making him spit black liquid, amongst other strange things. Early in the feud, Bliss even tried to get Orton to set her alight so that she could join The Fiend. She has even claimed multiple times that The Fiend will be back.
The build-up to this match has made it feel as though there is more going on behind the scenes to this. The intergender match between the two could in fact be the route for The Fiend to return to WWE at Fastlane, to set up a WrestleMania match, possibly as his own entity, or through Alexa Bliss - or even Randy Orton.
#2 Big E vs. Apollo Crews (WWE Intercontinental Championship match at Fastlane)
Ahead of Fastlane, Big E and Apollo Crews have already gone head-to-head for the Intercontinental Championship. Crews turned heel last month and viciously attacked Big E, leaving him needing medical treatment and missing a few weeks of SmackDown.
Apollo Crews has leaned into his new heel persona well, and it has been a welcome character reset for him in WWE. Big E has also been doing great work during this feud, and it has been great to see him tap into his more serious side as a fighting champion.
Upon Big E's return earlier this month, he was attacked once again with steel steps by Crews, which added even more intensity to their rivalry. Also in the build-up to this match at Fastlane, fans saw Big E cut a highly impressive promo on SmackDown, where he sent a huge warning to Crews.
Both men involved in this rivalry are pulling off astounding work, and it will be interesting to see where it leads to at Fastlane, and beyond.
#1 Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan (WWE Universal Championship match at Fastlane)
In the build-up to Fastlane, Roman Reigns has been one of the most dominant champions in WWE, and his title reign has surpassed the 200-day mark. Daniel Bryan earned a shot at the Universal Championship after being the last man standing at Elimination Chamber but quickly lost after going through the grueling chamber match.
As the rivalry between Bryan and Roman Reign rumbles on, The Tribal Chief is simultaneously feuding with Edge, who chose Reigns as his challenger after winning this year's Royal Rumble. Edge will also be involved in the match as the special guest enforcer after he defeated Jey Uso to win the role.
Heading into WrestleMania, the stakes are high for the match at Fastlane. There are many possibilities for outside involvement in the match, especially if Paul Heyman and Jey Uso manage to get themselves involved somehow.
A shock win from Daniel Bryan could shake up the proposed WrestleMania 37 match for the Universal Championship, or even if Bryan loses, changes could be afoot, with the potential for the singles match to be changed to a triple threat after whatever goes down at Fastlane.
