WWE Fastlane 2021: Ranking and grading every match

By Divesh Merani
Modified Mar 22, 2021 08:33 IST
WWE Fastlane was an exciting show.
WWE Fastlane was an exciting show.

Despite its placement so close to WrestleMania, Fastlane was an exciting show. WWE's streak of impressive pay-per-view events inside the ThunderDome continues. There hasn't been a bad one yet.

Fastlane did well to build to various angles for WrestleMania 37, with some great matches on display. The matches got bigger and better as the night progressed. It peaked at the right moment too. All seven of them contributed to shaping up the WrestleMania card, in one way or another.

Some of these matches delivered in the ring, while others were simply elaborate angles that served towards bigger payoffs on The Grandest Stage of Them All. That is all one could ask from a pay-per-view this close to 'Mania. Anyway, there were a few great offerings at Fastlane. A couple of them stood out as the best.

Here is every match at WWE Fastlane 2021 graded and ranked, from worst to best.

#7 Randy Orton vs. Alexa Bliss at WWE Fastlane

The only reason why this match is last on this list is that it was more of an angle. There is no way to judge the Fastlane match based on the in-ring action. There was none. But we did get some mighty storyline advancement on the Road to WrestleMania, with the much-awaited return of The Fiend.

Bray Wyatt's monstrous alter-ego was set on fire by Randy Orton at TLC and after months away from WWE, he emerged from under the ring. Before that, however, The Viper had been tormented by Alexa Bliss for a few minutes. She shot a number of fireballs at him.

A piece of lighting equipment almost fell on Orton too, increasing the jeopardy before The Fiend's return. He returned as a deformed entity and hit the 14-time world champion with Sister Abigail. Bliss then pinned Orton to win the "match", if we can even call it that.

While this did well to advance the feud between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt, such a match always has a ceiling on the grade it can receive. It was essentially a mini-chase with dim lights and traps before The Fiend returned. Hopefully, WWE delivers something spectacular at WrestleMania to end this feud.

Grade: C-

#6 Braun Strowman vs. Elias at WWE Fastlane

WWE had initially advertised Braun Strowman vs. Shane McMahon for Fastlane but quickly changed things at the event. Saving the big match for WrestleMania, WWE went with an injury angle for Shane O'Mac. He seemingly suffered an injury while training and was rendered unable to compete at Fastlane.

McMahon tricked Elias into taking his place against Strowman, which predictably did not end well for The Drifter. The former Universal Champion made quick work of him, with Jaxson Ryker watching on. There wasn't much else to it. Strowman did not gain much from squashing Elias.

This was an unnecessary addition to Fastlane and would have been perfectly fine as a RAW segment. The two of them could have an entertaining match at WrestleMania. However, the events at Fastlane did nothing to excite the fans for it.

Grade: C

#5 Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler vs. Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships

Fastlane began with a rematch from Elimination Chamber, as Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair teamed up once again before their big WrestleMania match. They were unable to unseat the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions, Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler.

The WrestleMania opponents impressed with their double-team offense but their cohesion wouldn't last. Jax shoved Belair onto Banks, while she had the Bank Statement locked in on Baszler. This led to an argument between the babyfaces and ultimately, their downfall.

Baszler rolled up Banks to retain the Women's Tag Team Championships at Fastlane. While the action was solid, the match was predictable and the finish was slightly sloppy. This match happened simply to intensify the issue between the SmackDown Women's Champion and her challenger for WrestleMania.

Grade: C+

#4 Big E vs. Apollo Crews for the Intercontinental Championship

Fastlane's primary purpose was to provide major plot points and contribute to the Road to WrestleMania. This was exactly what happened between Big E and Apollo Crews, who are currently locked in an intense feud over the Intercontinental Championship.

Their match at Fastlane was highly anticipated, but it only lasted five minutes. The two rivals laid into each other, with Big E laying Crews out with a spear to the outside almost immediately. However, the contest ended with a very sloppy pin reversal spot.

Big E retained the IC title but was instantly attacked by Apollo Crews. This very clearly sets up their final bout at WrestleMania, which may have a No DQ stipulation. But while this match did well to further build the feud, it was too short to truly shine. The finish also took away from it.

Grade: B-

#3 Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura at WWE Fastlane

Seth Rollins wrestled his first singles match in over four months at Fastlane, and it was a good one. He and Shinsuke Nakamura brought it. The match took a while to get going but once it did, we were treated to some fine wrestling from Rollins and Nakamura. This was a perfectly solid match.

It was a lot better than their match at Survivor Series 2018, which felt pretty lifeless. Rollins dominated a large part of the contest before Nakamura grew into it. There were some excellent exchanges here, as one would expect from both Superstars.

In the end, Seth Rollins won the match with the Curb Stomp. He is set to face Cesaro at WrestleMania, with Fastlane being a welcome warm-up for him. Shinsuke Nakamura may have lost, but at least he got to have a singles match on a pay-per-view.

Grade: B+

#2 Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus in a No Holds Barred Match at WWE Fastlane

WWE may have botched the storytelling of this feud by announcing Drew McIntyre as Bobby Lashley's WrestleMania challenger before Fastlane, but The Scottish Warrior made up for it big time. He and Sheamus had an absolute war, one that was indicative of the violence both men are brilliant at inflicting.

The two former friends battered each other all over the ThunderDome at Fastlane, with a plethora of spots showcasing the brutality of the action. McIntyre and Sheamus left everything in the ring and around it. They will be feeling the bruises for a few days at the very least.

The fight reached the stands, as McIntyre threw Sheamus from an elevated area into some LED screens. This caused a small explosion. The Celtic Warrior did not go down easily though, as he landed a Brogue Kick on the two-time WWE Champion before putting him through the announce table with White Noise.

It was Drew McIntyre who stood tall at the end, hitting the Future Shock DDT on Sheamus before finishing him off with the Claymore. This match was every bit as fantastic and brutal as promised. McIntyre and Sheamus will be feeling the bruises in the days following Fastlane.

Grade: A

#1 Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan for the Universal Championship at WWE Fastlane

The main event of Fastlane was an absolute belter of a match, as Daniel Bryan challenged Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship. The two stars delivered spectacularly. This was around half an hour of in-ring brilliance and juicy storytelling.

The Tribal Chief dominated portions of this match, but Bryan always found a way to fight back. He put on one hell of a showing at Fastlane - one worthy of the main event of 'Mania. The match was well wrestled, but it truly sizzled once the referee was accidentally taken out by a Running Knee.

Edge, who was the special guest enforcer, stepped in as a makeshift referee. But things descended into further chaos, as Jey Uso hit the ring and superkicked both the babyfaces before introducing a chair to the match. It was used by Bryan, as he accidentally hit Edge with it before Reigns caught him with a Superman Punch.

Bryan reversed a Spear into the Yes Lock and even made the Universal Champion tap out. However, there was no referee to call for the bell and Edge battered both, him and Reigns with the chair. As another referee entered the ring, Roman Reigns crawled his way on top of Daniel Bryan to pin him and retain the Universal title.

This was an extremely dramatic sequence to end a truly epic match between two of WWE's very best. There is no way Bryan is out of the world title picture after Fastlane, making things very exciting as we sail towards WrestleMania.

Grade: A

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