We are now continuing without interruptions on the Road To WrestleMania, as last night's Fastlane PPV was the last pit stop. Fastlane served its purpose and was a pretty decent event. Nothing spectacular but for the most part, things went as planned. We now have clear indications of the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania, as well as the Smackdown Women's Championship program.
Kick-Off Show - Fashion Police & Tye Dillinger vs. Chad Gable, Shelton Benjamin, & Mojo Rawley
This match was completely thrown together at the last minute and in fact, I didn't even know about it until after I wrote my predictions blog. In any event, when I made my prediction for this match, the result was the complete opposite. Based on who was in the match, I made the assessment that the heels would win. Much to my surprise, the "Perfect Ten" and the Fashion Police came out on top. It was a fun match and a good way to get the crowd going before Fastlane began.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev
There isn't much back story to this match but it was entertaining. Since Nakamura's Royal Rumble win, he hasn't had much to do between then and his upcoming WWE Title match at WrestleMania. I was hesitant about his opponent being Rusev, considering how over he and "Rusev Day" has been getting. Despite Rusev's new popularity, WWE seems intent on keeping him heel, no matter how much fans resist. It was a pretty even contest and I'm glad Rusev came out of it looking good, even in a loss. Nakamura needs all the momentum in the world right now so it was pretty easy to predict his victory. Even so, there were a few times where it looked like he was about to lose. After his win was the obligatory pointing to the WrestleMania sign!
US Title - Bobby Roode vs. Randy Orton
Going in, I was confident about three things. One, it would be a good match. Two, Jinder Mahal was likely to get involved somehow. Three, Roode was going to walk out still the United States Champion. Well, as Meatloaf once said, two out of three ain't bad! I am not upset at the result but merely shocked! Then again, I should have seen it coming! They were really hammering in the point that the US Title was the last thing Orton needed to join the ranks of Grand Slam Champion. That should have been a clue! It was a great match and Roode doesn't lose any status at all. Jinder Mahal came out to attack Orton after his victory and then Roode cleared the ring of Mahal. For good measure, Roode nailed Orton with a Glorious DDT. It seems to me that a Triple Threat Match between these men for the US Championship at WrestleMania is in the works.
Natalya and Carmella vs. Becky Lynch and Naomi
This was yet another match of which the result I predicted incorrectly. I didn't really have any reasoning for choosing Becky and Naomi. I just figured Nattie and Carmella would take the loss, especially because Carmella could bounce back at any time to cash in her "Money In the Bank" briefcase. It was pretty good and got a decent amount of time, with three out of the four being good in the ring. I was really digging Becky's "straight fire" attire and it reminded me of Bam Bam Bigelow. I'm not sure where these women will be come WrestleMania.
Smackdown Tag Team Titles - The Usos vs. The New Day
Even though we've seen this match many times over, these teams have such amazing chemistry and always produce classics. Just as we were getting settled into another one, out walked the Bludgeon Brothers, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, formerly disciples of the Wyatt Family. Their hideous outfits and cheesy gimmicks aside, they are quite the intimidating presence. The only problem I had was that the Bludgeon Brothers ruined the match by interfering, causing a no contest ruling. They viciously attacked both teams and left them laying. I would have preferred if this attack happened after the match. It seems to me we're headed to a Triple Threat Match for the Smackdown Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania.
Smackdown Women's Title - Charlotte Flair vs. Ruby Riot
You'll notice I spelled Riot with one T and not two. I don't care for WWE's attempt to be hip with an extra T or a Z in place of an S. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. This match came together after a pretty decent feud, with Charlotte getting the better of Ruby's "Riot Squad" counterparts Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan, and Ruby getting the better of Charlotte's allies Becky Lynch and Naomi. As important as it was for Charlotte to further establish her dominance and greatness, it was just as important to give the match time and also let Ruby shine on her own as a performer. As good as the match was, the highlight was afterward when Royal Rumble winner Asuka showed up and without a word, made her intentions known that she's coming after Charlotte and her Championship at WrestleMania. As excited as I am for this match, and wary of how important it is to separate Asuka from Ronda Rousey for a while, I'm slightly bummed, as I feel that the Raw Women's Championship is the real deal, as opposed to Smackdown's. I don't like two titles of the same perceived importance as it dilutes the very idea of a Champion in the first place. Either way, I'm still excited!
WWE Title Six Pack Challenge - AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin vs. John Cena
I was thinking the match would be predictable and was actually hoping for it. I chose AJ to retain and I had several near heart attacks thinking someone else could win. I can't speak for people but I really wanted to see AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. This match was really good, especially because it was filled with close calls and moments that I second guessed myself. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility for John Cena to pick up number 17 last night. Speaking of John Cena, I really enjoyed that moment when the other five men attacked him because he's John Cena. He's earned the honor of being the man everyone needs to get rid of first. I figured Owens and Zayn would cancel each other out. Though it appeared the best friends were at each other's throats, it's clear Smackdown Commissioner Shane McMahon is not done with either of them. Who knows where that is going towards Wrestlemania? The even bigger question is what does Cena do? I know rumors have been floating around about the Undertaker but I'm not so sure. If he doesn't show up by tomorrow night's Smackdown, it will be a poor amount of time to build. Not only that, how do you end WrestleMania last year with Taker not only losing but leaving his gear in the ring, only for him to wrestle again. I'm not opposed to it but it's somewhat irrelevant now without the streak. AJ got by five other men and retained the WWE Title.
I really hope AJ's match with Nakamura will be the main event! Despite how much more "mainstream" the Brock/Roman match is, I can't help but think it's a mistake to close the show with that match. Also, despite how popular Ronda Rousey is, I feel that her mixed tag match should also not close WrestleMania. If WWE wants WrestleMania to end on a positive note, I'd recommend AJ/Shinsuke! If given enough time, it could be one of the best matches on the card. I don't even care who wins, as long as the match gets time. Even so, it's pretty likely we'll see Shinsuke Nakamura became the first Japanese born WWE Champion. For those of you about to chime in about Yokozuna, he was Samoan.
If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments. Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans. Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport. For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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There isn't much back story to this match but it was entertaining. Since Nakamura's Royal Rumble win, he hasn't had much to do between then and his upcoming WWE Title match at WrestleMania. I was hesitant about his opponent being Rusev, considering how over he and "Rusev Day" has been getting. Despite Rusev's new popularity, WWE seems intent on keeping him heel, no matter how much fans resist. It was a pretty even contest and I'm glad Rusev came out of it looking good, even in a loss. Nakamura needs all the momentum in the world right now so it was pretty easy to predict his victory. Even so, there were a few times where it looked like he was about to lose. After his win was the obligatory pointing to the WrestleMania sign!
You'll notice I spelled Riot with one T and not two. I don't care for WWE's attempt to be hip with an extra T or a Z in place of an S. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. This match came together after a pretty decent feud, with Charlotte getting the better of Ruby's "Riot Squad" counterparts Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan, and Ruby getting the better of Charlotte's allies Becky Lynch and Naomi. As important as it was for Charlotte to further establish her dominance and greatness, it was just as important to give the match time and also let Ruby shine on her own as a performer. As good as the match was, the highlight was afterward when Royal Rumble winner Asuka showed up and without a word, made her intentions known that she's coming after Charlotte and her Championship at WrestleMania. As excited as I am for this match, and wary of how important it is to separate Asuka from Ronda Rousey for a while, I'm slightly bummed, as I feel that the Raw Women's Championship is the real deal, as opposed to Smackdown's. I don't like two titles of the same perceived importance as it dilutes the very idea of a Champion in the first place. Either way, I'm still excited!
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