Fastlane 2023
Date: October 7, 2023
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re at the second of the not so important sounding pay per views here and coming into the show, we have a five match card. That either means we’re getting some bonus matches announced or things are going to go long this time. The main event would seem to be John Cena and LA Knight facing the Bloodline so let’s get to it.

I was sitting in the upper deck for this show, with the Titantron on my right.

The opening video features Pat McAfee (ok that makes sense) and talks about how Indianapolis is all about speed and moving forward, though sometimes you run into oncoming traffic. As you probably expected, the previews for the matches are included.

We recap the Tag Team Title match. Cody Rhodes brought Jey Uso back to WWE (after about two weeks) and is the only person to believe in him. The Judgment Day recruited Cody but got turned down, meaning it was a lot of fighting and an ensuing title match.

Tag Team Titles: Judgment Day vs. Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso

Rhodes and Uso are challenging and my goodness does Uso get an amazing reaction with the fans waving their arms along with him. Priest and Uso start things off with Priest running him over off a shoulder block. Uso ducks a right hand in the corner and slugs away though and Cody comes in to start on Priest’s knee. Priest blasts Uso with a clothesline to cut that off and it’s Balor coming in for his own stomping.

A headbutt gets Uso out of trouble and allows the tag to Rhodes, with a delayed gordbuster putting Uso down. Priest gets in a kick to the head from the apron but Balor’s chinlock doesn’t last that long. It’s back to Priest for a double arm crank and Rhodes is lured in so Uso can be kept in trouble. For some reason, about twenty minutes into the show, we see a wide shot of the arena and Cole talks about the show, almost sounding like he’s pitching it to new viewers.

Uso finally fights his way out of the corner and it’s Rhodes coming back in to clean house. The Disaster Kick hits Balor and Rhodes gives Priest a dragon screw legwhip over the rope. Balor is right back with 1916 for two but it’s too early for the Coup de Grace. A delayed superplex plants Balor but Rhodes can’t follow up. Uso comes back in with a high crossbody for two on Priest, who comes right back with a lifting Downward Spiral for two.

The limping Priest loads up a Razor’s Edge but gets low bridged to the floor for a ram into the announcers’ table. Back in and the Superfly Splash gets two on Priest, followed by a Cody Cutter to Balor. Uso spears Priest but cue Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio. Uso superkicks Dominik but gets quite the smile and wave from Ripley.

Back in and the distracted Uso gets hurricanranaed into a Coup de Grace from Balor, with Cody diving in for the save (after sitting at ringside until it was his cue for a terrible visual). Ripley briefcases Uso in the face for two but cue JD McDonagh to swing the case at Cody….but he hits Priest in the knee by mistake. Cross Rhodes on the table drops Priest and it’s a Cody Cutter/Downward Spiral combination to Balor. Another Cross Rhodes gives Cody the pin and the titles at 20:44.

Rating: B+. This went nuts in the end and I had a great time with the whole thing by the final moments. I wouldn’t have bet on the win after Judgment Day and the Bloodline joined forces last week but this was quite the twist. Good job on the surprise and the place went nuts on the win, even as McDonagh is probably about to get destroyed for screwing up again.

Booker T., Wade Barrett and Xavier Woods order pizza from Pizza Hut. This explains why I saw a Pizza Hut car driving into the arena as I was walking in.

We recap Bobby Lashley/the Street Profits vs. the LWO. Lashley and the Profits are being extra aggressive and have taken out part of the team. Rey Mysterio has an idea so it’s mystery partner time.

LWO vs. Bobby Lashley/Street Profits

It’s just Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar (with Zelina Vega) to start for the LWO. Escobar kicks away at Ford’s leg to start and then does the same to his head. A crossbody has Ford in more trouble but he manages a right hand to cut Escobar off. Escobar is back up with a super hurricanrana to drop Ford but he takes Escobar into the corner.

Lashley comes in for a running shoulder to the ribs and the one armed vertical suplex allows Ford to come back in for two. The beating doesn’t last long as it’s back to Mysterio to pick the pace way up. Lashley knocks Mysterio outside though, meaning it’s time for quite the grin. Ford’s running splash gets two on Mysterio and Dawkins drives in some more shoulders in the corner.

Mysterio avoids a big charge from Lashley but Ford is right there to pull Escobar off the apron in a smart move. That earns Ford a Meteora from Vega but there is no one for Mysterio to tag. The villains head outside….and Carlito of all people returns to be the LWO’s third man. Carlito dropkicks Dawkins to the floor so Mysterio and Escobar can hit dives. The Backstabber finishes Ford at 10:04.

Rating: C+. Not a great or blow away match but this was all about the Carlito return. Yes a lot of people figured it out in advance but it was still a cool moment with a familiar face returning and getting to be put into a nice slot. It’s nice to have Carlito back and we could be in for a longer feud with these teams as the other LWO members are likely to be out for the time being.

Post match, commentary gets Pizza Hut, as delivered by Xavier Woods.

We look at Jade Cargill’s debut on the Kickoff Show.

We recap the Smackdown Women’s Title triple threat. Iyo Sky won the title at Summerslam, then defended it against Asuka a few weeks ago. Charlotte got involved and Asuka lost, so now it’s time for everyone to fight.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Asuka vs. Charlotte vs. Iyo Sky

Sky is defending. Asuka starts fast by misting Charlotte for an early two, leaving us with Asuka vs. Sky. With Charlotte on the floor to get her eyes fixed, Asuka cranks on an armbar back inside. Sky grabs some rollups for a VERY near fall on Asuka, who is right back with a kick to the chest. Asuka comes back in and takes both of them down before unloading on Asuka in the corner.

Charlotte gets double teamed down, leaving Sky to missile dropkick Asuka into a heap. Asuka is fine enough to grab a German superplex for two but Charlotte comes in with a high crossbody to both of them. Back up and Charlotte takes over on both of them again, including a double flipping clothesline for two each. Asuka is back up and sends Charlotte outside, where she sends Sky out onto her for a crash.

Sky manages to drop Asuka with a moonsault, allowing Charlotte to moonsault off the top onto both of them. Back in and Charlotte goes up top with Sky, only to get caught in the Tower Of Doom. Charlotte is able to grab a Boston crab to Asuka but Sky makes the save with a running Meteora.

Things get complicated as Asuka gets a leglock on Charlotte but Sky adds a crossface, leaving them commentary confused about what happens if Charlotte taps. That’s let go so Charlotte is back up (of course) with a spear. Cue Bayley (against Sky’s wishes) as Charlotte gets the Figure Eight on Asuka. Bayley’s distraction means the referee doesn’t see Asuka tap, right before Sky’s Over The Moonsault crushes Charlotte to retain at 17:14.

Rating: B. This got better as it kept going, even with Charlotte being the focal point and getting the tap, meaning she is all but guaranteed to get another title shot down the road. It’s good to see Sky retaining though, as she has more than earned a big win like this one. I’m just worried that it’s going to be the Charlotte show down the road, though that’s all but guaranteed most of the time.

We look at Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso winning the Tag Team Titles earlier tonight.

LA Knight arrived in a Slim Jim racing car. For some reason in the arena, we saw the car pulling up (though we couldn’t see that it was Slim Jim) and then the video pulled off before we saw who was in it.

We recap John Cena/LA Knight vs. the Bloodline. Cena returned a few weeks ago and got on the Bloodline’s bad side, so Knight stepped up to help him.

Here is Pat McAfee (sporting an Indianapolis Colts title belt) for a surprise. He wasn’t about to miss this show in this city and thinks Indianapolis would be a great choice to host Wrestlemania. This city never lets the energy go down and now he’s going to do commentary. Before that though, he introduces John Cena.

John Cena/LA Knight vs. Bloodline

Paul Heyman is here with Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa. Cena and Jimmy start things off with Cena powering him down, meaning Heyman’s guidance is needed. Heyman’s guidance seems to be “grab a headlock” but Cena is back up to run him over. Cena wants and gets Sikoa, who drops Cena with a single shot to the face. Jimmy comes in to stomp away, allowing Sikoa to tie Cena in the Tree of Woe for the running headbutt.

A missed charge doesn’t go so well for Jimmy but the tag to Knight is cut off. The chinlock has Cena in more trouble and he just can’t quite get over for the tag again. Back in and Sikoa hits the running Umaga Attack in the corner but Cena fights up. That earns him a running spinwheel kick and it’s right back to Jimmy.

A quick AA gives Cena a breather but Sikoa breaks up the tag again. There’s a headbutt to Sikoa, giving us a LET’S GO SOLO chant from Jimmy (it doesn’t catch on). A Banzai Drop hits raised knees though and the diving tag brings in Knight to clean house. Knight neckbreaker Jimmy and stomps away in the corner, followed by a DDT to Sikoa.

Everything breaks down and the LA Elbow hits Jimmy, setting up Cena’s high crossbody to Sikoa. Jimmy is right back up with a Superfly Splash to Cena and everyone is down. Knight is sent outside so Cena loads up the AA on Sikoa, only to be superkicked by Jimmy. That lets Jimmy go up, with Knight coming in to jump up for the superplex. The Five Knuckle Shuffle sets up the BFT to finish Jimmy at 17:22.

Rating: B. Nice match here, though it felt more like a big time Smackdown main event than something that needed to be on pay per view. Instead, this was more about giving Knight the big rub by having him team with Cena for a high profile win. Knight is going to have to deal with the Bloodline in the future and that could make for a big moment.

Post match, the winners show respect.

Damian Priest wants to cash in Money In The Bank tonight, but Rhea Ripley says he’s too banged up and won’t let him.

The Indiana Hoosiers football team is here, including Declan McMahon, Shane’s son/Vince’s grandson. I wonder how he got those tickets.

The Brawling Brutes like the new WWE toy truck.

We recap Seth Rollins defending the Raw World Title against Shinsuke Nakamura. Rollins beat him last month to retain but Nakamura won’t leave him alone. Therefore tonight, it’s Last Man Standing.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Rollins is defending in a Last Man Standing match. Cole brings up that Rollins has not been pinned in a singles match since January before remembering that pins mean nothing here. Nakamura bails to the floor to start and sends a chasing Rollins’ bad back into the barricade. The fans want tables but will have to settle for Rollins suplexing him on the floor and peeling back the ring mats.

Rollins can’t send Nakamura into the exposed concrete but he can hit him with the steps. It’s time to throw in a bunch of weapons, which gives Nakamura quite the extended break. Nakamura is able to come back with some hard knees, allowing him to grab some nunchucks. A few hard shots keep Rollins down and Nakamura covers him with a trashcan. Kendo stick shots have Rollins in more trouble and there’s a knee to put him down for nowhere near a ten.

Rollins fights out of the reverse exploder though and scores with the Sling Blade for a needed breather. Some stick shots have Nakamura in trouble for a change and there’s the suicide dive to the floor. Back in and a frog splash crushes Nakamura, with Rollins having to pull himself up. Nakamura gets up as well and knees Rollins down, meaning a table can be set up in the corner.

Rollins is able to send him into (not through) the table and the Stomp gives Rollins eight. The announcers’ table is loaded up and it’s time to bring out a ladder. Nakamura is laid on the table but gets up and rolls away before Rollins can jump off of said ladder. They fight into the crowd with Rollins knocking him over towards the entrance. Nakamura knocks him off the stands and onto a well placed pad though, leaving Rollins to have to beat the count.

Some chair shots knock Rollins back to ringside, where he can’t hit a Pedigree on the concrete. He can hit it back inside though, allowing another table to be set at ringside while Nakamura beats the count. Nakamura puts him on the table and hits a top rope double knee for eight. More chair shots have Rollins in trouble as Cole is begging him to stop. Rollins manages a posting and loads Nakamura onto the announcers’ table before climbing the ladder.

Nakamura gets up and climbs the other side, where the mist knocks Rollins off the ladder and through the table. That’s good for nine so they go back inside. Kinshasa through the table gets nine more, with Rollins having to roll to the floor to survive. Nakamura takes him into the crowd again and they go up onto a small platform. Rollins manages a Pedigree and Stomp onto said platform for nine of his own, followed by a Falcon Arrow through a table (good thing it was there) to retain at 28:24.

Rating: B. That was a hard hitting match and Rollins felt like a star when he won, but it was also kind of a paint by numbers Last Man Standing match. I’m not sure how many times I’ve seen someone do the roll to the floor spot to save themselves in this kind of match but it’s hardly anything more. This should finish their feud though and now Rollins can move on to something else while Nakamura does….I’m not sure at this point.

Rollins celebrates and a highlight package wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B. I liked the show, but it felt like a big time special edition of Raw than a pay per view. The Tag Team Titles changing hands was a surprise, but other than that, the main event was the only thing that felt like it really belonged on a major show. It wasn’t bad by any means and the worst match was completely fine. I just need something more than this, as five matches doesn’t even feel like a card that matters all that much. It’s worth a look if you want an easy show (that doesn’t even last three hours), but they weren’t hiding that this was just setting the table for the big stuff next month.

Results
Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso b. Judgment Day – Cross Rhodes to Balor
LWO b. Bobby Lashley/Street Profits – Backstabber to Ford
Iyo Sky b. Charlotte and Asuka – Over The Moonsault to Charlotte
John Cena/LA Knight b. Bloodline – Blunt Force Trauma to Uso
Seth Rollins b. Shinsuke Nakamura when Nakamura could not answer the ten count

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

As you might guess, the review won’t be up ASAP.  I’ll be coming back to the hotel and doing the show as fast as I can, wifi depending.  Collision will probably not be up until tomorrow.

KB

We’re wrapping up the dead period of the pay per view calendar before we get to Crown Jewel and Survivor Series next month. That means we could be in for something interesting here and the card does look better than last month’s Payback. At the same time though, as of the night before the show, there are only five matches announced so far. While we are probably going to get a bonus match, this is all we have to work with at the moment. Let’s get to it.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Iyo Sky(c) vs. Charlotte vs. Asuka

We’ll start with a match that has a bunch of options and that could make for an interesting showdown. While it does feel like we’ve had more than a few triple threat matches for the title in recent months, it’s nice to see Sky getting to hold the title for a little bit. At the end of the day, almost nothing matters until you beat Charlotte and that might be what we see happen here. Maybe.

As nervous as I always am about the idea of Charlotte getting the title back, I’ll go with Sky retaining here. Asuka was champion not too long ago and Charlotte has been champion far too many times already. Sky needs the win a lot more than the other two and it would help establish her as a bigger deal. Hopefully it doesn’t take Damage CTRL helping her, but what matters is Sky leaving with the gold, which she should.

Tag Team Titles: Judgment Day(c) vs. Cody Rhodes/Jey Uso

This was a match that got a big boost from Smackdown, as Rhodes and Uso made a big save to help fight against the seemingly united Judgment Day and Bloodline. That spiced things up a bit more, though Rhodes and Uso do make for interesting challengers. While they might not be a regular team, they are the perfect choice to come after the titles right now.

That being said, I can’t imagine the titles change hands here, as the Judgment Day have just started something a lot bigger. I’m not sure if the whole thing is going to be a success, but it would be a surprise to see them losing the title so fast. It wouldn’t surprise me to see some interference to keep the titles on the champs here, but it’s going to come at the end of a heck of a fight.

Latino World Order vs. Bobby Lashley/Street Profits

This is a match where we are going to be in for a surprise as Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar are going to need a new partner after Lashley and the Profits obliterated the rest of the LWO. There is a name rumored that I’ll leave out to avoid spoilers but it would be quite the sweet moment if the prediction is right. Other than that, we are going to be seeing a strong six man tag, as Lashley and the Profits are already clicking and the LWO works well together.

While it would make sense for the new member of the LWO to get the win, Lashley and the Profits feel like they could be a big deal in the near future. That would involve them winning here and we’ll go with that as the pick. Escobar would likely be the one to take the fall, as I can’t imagine the newcomer or Mysterio taking the fall, but I’m curious to see what that means for the team. For now though, Lashley and the Profits win.

Raw World Title: Seth Rollins(c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

This is a rematch from Payback where Rollins won, but this time it’s Last Man Standing. In other words, this one is going to be about the violence, which is where something like this should go. Rollins can have that kind of match and Nakamura has shown the ability to go extreme if need be. We should be in for a heck of a fight here, and the title being on the line makes it even better.

I’ll play it safe and go with Rollins to retain here, as it is hard to fathom the idea of Rollins losing here, with Survivor Series right around the corner. Maybe they do a quick loss here to give Nakamura a bit win before Rollins wins it back, but I’ll stick with Rollins winning. And again, no Money In The Bank cash-in, because they pushed it a bit too hard this week on Smackdown.

John Cena/LA Knight vs. Bloodline

Odds are this is going to be the big main event as it has all of the star power. Knight is on a roll, Cena is Cena, and the Bloodline, even without Roman Reigns, feels important. The Judgment Day tying in with the Bloodline this week should make things more interesting and now we get to see what could be a big step on the way to one heck of a story later on this year.

While I could see the Bloodline winning here with the help of their new friends, Cena and Knight winning here is a better way to go. Knight can get a win over Uso and move even further into the main event. Reigns is going to be back next week on Smackdown and that should be enough to make things more interesting in the big picture. Or now though, Cena and Knight win to send the fans home happy.

Overall Thoughts

They more or less have to add in another match or two, as a five match pay per view is either going to have a few forty minute matches or be done in about two hours. We do have a good card as it stands though and that means we could be in for a pretty nice B (or even C) level show. WWE is doing well right now and it would be great to continue that momentum on the way into one of their busier seasons.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Fastlane 2021
Date: March 21, 2021
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves, Michael Cole, Samoa Joe, Byron Saxton

It’s time for the show that doesn’t exactly seem like it needs to exist but actually doesn’t look too bad on paper. There are some matches here which could be pretty good, though you never can tell with a show like this. A lot of the promise might come from the fact that the expectations are so low, but take whatever you can get. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: US Title: Riddle vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali is challenging and also has Retribution with him. Riddle snaps off a gutwrench suplex for two to start but Ali gets in a suplex of his own. Ali wraps Riddle’s leg around the post and then swings him around to send Riddle’s head into the post as well. There’s a dropkick to the ribs but Ali stops to brag to Retribution. The bodyscissors stays on the ribs and there’s a dropkick to the back to give Ali two more.

Ali seems to be favoring his knee before he slaps on another bodyscissors. Riddle reverses into a sleeper but Ali flips backwards for two to break things up. A Pele kick knocks Ali into the corner and there’s the PK to the chest. Riddle hits a Final Flash for two more but the Floating Bro hits knees.

Ali’s tornado DDT is countered into a fisherman’s buster but Ali snaps on a Koji Clutch. Riddle finally picks him up and gently drops him down for the break, which has Ali smiling at Retribution. Ali talks trash and crotches Riddle on top, only to charge into a sleeper while Riddle is still on top. Riddle isn’t done though and pulls him up for a super Bro Derek to retain at 9:19.

Rating: C+. That’s how I like my Riddle: turning on the jets to run someone over because there is no way to keep up with him. It’s nice to see him crank up the seriousness every now and then and that is what we got here. Retribution has been done for a long time now an it wouldn’t surprise me to see them split up before we even get to Wrestlemania.

Post match Ali blames the rest of Retribution with Reckoning being specifically called out. Reckoning walks out and Slapjack follows her. Ali keeps yelling at Mace and T-Bar, who lay him out with a double chokeslam.

The opening video looks at the main matches and how everyone is trying to make it to Wrestlemania.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler vs. Bianca Belair/Sasha Banks

Jax and Baszler are defending and have Reginald in their corner. Both teams are bickering coming in because that’s a really popular idea around here. Banks and Baszler start things off and we’re at about nine camera cuts in the first five seconds. Baszler is knocked into the corner for the slingshot knees and Belair comes in for two off a standing moonsault. Belair blocks an attempt at a triangle choke with straight power so Baszler hits her in the face.

Jax tags herself in, much to Baszler’s annoyance, and the champs start taking turns working over on Belair. Jax chokes away and it’s back to Baszler to work on an armbar. It’s back to Jax for a cobra clutch but Belair fights up. A missed charge sends Jax shoulder first into the post and the hot tag brings Banks back in to clean house.

Belair comes back in with a 450 to Baszler but Reginald offers a distraction. After a forearm takes care of him, the Bank Statement has Baszler in trouble. Belair goes to cut off Jax, who shoves Belair into Banks to break the hold. That lets Banks and Belair argue some more so Baszler rolls Banks up to retain at 8:46.

Rating: C. The match was fine enough but egads it’s annoying seeing the women be either best friends or arguing all the time. It’s like they have two emotions to choose from and that’s not exactly interesting. On top of that, the Women’s Champion just got pinned by someone who isn’t going to mention going after the title because that’s not what we’re doing right now. Instead, Baszler is just going to be happy that she has a path to Wrestlemania. The logic and lack of planning from this company is astounding. Oh and what was the point of Tamina and Natalya jumping Belair on Smackdown?

Post match Belair and Banks argue again, with Banks calling her a rookie. Banks hits a heck of a slap to the face and leaves while holding the title.

Shane McMahon injured himself in training earlier today and is limping around with ice wrapped around his knee. Elias comes up to say he has an idea for the most epic musical performance ever at Wrestlemania (How many of those is he going to have???). He’s willing to do anything and Shane might have an idea.

We recap Apollo Crews vs. Big E. Crews has channeled his Nigerian royal heritage and is being more aggressive. He has attacked Big E. over and over again but Big E. won’t give him another title shot. Then Crews went too far and it was time for a showdown/beating.

Intercontinental Title: Big E. vs. Apollo Crews

Big E. is defending and the slugout is on in a hurry. The spear through the ropes drops Crews in less than thirty seconds with Big E. saying this is what Crews wanted. There’s the apron splash and, after a lot of shouting, another apron splash cruses Crews again. Big E. hits an overhead belly to belly and shouts about how much he has worked for this.

There’s another suplex but Crews kicks the knee out to cut Big E. down. A German suplex sends Big E. flying again and a frog splash gets two. Crews’ toss powerbomb is countered and they fight over a small package with Big E. getting a pin…..maybe…..to retain at 5:44. Commentary seemed to be rather unsure about whose shoulders were down.

Rating: C+. This was all action and while the ending isn’t exactly inspiring (How many times can they do the same thing with these two?), this was the Big E. that fans have been wanting to cheer for a long time now. I could see this version getting a heck of a push and that is a rather appealing idea. Crews looked good too, but it isn’t going to matter if he keeps losing over and over.

Post match Crews stays on Big E. with an Angle Slam and stands over him, declaring himself the Intercontinental Champion.

A guy named Joseph Average is giving out Old Spice samples. R-Truth is in the samples case and Average wins the title by accident. Then R-Truth wins it back and runs off, picking up the samples on the way. Akira Tozawa shows up to yell at Average but gets freaked out by his Nightpanther shirt. The Average guy looked a lot like Ric Bugenhagen.

We look at Shane McMahon getting injured again.

Shane is in the ring with Elias and Jaxson Ryker for a Wrestlemania preview. Hold on though as Shane forgot to mention something: Elias is taking his place.

Braun Strowman vs. Elias

Strowman jumps him fast to start and the beating is on in a hurry. Elias gets knocked outside where he and Jaxson Ryker consider leaving, only to get run over by Strowman. Back in and a Ryker distraction lets Elias get in a chop block and DDT. The top rope elbow doesn’t work though and Strowman this the running powerslam for the pin at 3:44.

Rating: D. Well thank goodness we get to stretch out Shane vs. Strowman, because that is something worth waiting on. I’m still not sure why I should want to see that match but WWE is not about to let it go until (and possibly after) Wrestlemania. Strowman winning makes up a tiny bit of the mess from Raw but there is only so much good that can come from the whole thing.

We recap the Kickoff Show match with Retribution seemingly breaking up.

Riddle bumps into Shinsuke Nakamura and tries to get him into the business of dressing up a scooter like a stallion with a bubble machine. Then he tells a story about his cousin Skeeter the skater hurting himself at the skate park….but Nakamura has disappeared. Riddle leaves and Nakamura is back.

Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura is standing up for Cesaro after Rollins took him out. Rollins’ headlock doesn’t last long to start as Nakamura fires off some knees to put him on the floor. Back in and Rollins knocks Nakamura to the floor for a change, allowing him to shout about disrespect. Some shots to the back keep Nakamura in trouble and we hit the waistlock. A knee drop gives Rollins two (via a pair of ones) but he stops to shout about Cesaro swinging him 22 times.

Rollins loads up his own Swing but Nakamura sends him outside for a baseball slide. A running knee sets up the kicks to Rollins’ chest, including Good Vibrations. The middle rope kick is cut off with a shove to the floor and there’s the suicide dive to send Nakamura into the barricade. Back in and Rollins hits the springboard knee to the head into the Sling Blade for two. The Falcon Arrow is blocked and they slug it out, including an exchange of kicks to the head.

Nakamura sends him into the corner for the sliding German suplex but Rollins is right back with a Falcon Arrow for two. Back up and Nakamura hits the Landslide into the reverse exploder for two more. Rollins misses a kick to the head but hooks his foot on Nakamura’s leg so he can use the other leg to kick him in the back of the head (that’s a new one). The Stomp finishes Nakamura at 12:59.

Rating: B-. That’s the match you would expect from these two as it was hard hitting with both guys beating each other up rather well. There was zero doubt as to who was winning as we know what Rollins is doing at Wrestlemania, but it was nice to have something other than just going through the motions. By far the best thing on the show so far.

Rhea Ripley is on Raw tomorrow.

We recap Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre, with a focus on how far they have both come in twenty years. They had been friends for that whole time but everything broke down because Sheamus wanted McIntyre’s WWE Title. They have fought twice since then and now it is No Holds Barred to decide the winner. There was some cool stuff from Europe in there to make this feel a lot more personal.

Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre

No Holds Barred and McIntyre has his face painted like the Scottish flag. Sheamus shouts (as someone has done in every match tonight) about twenty years to start so McIntyre suplexes him down. They’re on the floor in a hurry with McIntyre beating up against the announcers’ table but getting sent into the post. It’s time for the weapons, including a bunch of kendo sticks being thrown inside.

McIntyre takes too much time picking one up, allowing Sheamus to knock it into his face. Some stick shots to the back have McIntyre in trouble but he headbutts Sheamus down. Now it’s McIntyre’s turn to hammer away with the stick to send Sheamus outside. McIntyre follows but gets sent into the steps, which Sheamus then uses to hit him in the face. They fight to the announcers’ table with Sheamus being sent into the barricade and then into what would be the crowd.

The slugout is on until Sheamus muscles him over with a suplex. They fight into the stands with Sheamus not being able to hit White Noise. Instead Sheamus is sent through some of the screens for some sparks and glares from Drew. It’s back to ringside with McIntyre hitting another suplex on the floor to knock him even sillier. Sheamus is right back up with a Brogue kick but seems to be badly favoring his hip.

After shouting that Drew kept him from Wrestlemania, Sheamus hits White Noise from the barricade through the announcers’ table for the huge crash. They get back inside with Sheamus holding a piece of the busted table. That takes too long though as McIntyre hits him in the face and grabs the Futureshock. The Claymore finishes Sheamus at 19:40.

Rating: B. It went a bit long but they beat the fire out of each other and had some rather nice big spots. That’s about all you could have expected here as I don’t think there was any realistic expectation that Sheamus would win. This was about beating each other up for a long time and what we got here. Good stuff, and exactly what it should have been.

We recap Alexa Bliss vs. Randy Orton. Bliss is mad that Orton lit the Fiend on fire to get rid of him and started using evil powers on him. Tonight, she has offered Orton the chance to get rid of her for good.

Randy Orton vs. Alexa Bliss

The black goo starts coming out of Orton’s mouth during the entrance so he…..demands a towel. Bliss comes out and stands across the ring for the bell, so Orton charges into a wall of flames. Orton misses a charge into the post and the slow motion chase is on. Then a lighting truss falls and nearly crushes Orton, with Bliss saying it was so close.

Bliss sits on the bottom rope and Orton slowly gets back inside where Bliss blows a kiss….and throws a fireball at him. That misses so Bliss sits on the top rope as the ring splits open (seemingly with fire underneath it) and a gloves hand grabs Orton’s leg. The Fiend, now with a charred mask and clothes, pops out. Bliss kicks Orton into Sister Abigail and gets the pin at 4:39.

Rating: D. This wasn’t exactly a match and the ending is their latest venture into a horror movie. What else were you expecting here though? It was all about bringing the Fiend back so we can have the Firefly Fun House match at Wrestlemania, but I’m not exactly thrilled by Randy Orton’s Nightmare On Elm Street.

On Talking Smack, Paul Heyman promised more Roman Reigns destruction at Fastlane.

We recap Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan. Reigns beat Bryan at Elimination Chamber immediately after Bryan had won the Elimination Chamber. As a result, Bryan wanted a rematch under slightly fairer conditions, which he ultimately earned. This did not sit well with Royal Rumble winner Edge, who thought Bryan getting a shot first was unfair. Edge is going to be the ringside enforcer here as well to make things more interesting. Edge’s complaints are pretty ridiculous as he is guaranteed a title shot no matter what, but we need some drama because Edge vs. Reigns isn’t very interesting.

Universal Title: Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns

Reigns is defending with Paul Heyman in his corner and Edge is the ringside enforcer. We get the Big Match Intros and the canned noise really favors Bryan. Reigns powers him into the corner to start and Bryan needs to rethink things. The threat of a kneebar sends Reigns bailing to the ropes so Bryan goes for both legs at once. That has Reigns in the ropes again but this time he looks a little more serious. A cross armbreaker has Reigns in the ropes for a third time in the early going and they continue to circle each other.

Reigns’ headlock takeover has Bryan down but he counters into a hammerlock and talks about the importance of technique. Back up again and Reigns hits him in the face to take over, which feels like admitting defeat in the grapple off. Bryan picks up the pace and loads up a running clothesline but charges into a tilt-a-whirl slam for two more. Reigns stomps Bryan down and grabs a chinlock while talking about how his isn’t going to be broken.

Bryan gets thrown outside, where Reigns glares at Edge and sends Bryan into the barricade. Back in and Reigns hammers him down into the corner and tells Bryan to look into the camera and acknowledge him. Bryan manages a few shots of his own though and there’s the running dropkick in the corner. The super hurricanrana is blocked though and Reigns gets him into a Boston crab of all things.

Bryan slips out and strikes away before managing to send Reigns outside. A running knee from the apron rocks Reigns and a top rope knee starts in on Reigns’ shoulder. The missile dropkick gives Bryan a delayed two and Reigns isn’t happy. He knocks Bryan into the corner and unloads with right hands and knees, followed by the stomping on the mat. Bryan is right back with some YES Kicks and the big one puts Reigns down.

The arm trap stomps set up the YES Lock in the middle of the ring and Bryan pulls it back from the ropes to crank on it again. Reigns finally turns it over and unloads with heavy shots to the face to knock Bryan silly. Hold on though as Reigns has to stop to rub his bad arm, allowing Bryan to come back with the running knee….and take out the referee by mistake.

Reigns hits the spear so Edge comes in for very delayed two. That’s not cool with Reigns so he yells at Edge, allowing Bryan to pull him into a triangle choke. Bryan pulls him down into the YES Lock but here’s Jey Uso to break it up and drop Edge. Uso grabs a chair but stops to send Edge shoulder first into the post. Bryan hits the running knee on Uso and chairs him down but Reigns is back up with the Superman Punch.

The spear is countered into the YES Lock though and Reigns is in big trouble. Reigns taps (very subtly to make it better) to no referee and Edge chairs Bryan over and over. Edge shouts that this is his and leaves as another referee comes in, about seven minutes after the first one went down, to count Reigns’ pin on Bryan at 30:00.

Rating: A. Well that was excellent. This was a near master class in storytelling as Bryan was slowly picking Reigns apart with technique and the never say die attitude but Reigns just bombarded him with one heavy shot after another. I would have loved for this to have headlined Wrestlemania but alas it was left here where it won’t get the attention that it deserves.

The ending was annoying (as Edge’s stuff for needing the big moment after winning the Royal Rumble from #1 continues to sound ridiculous) but I get what they are going for. They absolutely have to go with the triple threat now and that should be amazing. Watch this match and take notes because it is one of the best storytelling displays I have seen in a very long time.

Overall Rating: B+. The big matches delivered and the bad matches were kept short, with the main event being a half hour instant classic. I’m not sure what more you could ask for out of a low level show that was over in less than three hours. I had a great time with the main event and most of the rest of the show was very good as well. It means almost nothing in the grand scheme of things and most of Wrestlemania is set, but dang this had some fun moments. Heck of a show, and that isn’t the biggest surprise.

Results

Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler b. Bianca Belair/Sasha Banks – Rollup to Banks

Big E. b. Apollo Crews – Rollup

Braun Strowman b. Elias – Running powerslam

Seth Rollins b. Shinsuke Nakamura – Stomp

Drew McIntyre b. Sheamus – Brogue Kick

Alexa Bliss b. Randy Orton – Sister Abigail

Roman Reigns b. Daniel Bryan – Chair shot from Edge

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I think we’ve talked enough about how unimportant this show is as even WWE has seemed to acknowledge it. They have gone out of their way to start advertising Wrestlemania already, mainly because it is taking place a mere three weeks after Fastlane. That is nowhere near enough time for a Wrestlemania build but at least they are doing something with it in advance. That means at the cost of Fastlane, but how many people are going to care? Let’s get to it.

Alexa Bliss vs. Randy Orton

Let’s get this out of the way early because this story has been awful. Odds are this is going to set up the return of the Fiend, or whatever the latest Bray Wyatt incarnation we’re getting, to get us to the final blowoff at Wrestlemania. I’ve been dreading this since the second they announced it because it is going to have a lot of supernatural shenanigans and that is not a good thing.

Since this is not likely to be a match but is billed as one anyway, I’ll take Bliss to “win”, as I can’t imagine Orton actually doing anything to her. I know it’s going to be bad and I don’t need to see it, but at least it’s better than watching Orton vs. the Fiend again….or at least I think it is. Anyway, Bliss wins the non-match.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler(c) vs. Bianca Belair/Sasha Banks

This is a tried and kind of true method of building towards a singles title match and thankfully we seem to have moved past the point of doing a title change here, as it would be one of the worse things that they could do. What worries me is the amount of Reginald that could be involved, because WWE REALLY wants to do that Jax Likes A Small Guy story for whatever reason.

I’ll take the champs to retain here, even though they have no other challengers and have done about all they can with the belts. Banks vs. Belair needs to be a story about the two of them instead of the two of them dealing with other people, so hopefully that is where we go after this match ends. I’m not sure what to expect going forward, but these stories need to be split up already.

Shane McMahon vs. Braun Strowman

Why? What did we do to deserve this, which very well may set up a rematch at Wrestlemania? I know Shane is a McMahon and that makes him one of the stars of the show, but it does not make him fun to watch in the ring. McMahon has been the face in this story since the beginning and watching him outsmart Strowman and beat him up on Monday didn’t help things.

For the sake of my sanity, I’ll take Strowman here, but I don’t think I have much of a reason to believe that is correct. There is little reason for this match to take place other than getting Shane in the ring again and the green slime deal did not make things any better. We’re pretty much down to hoping for a miracle with this one and that is not a good place to be.

US Title: Riddle(c) vs. Mustafa Ali

Redemption almost has to be coming to an end sooner or later a they have been on fumes for the entirety of their run. Maybe they get a boost if Ali can win the title here, but it’s not like anything else they have done has worked so far. The team is so far removed from its original identity that they don’t really even have characters anymore, so winning a title might give them a little something to focus on.

That being said, I can’t imagine they take the title off of Riddle so soon so I’ll go with him retaining and furthering Retribution’s problems. At the very least it would be nice to see Mace and T-Bar turned into a tag team as they could give New Day some issues in a hurry. That’s a little ways off though, as Ali has to lose to Riddle first, which is what I see happening here.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Seth Rollins

This was added during this week’s Smackdown and that means you should be able to see the path to Wrestlemania from here. Nakamura is standing up for Cesaro after Rollins took him out the previous week, like any good friend should be doing. That will likely set up Rollins vs. Cesaro at Wrestlemania, but first we have to get through this one and it should be a fun one.

There is no reason for Nakamura to win here so I’ll take Rollins as he gears up for Tampa and Cesaro. Maybe we can get the good Nakamura here instead of the coasting version, but given how he is feeling in this story, can you blame him for not exactly being thrilled? We might even have a great one in there, but I’m not exactly getting my hopes up for it this time.

Intercontinental Title: Big E.(c) vs. Apollo Crews

I want to like this one and there is a chance that we can get a good match, but everything will fall apart again as soon as Crews starts talking. I know that it is nice for him to have a character, but the combination of Coming To America and Black Panther accent is hurting what would otherwise be an interesting character. Big E. has sold the emotions while still taking a beating, so the potential is there.

I’ll take Big E. to retain here as I can’t imagine they take the title off of him that soon. Throw in the fact that Crews sounds so out there and it is hard to imagine the title changing hands. Crews is better than he was about a year ago, but I have no idea how far they think he is going to go without some adjustments. The talent is there, but as usual with WWE, they aren’t quite hitting the presentation.

Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus

This is No Holds Barred and the Raw main event of the show. That’s not the worst idea in the world as these two have had some pretty awesome matches so far and I could go for watching them beat the fire out of each other on pay per view. There is a slight chance of throwing a monkey wrench into the McIntyre vs. Lashley Wrestlemania title match but that might be a stretch.

I’ll go with McIntyre here, but I can’t shake the feeling that they might try something. Lashley interfering would make some sense, though I’m not sure if that would change what they have already announced. We could be in for a heck of a fight here though and these two have shown some outstanding chemistry together. Let them do their thing and have the match of the night though, because that’s what they could do here.

Universal Title: Roman Reigns(c) vs. Daniel Bryan

Now here we have the match where I really hope they do change something around, because this should be Wrestlemania. Bryan has made me believe in him all over again with those awesome promos on Friday and it would be great to see him get the chance to do his thing one more time on the big stage. Unfortunately we are getting Edge instead, and he will be ringside this time as the outside enforcer.

I really want to say that they’ll pull a surprise here (not necessarily a title change, but something that brings Bryan into Wrestlemania) but I don’t think they will. Edge will get involved in the finish and I could go for him trying to spear Jey Uso and hitting Bryan to cost him the title. That’s pure fantasy booking, but Reigns isn’t losing here and he’ll retain the title on his way to Tampa.

Overall Thoughts

The potential is there. This show feels like it could be rather good based on the complete lack of expectations coming into it and that is not a bad thing. There is little reason to care about the show but if the action and storytelling are both there, we could be in for a nice night. Odds are they are going to be in and out quickly as has been the case with most B level pay per views as of late, so for once we can call this cautious optimism.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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IMG Credit: WWE

Fastlane 2019
Date: March 10, 2019
Location: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, Renee Young, Corey Graves

I’m not sure what to think of with this show as there’s only so much that can be done with a show that clearly serves as nothing more than a last stop on the way to Wrestlemania. There are some matches tonight that could go somewhere but a lot of what we’ll be seeing is going to be a stepping stone towards next month. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: New Day vs. Shinsuke Nakamura/Rusev

Lana is in Nakamura/Rusev’s corner and has her hair cut to its NXT length. It’s Big E./Xavier Woods for New Day here with Woods and Nakamura starting things off. Some whips into the corner don’t work for Nakamura as Woods snaps off a headscissors for an early two. A kick to the head drops Woods though and we take an early break.

Back with Rusev driving shoulders into Woods’ ribs in the corner and slapping on a bearhug. Nakamura comes back in for a front facelock as we go split screen to show Miz talking to his dad about bringing the titles home tonight. Shane McMahon comes in to say the same and the former champs are ready. Back to full screen with Woods getting away and making the hot tag to Big E. for some short form house cleaning. Nakamura’s guillotine choke slows things down but Big E. suplexes him away without much effort.

Nakamura snaps the throat across the ropes and gets two off a middle rope knee to the chest. Woods comes back in and gets kicked in the head, setting up a DDT to give Rusev two. A wheelbarrow suplex gets two and the sliding knee from Nakamura connects for the same. Woods rolls over for the tag to Big E. but Lana crotches Woods to break up UpUpDownDown.

The Machka Kick gets two on Big E. as Woods makes a diving save. Woods’ running flip dive onto both villains is countered into a double powerbomb for two back inside and Rusev is stunned. The Accolade goes on but Big E. going after Nakamura is enough for the break. It’s back t Big E. and now UpUpDownDown can connect for the pin at 13:18.

Rating: B. This was a downright good match that got more time than I was expecting to see. They had the chemistry rolling with Big E. and Woods, the weaker of the New Day combinations, more than hanging with two solid midcard stars. I’m not wild on Rusev taking the pin, but it’s the logical result here.

The Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade match has been removed from the Kickoff Show and added to the main show as part of a four way for the US Title, also involving Samoa Joe and R-Truth.

The opening video looks at everyone trying to get to Wrestlemania. That would be a more effective theme is the show wasn’t likely to have fifteen matches with more than half of them being multi-person matches.

Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. Shane McMahon/The Miz

Shane and Miz are challenging after losing the titles last month with Miz’s dad in the front row. Shane kicks at Jimmy to start as Jey talks about Shane’s shoes. Jimmy gets knocked down into the corner and Miz comes in for some double stomps. A Hart Attack gets two on Jimmy as Graves keeps ripping on Miz’s dad. Jey comes in and Shane walks into a clothesline to put the champs in control.

The chinlock goes on for a good while until Shane fights up with a tornado DDT. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Miz, who cleans house to take over. Miz sends the Usos outside for a big dive off the top (you don’t see that very often) which gets some applause from Miz’s dad. Back in and Jimmy gets two off a Samoan drop with Shane making the save.

Shane gets knocked down and it’s the Skull Crushing Finale to Jey but the referee is checking on Shane, meaning it’s only a near fall. Jey sends Miz into the post but the Usos spend too much time yelling at Miz’s dad, allowing Miz to get two off a rollup. With Jimmy down in the corner, Shane goes up so Jey gets up on the other corner. Jey goes to dive at Miz but Shane dropkicks him out of the air for a good looking crash. Miz goes up for a splash which hits knees, allowing Jimmy to roll him up for the pin to retain at 14:09.

Rating: B-. It was an entertaining match with Miz trying harder than usual but there’s only so much you can do to get around the fact that this is designed to set up Miz vs. Shane at Wrestlemania. There are so many other teams who could have been used in this spot but for some reason we’re stuck watching these two do their thing about Miz and his dad. I’m not sure who is supposed to care about this story, but I don’t think too many people are.

Post match Miz and Shane shake hands and go over to Miz’s dad. Everything seems ok until Shane jumps Miz, because we’re getting face Miz vs. heel Shane at Wrestlemania. Shane even shoves Miz’s dad and uses his well known MMA skills for a triangle choke on Miz. The hold is finally let go and Miz’s dad comes over the barricade to check on him. I’m so glad we’re giving Shane McMahon this story instead of all the people sitting on the sidelines. You have people leaving because they can’t get a spot, and Shane is getting featured in the first half hour of a pay per view.

Bobby Lashley, Baron Corbin and Drew McIntyre are ready to break the Shield again.

Here’s Elias for a song. He makes fun of Miz, mocks Cleveland and mentions Lebron James….and that’s it.

Smackdown Women’s Title: Mandy Rose vs. Asuka

Asuka is defending after Mandy (with Sonya Deville in her corner) pinned her in a non-title match a few weeks back. Mandy grabs a headlock to start but gets caught in an ankle lock. That’s enough to bring Sonya up to the apron, allowing Mandy to knee Asuka in the face for a closer two than it should have been. The abdominal stretch goes on with Graves praising Mandy even more than usual, sending Phillips into obvious fits of laughter on commentary.

The hold is reversed into an Octopus Hold as Sonya randomly looks underneath the ring. Asuka goes with the strikes into a release German suplex for two. A sliding knee gets two more but the running hip attack misses, allowing Mandy to score with another jumping knee. Asuka knees her even harder so Sonya goes underneath the ring for a kendo stick. Mandy trips over the raised ring skirt though and Asuka scores with a kick to the head to retain at 6:38.

Rating: C. Mandy has gotten way better in a hurry and that’s a good sign for her future. Just looking at her, you would expect her to be nothing but eye candy, but she’s actually turned into someone worthwhile who can have a good match with a lot of people. This was WAY better than it had any right to be, though the ending was a big head scratch inducing.

Post match Mandy doesn’t want to hear from Sonya.

Earlier tonight, Kofi Kingston was told to go see the McMahons about the Smackdown World Title match. He’s still waiting outside when the rest of New Day comes up to say they need to go in now. Woods and Big E. give Vince a great speech about how Kofi has been waiting for eleven years and now it needs to be a triple threat. Vince makes it a triple threat with Kofi in the title match RIGHT NOW with New Day barred from ringside.

Smackdown World Title: Kofi Kingston vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kevin Owens

Bryan is defending. Actually hang on a second as Kofi has his entrance, but we’re told the match is taking place later tonight. Instead we get this.

Kofi Kingston vs. The Bar

The Bar doesn’t have to tag so the double teaming is on in a hurry. Kofi tries to fight back but is quickly taken down for a double leg crank. The beating heads to the floor but this time Kofi actually knocks Sheamus down on the apron. Cesaro catches him inside though and the powerbomb/top rope clothesline combination destroys Kofi again. The fans declare this boring as the Brogue Kick gets two with Cesaro pulling Kofi up. Cue New Day for the save but Rusev/Nakamura cut them off. The super White Noise finishes Kofi with feet on the chest at 5:08.

Rating: D. Pure angle advancement and that’s fine. There’s only so much you can get out of something like this and you can’t blame the wrestlers for not having a good match here. Kofi’s push towards the title like this feels a bit rushed though and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him lose again to set up the (hopeful) title change at Wrestlemania.

Sasha Banks and Bayley are ready to defend the titles against anyone and they’re ready for Nia Jax and Tamina tonight.

Elias sings again, this time about how Kofi and Miz looked like Cleveland Cavaliers.

We recap Shane turning on Miz. It was less than 45 minutes ago!

Shane has nothing to say.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Revival vs. Aleister Black/Ricochet vs. Chad Gable/Bobby Roode

The Revival is defending so the challengers send them outside in all of two seconds. Roode and Gable join them on the floor, leaving Ricochet and Black to moonsault into their poses. We settle down to Gable waistlocking Ricochet down but getting thrown off for a break. Wilder tags himself in and it’s quickly off to Dawson for an assisted suplex. Gable tags himself in as well and gets two off his own suplex. The armbar doesn’t last long as Dawson comes in and drops Ricochet ribs first across the top rope.

Some elbows get two but Ricochet rolls forward for a dropkick to Dawson. That’s enough for a double tag to bring in Black and Roode with Aleister cleaning house. It’s too early for Black Mass as Roode sends the kick into Dawson and spinebusters Black for two. Everything breaks down and Gable German suplexes Dawson with Wilder coming off the top with a splash for the save.

Ricochet’s shooting star gets two with Roode making a save of his own. Everyone heads outside with Ricochet and Dawson being left on top. Ricochet hurricanranas him down, landing head first on the apron in the process. Thankfully he’s not dead and hits a running flip dive over the top onto Roode, with Gable tagging himself in as Ricochet is flying through the air (legal, believe it or not). It’s a bad idea though as the Shatter Machine finishes Gable to retain the titles at 10:47.

Rating: B. This was good stuff with another obvious winner, which will lead to Revival losing the non-title matches for weeks. It’s smart to have Roode/Gable take the fall (as they could have for weeks instead of Revival) as Black and Ricochet are still new and shouldn’t be getting pinned yet. It’s the best match of the night so far, though I’m not sure how strong of a compliment that is.

Post match the Revival goes after Black and Ricochet, earning a 630.

US Title: Samoa Joe vs. R-Truth vs. Andrade vs. Rey Mysterio

Bonus match with Joe defending. All three challengers go to the floor so Joe is right there with a suicide elbow to all three of them. Back inside and Joe headbutts Andrade down in the corner but Truth is back up to take over. Rey comes in to send Andrade and Truth down but Joe runs Rey over. A heck of a tornado DDT gives Rey two on Joe so Andrade takes Rey up top.

Truth makes a save and it’s a super hurricanrana to Andrade to give Truth two with Rey breaking it up with a slingshot legdrop. Rey dives at Joe and gets caught, only to have Andrade missile dropkick both of them. Andrade isn’t done as he hits two of Three Amigos, with Rey reversing the third into a small package for two. With Andrade on the floor, Rey hits a hurricanrana off the apron, leaving Zelina Vega to kick Truth in the head.

That means a fight with Carmella, so Joe Rock Bottoms Rey for two. Truth fights back and hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle on Joe but the ax kick misses. That means a whip into the post to get rid of Truth but Rey is there with the 619. Dropping the Dime misses though and Joe chokes Rey out to retain at 10:51.

Rating: B-. It’s not as good as their match on Smackdown but what we got here was good while it lasted. I was worried they would switch the title already so it’s a relief that Joe got to retain. It’s a positive sign that he might actually keep the title and stick around as champion for more than a few weeks.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Boss N Hug Connection vs. Tamina/Nia Jax

Beth Phoenix is on commentary. Bayley/Sasha Banks are defending and Graves is suggesting a split in the near future. Banks kicks Nia in the face to start and it’s off to Bayley so Nia throws Banks at her for a good visual. Tamina comes in to take over and the Samoans take turns beating on her in the corner.

A mini hot shot gets rid of Tamina though and it’s back to Banks to pick up the pace. Everything breaks down with Banks trying a suicide dive but getting pulled out of the air. Bayley dives onto the three of them before throwing Nia back in for a Meteora. The top rope elbow gets two with Tamina making the save, leaving Bayley to hurricanrana Nia for the pin to retain at 7:00.

Rating: D+. Well, they tried, and by they I mean Banks and Bayley. Nia and Tamina were as useless as ever here as big dragons who could barely move, as tends to be the case almost every time they’re out there. What in the world are you supposed to do with two monsters who can barely move? The champs need something better than this, but you can almost guarantee that Nia and Tamina will get another chance because they always do.

Post match the beatdown is on again until Beth gets up from commentary. Nia and Tamina beat her down until Natalya makes the save. The Samoans beat her down as well and stand tall. This is an exact summary of what is wrong with Nia: she’s a monster who loses a lot and then is right back the next week/night/two minutes later being a monster again. She lost a match FIVE MINUTES AGO and now we’re supposed to buy her as a monster. Graves asked “who is going to stop them”. Uh, BAYLEY AND SASHA PERHAPS???

This is what I mean when I say Nia needs to go away for a long time, but WWE insists on her being there. Oh and great: Natalya/Beth vs. Tamina/Nia is going to be on Wrestlemania now. A match that no one was asking for but we’re getting it anyway because that show isn’t going to be long enough already.

We recap Daniel Bryan vs. Kevin Owens. Kofi was originally supposed to get the shot but Vince got all evil and replaced him with Owens. Kevin has beaten Bryan in a tag match with a Stunner, though he feels like a filler challenger until Kofi gets the real shot.

Smackdown World Title: Kevin Owens vs. Daniel Bryan

Bryan is defending….and this is still going to be a triple threat match.

Smackdown World Title: Kevin Owens vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Mustafa Ali

Bryan, with Rowan in his corner, is defending and the fans are immediately there with the WE WANT KOFI chants. The bell rings and Bryan yells at the two of them, earning himself a double beatdown. Owens: “Save the planet somewhere else you idiot!” With Bryan down on the floor it’s Owens running Ali over with a shoulder. Bryan gets back in and starts with the kicks as the KOFI chants get even louder.

They all head outside with Owens Cannonballing them both against the barricade for two on Bryan. Ali comes back in and goes up top, where Bryan dropkicks him down into the barricade for a heck of a bump. That leaves Owens to take the kicks in the corner and it’s off to an armbar, drawing more KOFI chants. Bryan moonsaults over Owens out of the corner and hits the running clothesline but stops to kick Ali back outside.

The YES Kicks have Owens in more trouble as Ali comes back in for the rolling X Factor. Bryan runs him over again but Owens is up with the superkicks. Ali jumps on Owens’ back, only to be dropped down onto Bryan for a huge crash. It’s Bryan heading up top but having his Doomsday Device broken up and a super Spanish Fly plants him. Ali reverse hurricanranas Owens into position for the 054, which only hits mat. The Stunner gives Owens two on Ali and a Pop Up Powerbomb gets the same on Bryan.

Another powerbomb onto the apron is countered into a backdrop but Bryan’s running knee hit the post. Ali hits a 450 onto Bryan on the apron with Rowan making the save at two. Owens and Ali superkick the monster down but Ali’s dive is caught. Owens adds a big running flip dive but Bryan is right there with the running knee from the apron. Another running knee misses Bryan and Ali is right back with a middle rope tornado DDT to the floor.

Owens is back up to drop Ali again but Rowan sends Bryan inside and Owens through the timekeeper’s area. Back in and Bryan gets two as the fans get another chance to chant for Kofi. Bryan slaps Ali in the face while shouting YOU DON’T DESERVE TO BE HERE so Ali slaps back and goes up, only to dive into a knee to the face to retain Bryan’s title at 18:39.

Rating: B+. Distracting chants aside, this was a strong three way with the right winner (of the available options). The problem right now is WWE running basically the same story with Becky and Kofi and they’re risking the fans just not caring after being teased so many times. It works well enough if the title changes happen at Wrestlemania, but all these changes for the sake of changes and things happening during the shows are getting old.

Post match Rowan claw slams Ali.

We recap Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch. Becky was supposed to go to Wrestlemania but Vince said no and put Charlotte in the match instead. Then Stephanie decided to let Becky have another chance so if she wins tonight, she goes to Wrestlemania in a triple threat for the Raw Women’s Title.

Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte

Becky limps to the ring on a crutch and also has a bad arm and bad ribs. She throws the crutch away and we’re ready to go with Charlotte easily taking things into the corner. Becky fights out of the corner with one right hand, only to have Charlotte say you’ll have to do more than that. A half crab wrecks the knee even more and Charlotte chop blocks the leg down.

Becky tries to fight back with a shot to the face but gets taken down with another chop block. Charlotte stays cocky and heads up top until Becky shoves her off and into the barricade for the big crash. Back in and the Becky gets the Disarm-Her, which is reversed into a Figure Eight….and here’s Ronda Rousey to hit Becky for the DQ to make it a triple threat at Wrestlemania at 8:43.

Rating: D. So the top face in the whole thing is beaten down again while the fresh heel runs in and attacks said face, thereby giving the fans what they want, while making sure Becky looks like a loser in the process. I’m sure we’ll hear from Stephanie about the whole thing though because this story is somehow her and her family. This is another match that could have been on Raw and no one would have noticed much of a difference.

Elias sings some more about how awful Cleveland is and says he’s done for the night. Lacey Evans comes out for her cameo and leaves as always. Randy Orton comes in with an RKO to Elias but walks into the Phenomenal Forearm from AJ Styles.

We recap the Shield vs. Baron Corbin/Bobby Lashley/Drew McIntyre. The Shield is back due to Roman Reigns being in remission. The other three are here because Shield needs targets.

Shield vs. Baron Corbin/Bobby Lashley/Drew McIntyre

Cole hypes up the idea of this being the last time for the Shield because Ambrose isn’t re-signing. The fight is on before the bell and the Shield clears the ring without much effort. Lashley takes Rollins into the corner to start and hands it off to Corbin, who gets taken into the middle buckle with a Downward Spiral. Ambrose comes in and fights McIntyre for a few moments before handing it back to Reigns, who doesn’t get much of a reaction.

McIntyre forearms him a few times before it’s quickly back to Rollins for a wishbone stretch. Corbin comes back in and takes over on Rollins, including the required chinlock. Seth fights up but gets cut off by McIntyre. That means a kick to the face and it’s back to Ambrose to take over. Dean sends McIntyre outside for a top rope elbow to the head but Lashley hits the spear. Ambrose barely beats the count back inside so Lashley plants him with a Downward Spiral for two.

Corbin chokeslams Reigns as the other four fight into the crowd by the Kickoff Show set. Reigns gets two off a sitout powerbomb as Rollins dives off a balcony to dive onto the other three. We get some miscommunication with Corbin trying his slide underneath the ropes and running through Reigns’ boot to the face like it didn’t make contact. A Superman Punch gets two as everyone is back to ringside.

End of Days hits Reigns with Rollins and Ambrose diving in for the save. Reigns almost gets TripleBombed through the announcers’ table but another save is made. A Stomp knocks Lashley silly and Reigns spears Corbin. There’s the TripleBomb to put McIntyre through the table and Corbin is left alone in the ring. One more TripleBomb finishes Corbin at 24:52.

Rating: B-. It was good, but egads the IT’S THE LAST TIME got obnoxious by the end. There was almost no doubt about how this was going and I don’t know how many people believe that it’s the last time for the team. At least Corbin took the fall instead of either of the other two, though it’s not like they had any chance between them. As usual, the Shield reunions weren’t great but that’s become the standard anymore.

Shield poses to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Yeah the show was watchable and even good at times, but I don’t remember a more annoying pay per view in a long time. The show is just now over and I don’t think I can remember one single thing here that felt like it mattered. There was good action, but nothing we haven’t seen done better before (in one case, earlier this week). WWE made it very clear that this show didn’t matter and that’s what we got here: a show that didn’t change anything and if you skipped it, you wouldn’t miss anything. I feel like I wasted my time tonight and that’s one of the worst feelings you can have coming out of a show.

Results

Usos b. Miz/Shane McMahon – Small package to Miz

Asuka b. Mandy Rose – Kick to the head

The Bar b. Kofi Kingston – Super White Noise

Revival b. Aleister Black/Ricochet and Bobby Roode/Chad Gable – Shatter Machine to Gable

Samoa Joe b. R-Truth, Andrade and Rey Mysterio – Koquina Clutch to Mysterio

Sasha Banks/Bayley b. Tamina/Nia Jax – Hurricanrana to Jax

Daniel Bryan b. Mustafa Ali and Kevin Owens – Knee to Ali

Becky Lynch b. Charlotte via DQ when Ronda Rousey interfered

Shield b. Baron Corbin/Drew McIntyre/Bobby Lashley – TripleBomb to Corbin

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

So here we are, with the show that has been treated as an afterthought to an afterthought and is now just being treated like a nothing show. There are a few things on the show that could be interesting, but WWE has been acting like this show, as in the show they’re putting on, is just a nuisance that they’re required to cover. Just watch Raw and see how much effort they’ve put into it as compared to promoting Wrestlemania. Hopefully things pick up a little bit and the show winds up being fun. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade

Well if you insists. This has been a great feud so far and one of the best things on SmackDown this year. These guys mesh very well together and this one can serve as the rubber match after their previous big blowoff officially went to a no contest because WWE doesn’t know the definition of a no contest.

I’ll take Andrade to win here as he needs to be elevated a little bit more. Mysterio is already a legend and has been for about ten years now so giving Andrade the big win (again) is the right call. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if Mysterio won to give the fans a feel good moment, but at the same time there’s little reason to do it, as Andrade would be hurt by a loss much worse than Mysterio. Andrade should win, though I don’t know if he will.

Kickoff Show: New Day vs. Shinsuke Nakamura/Rusev

This feels like it has another reason for existing, as the match was added on Friday with no particular reason (or announcement if you ask Xavier Woods). It feels like a reason to have New Day in the building for something later on in the show, perhaps with Kofi Kingston in the main event. It’s not like there’s anything going on here, so it makes as much sense as anything else.

I’m going with Rusev/Nakamura to win here, as they could go somewhere as a tag team and if something bigger is coming for New Day, having them lose early on is more interesting than having them win a meaningless match. The SmackDown tag division desperately needs some fresh blood and Rusev/Nakamura are as good as anyone else. Just getting them on TV more would be a smart move so I’ll go with them here.

SmackDown Women’s Title: Asuka(c) vs. Mandy Rose

I figured I’d get one of the easiest ones out of the way first. Rose pinned Asuka in a non-title match a few weeks back because having her beat someone else in a #1 contenders match or winning a few matches in a row and being granted a title shot (like the way things worked for years) just wasn’t in the cards. Asuka is coming in a little banged up so they might have to go with some smoke and mirrors.

That being said, is there any doubt here (a line that has never gotten me into trouble before)? Asuka should steamroll Rose here with a grand total of no trouble because it’s Asuka vs. Rose in a title match. At the moment, Asuka needs an opponent for WrestleMania and I don’t think Rose is going to play into the card, outside of a spot in a big women’s match. Asuka retains, as she should.

SmackDown Tag Team Titles: Usos(c) vs. The Miz/Shane McMahon

Can someone tell me why this is still a thing? Are we really still playing up Miz’s daddy issues (which came out of nowhere) and how great and influential McMahon is to the whole thing? This story hasn’t been well received from the start and that hasn’t changed a bit yet. I have no idea why we’re stuck with something like this when you have other tag teams who could get a rub out of the thing, but logic has never been a factor when the McMahons are involved.

I’ll go with the Usos to retain here because we need to set up Miz vs. McMahon for WrestleMania somehow. I’m not sure what the story is going to be and I’m not sure how WWE thinks they’re going to get people interested in the whole thing, but that seems to be where we’re going. The Usos should be in a big match at WrestleMania, perhaps with the Hardys, which is roughly 194x more interesting than this. At least the Usos should retain, as they should.

Shield vs. Bobby Lashley/Baron Corbin/Drew McIntyre

I’m not going to pretend like this is going to be anything other than a near guaranteed win. The Shield got back together earlier this week and there’s almost no way, other than the team splitting (AGAIN) that they’re losing, especially not to a team including Corbin. It should be a great moment to have the team back together and more importantly Reigns back in the ring, but there’s not exactly a doubt here.

In case it’s not really clear, the Shield wins handily here, hopefully with Corbin taking the fall. The main thing that springs to my attention here though is how McIntyre is now just another guy. He’s stopped being someone all that important or feeling like the hot prospect and is now just fighting random matches on Raw, which is far less than he should be doing. It’s very sad, and yet not surprising in the slightest.

Women’s Tag Team Titles: Boss N Hug Connection(c) vs. Nia Jax/Tamina

It’s the first title defense for the inaugural champions and while I rip on Jax and Tamina for various (and what should be obvious) reasons, they’re good choices for the first challengers. They’re physically imposing and work well enough together, so having the champs retain over them is a smart first title defense.

Obviously I’m taking the champions to retain as I should, since there’s really no reason for a title change so early in the titles’ history. The champs will be fine against a team they’ve fought before and hopefully it’s Jax taking the fall to make it seem a little bit more impressive. This isn’t something that needs a lot of thought put into it but Bayley and Sasha Banks fighting from behind is a good way to get things going for their title reign.

Raw Tag Team Titles; Revival(c) vs. Aleister Black/Ricochet vs. Chad Gable/Bobby Roode

This one makes me sad on so many levels. While I was hoping to see DIY getting this spot (on their own that is), I can take Black and Ricochet instead, but it really just makes me think of how sad it is that Ciampa had to get neck surgery. The other problem is how awesome the Revival could have been had WWE not managed to sabotage them, which has been the case for years now.

Regarding the actual match, I’ll take Revival to retain, as WWE seems to think that just having the titles is all that matters and you can have them lose over and over again week after week. Revival needs a win, but even if they get one here I’m not going to be convinced that things are going to be better for them overnight. They’re practically a lost cause, and that’s just sad.

Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte

Now you know Stephanie McMahon is going to be ringside for this, though the more interesting question is will she be on commentary. We certainly need her to explain this story to us even more, because having the McMahons involved so far has only done positive things for the whole story. The deal here is if Lynch wins, she’s added to the WrestleMania 35 Raw Women’s Title match to make it a triple threat. I think you get this one.

I’ll go with Lynch winning, though honestly it wouldn’t surprise me to see her lose so a certain first family of wrestling can come riding in to save her and give the fans what they want. You know, as opposed to just giving the fans what they want. The WrestleMania match is going to be the triple threat no matter what, but WWE is doing everything they can to suck the fun out of the whole thing for the sake of the McMahon, because….fill in the gap yourself.

SmackDown World Title: Daniel Bryan(c) vs. Kevin Owens

The more I think about it, the more interesting this could be. The match itself shouldn’t be that surprising, but the question becomes “What about Kingston?” With New Day being in town for the show, there’s a good reason to believe that something is going to go down. It could be Kingston challenging the winner for WrestleMania or it could be Kingston being added to the match at the last minute. Either way, something is going to happen here and that’s interesting.

I’ll take Bryan to retain, assuming Kingston isn’t added. Assuming Kingston is added, I’ll take Bryan to retain. The important thing is getting Kingston his WrestleMania match, though I’m a bit scared he’ll lose there too for the sake of keeping Bryan hot. Bryan is a great heel and deserves the mega run, but Kingston needs his win soon before he cools off. That win doesn’t come here though, and neither does Owens’.

Overall Thoughts

The show has gotten a little better in the last week or two, but there is just no hiding how little this thing means in the grans scheme of things. WWE has gone out of their way to ignore this show and I hope they learn something going forward. Either treat the show as something that matter or don’t hold the thing, because this has done a lot more harm than good.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

It covered a lot.1. Kofi Kingston is out of the Fastlane main event.

2. Kevin Owens is in the Fastlane main event.

3. Matt Hardy is back.

4. The Hardys are back together.

5. It’s Wrestlemania season.

6. I’m already behind on the show so more on these things later.

7. Thoughts?

IMG Credit: WWE

Fastlane 2018
Date: March 11, 2018
Location: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Corey Graves

So this is a thing that exists for reasons that I don’t quite grasp. With four weeks to go before Wrestlemania, we have this stop for the final Smackdown pay per view before the big show. The main event is a Six Pack Challenge for the Smackdown World Title as there was no other way to break things up and add another match to a six match card. Let’s get to it.

Here’s this week’s Smackdown if you need a recap.

Kickoff Show: Tye Dillinger/Breezango vs. Mojo Rawley/Chad Gable/Shelton Benjamin

Gable throws Breeze down to start and calls him a joke. Just don’t insult his shoes. Fandango comes in and puts on some amateur wrestling headgear, allowing Gable to take him down as well. It’s back to Breeze so Gable drops down to give him a shot. Breeze rides him like a horse and the good guys clear the ring in short order. Gable comes back in with a hard monkey flip and we go to an early break.

Back with Shelton working on Breeze’s arm before it’s off to Gable for some shots to the face. Another armbar sets up an overhead belly to belly for two with Fandango making the save. Mojo takes over on Tyler and knocks Fandango into the barricade but a hot tag brings in Tye. Dillinger comes in and cleans house as everything breaks down. Gable rolls Tye up (in what seemed to be an incomplete Rolling Chaos Theory) for two but Breeze is right there with the Beauty Shot. Tye superkicks Rawley and hits his one kneed Codebreaker for the pin at 7:26.

Rating: C+. I liked this one better than most Kickoff Show matches I can remember seeing. They were actually trying to put in some effort out there, mainly in hope of getting some attention on Smackdown. It’s not like anyone has paid attention to them in recent weeks because of the Six Pack Challenge eating up the time, so hopefully a hot match helps things out a bit.

The opening video looks at Wrestlemania with tonight being the last chance to get there. Especially if you’re John Cena you see. Every match gets a little time here, which isn’t that hard to do.

Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev

Aiden English is back to sing Rusev to the ring. Rusev wristlocks him to start and actually works on an armbar for a bit. A shot to the face staggers Rusev but he avoids the big kick to the head. Instead a knee drop gives Nakamura two as the announcers discuss a potential Nakamura day.

Nakamura has to spin out of another wristlock as this is far more technical than you might have expected. A little dance sets up COME ON but Rusev rolls outside to cut off the momentum. I always wanted someone to do that to Hogan back in the day. Nakamura follows him out this time and it’s a knee to the back of the neck to rock Rusev. A hard drive into the barricade cuts Nakamura off though and it’s time to start in on the back.

Rusev gets caught in a quick heel hook but is right back up and working on the back again. Nakamura shrugs them off again and slaps on a guillotine but gets caught in a fall away slam. They trade missed kicks until Kinshasa misses. Instead it’s Nakamura slipping out of the Accolade, followed by the kick to the head. The Machka Kick gets two, only to have Nakamura hit Kinshasa for the pin at 14:51.

Rating: B. They were beating the heck out of each other here and it was actually a heck of a match. This is the kind of thing that Nakamura has been needing: to beat someone with a resume in a competitive, hard hitting match. Why have we been stuck with video packages when this is what we could be seeing? That makes no sense but it’s all they’ve been doing as of late. Better late than never with this, but this needs to be happening every week now.

We recap the US Title match. There isn’t much to this one: Bobby Roode is champion, Randy Orton has never held the title and Jinder Mahal is lurking around for whatever reason.

US Title: Randy Orton vs. Bobby Roode

Roode is defending and we get Big Match Intros. They fight over a wristlock to start (FIND SOMETHING NEW ALREADY) and Roode throws him into the corner, setting up the GLORIOUS pose. That just earns Roode an elbow to the face and we hit that RKO chant. They trade some hard shots to the face/chest until the threat of an RKO sends Roode bailing to the floor.

With Mahal watching in the back, Orton drapes Roode ribs first over the ropes for two. Roode kicks him away though and grabs a chinlock for quite a bit of spot calling. Roode’s ribs won’t let him hit a suplex so Orton gives him one instead. A neckbreaker is more Roode’s speed and he follows up with a top rope clothesline. The Glorious DDT is reversed into a rollup for two and Roode needs a breather.

Roode scores with a Blockbuster for two but the ribs are banged up all over again. There’s the hanging DDT to keep the back and forth style going but neither can hit a finisher. They head outside with Roode being dropped back first onto the barricade (you can’t say Orton doesn’t have a target) and that means it’s time for the superplex. Roode is ready though (could be due to every Orton ever using that move) and reverses into a sunset powerbomb for a big crash.

This time it’s Roode going up top and getting crotched back down, meaning the superplex works on the second attempt. Roode kicks out again so it’s time for the slower paced punches. The Glorious DDT doesn’t work so Roode goes with the spinebuster for two instead. With nothing else working, Roode goes up top….and dives right into the RKO to give Orton the pin and the title at 19:30.

Rating: B. This was better than I would have bet on, though I’m not looking forward to the triple threat match next month. I’m assuming this is all designed to push Mahal because something about India (because it worked SO well last year) or just to get another multi-man match at Wrestlemania. At least we got one good singles match though and now we can move on to the REAL wrestling that fans want to see.

Post match Jinder Mahal comes down and jumps Randy but Roode gives them both Glorious DDT’s. So yeah, we really are getting that triple threat at Wrestlemania. Why? No idea really but WWE loves its triple threats and its Jinder Mahal so there’s no way around it.

Here’s a long recap on HHH/Stephanie McMahon vs. Kurt Angle/Ronda Rousey to fill in some time.

Kevin Owens yells at Sami Zayn for not laying down on Tuesday but Sami only meant he’d do it here. Everything is fine.

Natalya/Carmella vs. Naomi/Becky Lynch

This was added to the show on Tuesday. Becky rolls Carmella up to start but can’t get an early Disarm-Her. It’s off to Naomi and Natalya with the former kicking Natalya down for two. Carmella comes in and sends Naomi into the corner before rubbing her face into the mat. Carmella: “FEEL THE GLOW!” We hit the chinlock as the announcers tease Carmella cashing in Money in the Bank tonight. With that chinlock having run its course, Natalya comes in for one of her own.

Carmella grabs Naomi’s ponytail and pulls it over the ropes, followed by a running knee to the head. Naomi backflips out of a belly to back suplex though and the hot tag brings in Becky (who happens to be wearing flame attire so the hot tag fits well). Everything breaks down and Natalya tries to bring in the briefcase. The distraction only kind of works though as Becky drops her with a right hand but Carmella superkicks her for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: D+. Well at least there’s something to giving Carmella some momentum heading into the cash-in, which very well may come at Wrestlemania. This was pure filler though and there’s not much hiding it given how fast the match was set up. I do like getting the women on the show though and it’s nice to have them actually doing something other than just having the title on the line.

New Day auditions to host next year’s Kids’ Choice Awards, capped off by getting slimed.

We recap the Usos vs. New Day. They had a great feud last year and capped it off with their final match but since the tag division has all of four teams, we’re back to it again. This time the Usos are obsessed with getting a Wrestlemania match because the Kickoff Shows don’t matter.

Tag Team Titles: Usos vs. New Day

New Day, comprised of Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods this time, are challenging. An early blind tag sets up a shot to drop Woods in short order (at least it wasn’t a wristlock) and New Day is in trouble. The champs do their own version of the Unicorn Stampede and Graves won’t have Saxton interfering in his analysis.

Woods rolls over and brings in Kofi for a Boom Drop but Trouble in Paradise is caught in the air. A running Umaga Attack rocks Jey in the corner so it’s Jimmy coming in with a pop up Samoan drop. Jimmy hits his own Boom Drop as they’re certainly doing something different here. A Midnight Hour gets two on Kofi and things settle back down. Jimmy misses a corner splash and the hot tag brings in Woods.

This time it’s the Usos being knocked around, allowing Kofi to get two off a Superfly Splash. Jimmy saves his brother from the double Superfly Splash (that would be the next step) and it’s a BIG double dive onto New Day. Everyone is down….so here are the Bludgeon Brothers to attack all four for a no contest at 9:07.

Rating: B-. Give this an ending and it’s another instant classic. They were starting to roll here and actually had a fresh idea for the match, which I never would have thought coming into this. I mean, of course it’s designed to set up another triple threat match because that’s what we do around here, but at least we got most of a good match here.

Post match, destruction ensues as we set up another triple threat at Wrestlemania. The Usos are both crushed with Rowan slamming Harper onto them both and a double splash. Woods gets powerbombed onto the steps to knock him cold.

Long video on Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar. You have to get to that overrun somehow.

AJ Styles is ready to make the impossible phenomenal again but Nakamura interrupts. They’re ready for each other at Wrestlemania.

New Day and the Usos are still being taken out of the arena.

We recap Charlotte vs. Ruby Riott. Ruby debuted a few months back with the Riott Squad and wants to prove that Charlotte’s greatness is just a myth. She’s defeated most of the other women and now just the champ is left. This has been a much better build than you get most of the time because it makes sense: Ruby wants the title and has won a bunch of matches to get the shot. Why is that so complicated?

Women’s Title: Charlotte vs. Ruby Riott

Riott is challenging. They both try an early finisher before going to the standard wristlock. Charlotte takes over with the power but here’s the Riott Squad for a distraction. A quick Riott Kick gives Ruby two and Charlotte is sent outside. Cue Becky and Naomi for backup to cut off the Squad, allowing Charlotte to score with a slingshot suplex (with Graves crediting it to Uncle Tully).

Riott drops her again though and falls off the middle rope (on purpose) onto the champ. We’re off to the chinlock for a good while but another falling splash hits Charlotte’s knees. Charlotte loads up the moonsault but gets shoved outside. Ruby follows her so Charlotte goes with (and mostly misses) the moonsault off the barricade instead. Back in and a hurricanrana takes Charlotte down but she bails into the corner.

The Squad teases interfering so Becky and Naomi get in, meaning a quadruple ejection. Ruby gets two off a small package but gets caught in an electric chair. Instead of dropping her back though, Charlotte whips her face first into the turnbuckle. A spear into the Figure Eight retains the title at 13:38.

Rating: C+. This was all it needed to be: Riott coming close but losing in the end. With Asuka vs. Charlotte all but set for Wrestlemania, what would the point be in having a surprise title change here? Riott looked good in defeat and the match was rather entertaining, although I could have gone without having the other four interfere. Sometimes one on one is ok, which WWE doesn’t seem to comprehend.

Post match Charlotte is celebrating when Asuka interrupts. She motions that she wants the title and points to the sign. Works for me.

Trailer for the Andre the Giant documentary.

We recap the Smackdown World Title match. AJ wants to go to Wrestlemania and a bunch of people want the title as well. Sami Zayn has volunteered to lay down for Kevin Owens, who deserves to be champion. John Cena needs a path to Wrestlemania and this is his LAST way to get there. Or something.

Smackdown World Title: John Cena vs. Baron Corbin vs. AJ Styles, Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler

Styles is defending, Commissioner Shane McMahon is at ringside and it’s one fall to a finish. We hit the Big Match Intros and Cena gives everyone not named Styles (or in a referee shirt) an AA in about thirty seconds. Cena and Styles slug it out with AJ flipping out of an AA attempt. The Clash is countered into another failed AA so Styles gets to the apron. Everyone is back up and circles Cena, who suddenly gets the idea.

Cena is sent outside and the other five are left to brawl on their own. AJ and Owens are left inside and it’s Styles planting him face first to take over. Corbin comes back in and we’re firmly in the rapid fire replacements as AJ keeps clearing them out. It’s Owens finally getting in a shot to the head and knocking Styles outside. Cena is back in but Ziggler cuts him off with a DDT.

Owens frog splashes Ziggler for two and Styles has to run in with a save. Styles strikes away at Owens and hits the Pele but it’s too early for the Styles Clash. There’s a chokebreaker to Owens as we hit the parade of secondary finishers. The AA is countered into a Fameasser for two on Ziggler and AJ has to break up the STF. Cena gets caught in the Styles Clash for two with Sami making a save this time around.

Corbin punches Sami out of the air to break up a springboard and the Dream Crusher (that sliding clothesline) takes Owens down. Since there are too many people in the match, Corbin and Ziggler fight into the crowd and are thrown through some hockey boards. Back at ringside, Owens loads up the announcers’ table but gets kicked in the head. AJ clotheslines Sami into the timekeeper’s area but Cena AA’s AJ through another table.

Back in and Kevin sends Cena to the floor, leaving the Sami vs. Kevin showdown. Sami says he’s a man of his word and takes forever to lay down. Kevin isn’t sure what to do but has to kick out of the surprise rollup. The fight is on and Shane seems pleased so Sami yells at him and Kevin superkicks the boss. Sami dives through the ropes for the tornado DDT on Owens and everyone is down.

There’s the Pop Up Powerbomb to Ziggler but Shane pulls the referee out at two. A Helluva Kick gets the same on Owens with Shane making another save. Corbin is back up with some steps to Cena’s head but Cena takes them away and decks Cena with them instead. An AA onto the steps gets two with Ziggler diving in for the save this time around. The superkick to Cena is no sold and there’s an AA to Ziggler. Owens gives Cena the Pop Up Powerbomb but Styles comes in with the Phenomenal Forearm to pin Kevin at 20:57.

Rating: B+. Yeah it was a lot of fun, and much better than the one they did on Tuesday. You know, the one that was almost this match but with nothing on the line. They also benefited from focusing on other stuff besides the drama of a new champion, which clearly wasn’t in the cards tonight. This was more in the vein of sit back and enjoy and that’s where they should have gone. I still don’t like this as the way they went, but at least it was really fun.

Shane shakes his head and Cena sits in the corner because that’s still a thing. AJ looks at the sign to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Honestly, as much as I complained about not caring for the show coming in, the rating doesn’t surprise me. WWE has a tendency to knock it out of the park with the least interesting shows and that’s what they did here. This was a blast (no overrun, thank goodness) and had a bunch of fun stuff. Some stuff was set up for Wrestlemania (the most important thing) but overall, just a fun night of wrestling. Great show, even if it didn’t mean anything in the long run.

Results

Shinsuke Nakamura b. Rusev – Kinshasa

Randy Orton b. Bobby Roode – RKO

Carmella/Natalya b. Naomi/Becky Lynch – Superkick to Natalya

Usos vs. New Day went to a no contest when the Bludgeon Brothers interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the 2018 Updated Version of the History of the WWE Championship in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/01/26/new-book-kbs-history-of-the-wwe-championship-2018-updated-version/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

It might keep you awake during the show!

https://steelcageforums.com/showthread.php/174-Fastlane-2018-LD-(OR-The-Most-Pointless-Show-of-the-Year-2018)