SmackDown Women’s Champion Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair are set to team up again on the road to their title match at WrestleMania.
WWE has announced that Banks & Belair will challenge for Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler’s Women’s Tag Team titles at Fastlane on Sunday, March 21. The pay-per-view will stream live on the WWE Network and Peacock.
This is the first match that’s been announced for Fastlane.
Jax & Baszler retained their titles against Banks & Belair at Elimination Chamber last month. The finish of that match was Jax pinning Banks after Banks was distracted by Carmella’s sommelier Reginald. Reginald, who is infatuated with Banks in storyline, tried to give Banks a champagne bottle to use as a weapon, but Banks refused to use it. Jax then gave Banks a Samoan drop to get the win.
Women’s Royal Rumble winner Belair officially declared on SmackDown last week that she’s challenging for Banks’ SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 37.
Jax & Baszler are two-time Women’s Tag Team Champions. They regained the titles by defeating Charlotte Flair & Asuka on January’s Royal Rumble pre-show. On NXT this week, Jax & Baszler retained against Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez after WWE authority figure Adam Pearce got involved in the match. Following a ref bump, Pearce brought a Raw referee out to the ring. Despite Kai not being the legal person, the Raw referee called for the bell when she passed out in Baszler’s Kirifuda Clutch.
Naomi & Lana are also in line to get a Women’s Tag Team title shot at some point.
A singles match between Belair and Baszler has been announced for this Friday’s episode of SmackDown.
WWE has officially confirmed an addition to its pay-per-view calendar.
As part of the announcement of Peacock becoming the exclusive home of the WWE Network in the United States starting in March, it was confirmed that Fastlane will take place on Sunday, March 21. The WWE Network is launching on Peacock on Thursday, March 18, with Fastlane being the first PPV of the Peacock era.
The WWE Network-Peacock deal includes all WWE PPVs being available on Peacock live and on demand. “WWE Network, including all PPVs, will be available on Peacock Premium for $4.99 [per month] – a $5.00/month savings-where members will enjoy access to the entire WWE and Peacock catalog, more than 47,000 hours of premium programming. For an ad-free experience, Peacock Premium Plus will be available for $9.99,” Peacock and WWE announced.
Peacock is NBCUniversal’s streaming service.
Fastlane is taking place just three weeks before WrestleMania 37. It was revealed earlier this month that WrestleMania 37 will be a two-night event, with it being held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Saturday, April 10 and Sunday, April 11.
The Royal Rumble is taking place this coming Sunday (January 31). After that, Elimination Chamber will be held on Sunday, February 21.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back today with tons to talk about including RAW, Fast Lane fallout, WrestleMania matches, the death of Dick Beyer and how big it was in Japan, New Japan Cup, more on Ibushi vs. Naito, mailbag and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start – 29:33: Raw
29:33 – 37:03: Dick Beyer
37:03 – 45:35: New Japan Cup update
45:35 – 48:01: Conor McGregor
48:01 – 50:05: The story behind Pentagon
50:05 – end: Mailbag
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back today with tons to talk about including all of the fallout from Fast Lane, the good, the bad and the ugly, and a lot of VERY passionate feedback from the listening audience. A fun show as always so check it out~!
You can also see the video of WOL every day at video.f4wonline.com. Subscribe now!
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back today with tons to talk about including a full review of WWE Faslane, all the matches and angles, New Japan Cup thoughts including a way too dangerous match, Monday’s Raw, tons of mailbag questions and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start – 4:52: Naito/Ibushi match
4:52 – 37:27: Fastlane
37:27 – 46:50: New Japan Cup
46:50 – end: Mailbag
The Bryan & Vinny Show is back today with special guest host Adam to talk the final stop on the Road to WrestleMania, FAST LANE, a show with three very good matches, a pretty bad first half, booking that RAN THE GAMUT, and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Lynch defeated Charlotte by DQ tonight when Ronda Rousey came in and broke up a figure four attempt by Charlotte by stomping on Lynch’s chest. Per the stipulations, Lynch had to win the match in order to get into the WrestleMania title match. Once the ref called for the bell, Rousey simply left and walked toward the aisle, pointing at the WrestleMania sign. The triple threat match was then made official by the announcers.
Lynch won the right to challenge the Raw women’s champion, Ronda Rousey, when she won the Royal Rumble in January. However, after she confronted the McMahons and refused to get her injured knee looked at (which led to an apology that Stephanie and Triple H accepted) Vince McMahon came out and handed Lynch a 60-day suspension that would run through WrestleMania. He then introduced Rousey’s new opponent, Charlotte.
Eventually, Stephanie McMahon cancelled the suspension and agreed to put Lynch in the WrestleMania match, but only if she could defeat Charlotte at Fastlane and sign a hold harmless agreement, as in storyline she had reinjured her knee.
WWE changed up a couple of matches at tonight’s Fastlane pay-per-view.
Daniel Bryan defending his WWE Championship against Kevin Owens was advertised going into the show, but the title match was changed to Bryan vs. Owens vs. Mustafa Ali. Bryan retained by hitting a running knee as Ali was in mid-air.
Rowan took out Owens before the finish and then laid out Ali after the match.
There was a storyline on the pre-show where, as The New Day were entering for Big E & Xavier Woods vs. Rusev & Shinsuke Nakamura, Kofi Kingston was told that the McMahon family requested to speak to him about the WWE Championship match.
That was followed up on later in the show. Kingston finally got to meet with Vince McMahon, and Vince said he was making the WWE title match a triple threat. Vince said Big E and Woods were barred from ringside and told Kingston that his match was starting now.
But instead of challenging for the WWE title, Kingston faced Cesaro & Sheamus in a handicap match. They defeated Kingston, with Rusev and Nakamura attacking Big E and Woods when they tried to come out.
The crowd chanted for Kingston at points during Bryan vs. Owens vs. Ali. Kingston had originally been announced as Bryan’s challenger for the PPV, but Owens replaced him as part of a storyline where Vince said Kingston wasn’t as deserving of getting a title shot.
Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade was announced for the Fastlane pre-show, but that was also changed. They were instead involved in a fatal four-way United States Championship match on the main card, with Samoa Joe defeating Mysterio, Andrade, and R-Truth to retain his title.
The finish of the match was Mysterio passing out while Joe had him in the Coquina Clutch.
In an angle on the pre-show, Carmella was going around with a petition to get R-Truth a US title rematch. Zelina Vega said R-Truth should just give up — because Andrade will be next in line for a shot at the US title after he’s done with Mysterio. Joe walked up and said he’s the champion and R-Truth, Andrade, and Mysterio should come see him if they have a problem with that.
WWE’s final pay-per-view before WrestleMania 35 takes place tonight at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio hosts Fastlane.
The stage for the Raw Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania should be set as Becky Lynch faces Charlotte Flair. If Lynch defeats Charlotte, she’ll be added to the WrestleMania title match — officially making it Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte vs. Lynch.
Daniel Bryan defends his WWE Championship against Kevin Owens at Fastlane. Kofi Kingston was originally announced as Bryan’s challenger, but he was removed from the match as part of a storyline where Vince McMahon said Kingston isn’t deserving of the title shot.
The Shield reunites to take on Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley & Drew McIntyre, Shane McMahon & The Miz challenge for The Usos’ SmackDown Tag Team titles, Sasha Banks & Bayley defend their titles against Nia Jax & Tamina, Mandy Rose gets a shot at Asuka’s SmackDown Women’s Championship, and the Raw Tag Team titles will be on the line as The Revival defend against Ricochet & Aleister Black and Bobby Roode & Chad Gable in a triple threat match.
Two matches have been announced for the pre-show: Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade and The New Day (Big E & Xavier Woods) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev. The pre-show begins at 6 p.m. Eastern time, with the main card starting an hour later.
**********
Fastlane Kickoff
Kayla Braxton interviewed Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville in the back. Rose noted that Asuka jumped them from behind on SmackDown because she’s in Asuka’s head. EC3 approached and tried to hit on Rose. Deville called him lame and said his first words were a disappointment. She told him to leave because Rose is focused on winning the SmackDown Woman’s Championship.
Earlier today, Carmella was passing around a petition for R-Truth to get a rematch with new U.S. Champion Samoa Joe. She ran into Zelina Vega and they argued. Joe approached and offered to face Truth, Andrade and Rey Mysterio. Joe signed the petition.
Jonathan Coachman then announced that U.S. Champion Joe vs. Andrade vs. R-Truth vs. Rey Mysterio in a fatal-four way is official for tonight on the main show.
AJ Styles joined Coach, Sam Roberts and Christian on the panel. He praised Kofi Kingston and feels it’s Kingston’s time, not Kevin Owens’ time. He also promised to deal with Randy Orton when the time is right.
In the back, Kayla Braxton interviewed Kevin Owens about his match with Daniel Bryan tonight. Owens believes Kingston deserves a title shot but he’s not going to turn down a title shot either. Kingston and The New Day approached. The fans popped for Kingston. He wished Owens luck tonight. Owens appreciates that and they shook hands.
The New Day started heading towards the ring when an office worker stopped them. He informed Kingston that The McMahon family has requested him to come to their office for a meeting regarding the WWE Championship. Tom Phillips and Byron Saxton teased this could be good news but Corey Graves was skeptical.
The New Day defeated Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev (w/Lana)
The heels took over when Rusev distracted Xavier Woods and Nakamura rocked him with a kick to the head. The heels isolated Woods in their corner.
During the match, they cut to a split screen of The Miz, his father and Shane McMahon in the back. Miz told his father to get to his seats in the front row because his match against the Usos is first.
Nakamura attempted the Kinshasa but Woods rolled him for a near fall. Rusev rocked Big E with the Machka kick but Woods broke up the pin attempt. Woods attempted a dive to the floor but the heels caught him and slammed him down.
Rusev locked on The Accolade on Woods. Big E threw Nakamura into the barricade and Woods rolled up Rusev for a near fall. The finish came when Rusev missed a charge in the corner and New Day hit UpupDownDown for the win.
Fastlane
SmackDown tag team champions The Usos defeated The Miz & Shane McMahon to retain the titles
Before the match, Miz and McMahon hugged Miz’s father George at ringside. Miz wore a Cleveland Is Awesome t-shirt.
The faces had the early advantage. The fans broke into a “Miz Is Awesome” chant. The faces used the Heart Attack on Jey for a near fall. Jimmy made a blind tag and caught McMahon with a clothesline. The Usos cut off McMahon from Miz and kept him on their side of the ring.
Miz hit a cross body on The Usos on the floor. The Usos rocked Miz with a double superkick but McMahon broke up the pin attempt. The Usos hit a Samoan drop/neck breaker combo on McMahon. Miz hit the skull crushing finale on Jey but only scored a two count because the referee was checking on McMahon.
McMahon climbed to the top for the coast-to-coast on Jey. However, Jimmy climbed to the top on Jey’s side for the splash on Miz. They had a brief showdown. In an awesome spot, Jimmy went for the splash on Miz but McMahon jumped off at the same time and collided with Jimmy in mid-air.
The finish came when Miz’s father told him to climb to the top. He went for the frog splash but Jey got his knees up and rolled up Miz for the win.
After the match, Miz and McMahon consoled each other. The fans cheered as they both hugged Miz’s father George at ringside. Suddenly, McMahon jumped Miz from behind and ripped off the Cleveland is Awesome t-shirt.
McMahon beat down Miz and then got in George’s face. He grabbed George by the face and pushed him back. McMahon then locked on a submission as George watched on.
In the back, Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin, and Bobby Lashley cut a Shield-type promo. They promised to defeat The Shield later tonight.
In the ring, Elias came out to perform a song. He mocked Miz, his father and buried Cleveland. He brought up LeBron James to a chorus of boos.
SmackDown Woman’s Champion Asuka defeated Mandy Rose (w/Sonya Deville) to retain the title
Asuka was firmly in control but Deville kept interfering. Rose nailed Asuka with a knee for a near fall. Rose locked on the abdominal stretch but Asuka reversed into the octopus submission.
Deville began looking underneath the ring. Rose briefly regained control but Asuka nailed her with a kick to the head. Asuka missed the hip attack in the ropes and Rose nailed her with another knee for a two count. She attempted the Angel wings but Asuka fought back and hit a knee.
Deville pulled out a kendo stick from underneath the ring. She left the ring skirt on the apron and Rose slipped on it. Asuka then hit a kick to the face to retain. Deville tried to apologize but Rose just walked off.
In the back, Big E and Xavier Woods approached Kofi Kingston in front of The McMahon family office. Kingston had been waiting there the entire time. Big E and Woods were so upset they just walked into the office.
Vince McMahon claimed he was waiting for Kingston. New Day praised Kingston and insisted he should be added to the WWE Championship match. McMahon agreed and added him to the match. and made it a triple threat. Big E and Woods are banned from ringside. The fans broke into a huge “Kofi” chant.
Kingston went down to the ring for his championship match. The announcer was about to introduce the participants when the timekeeper got a message to the announcer. The WWE Championship match is later tonight. Kingston actually faces The Bar in a handicap match. Sheamus and Cesaro will both be in the match at the same time.
The Bar defeated Kofi Kingston
Kingston had a brief flurry of offense but The Bar dominated the match. Kingston made a brief comeback and nailed Sheamus. He came off the top but Cesaro caught him with an uppercut. Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick but Cesaro pulled him up instead of making the cover. There was a brief “This is Boring” chant.
The Bar set up for a second Brogue kick but New Day ran down to the ring. Rusev and Nakamura attacked them from behind. The Bar hit a double white noise on Kingston for the win.
Charley Caruso interviewed Women’s tag team champions, Bayley and Sasha Banks. They praised Kingston and told him not to give up. They promised to overcome the odds and defeat Nia Jax and Tamina later.
In the ring, Elias came back out for another performance. He mocked Kofi Kingston for losing and mocked The Miz again. He compared New Day to the Cleveland Cavilers and called them a bunch of beat up losers. He said his hometown team the Pittsburgh Steelers are the best to a chorus of boos.
Kayla Braxton tried to interview Shane McMahon about his attack on Miz earlier. He refused to answer and walked off.
Raw tag team champions The Revival defeated Ricochet & Aleister Black and Chad Gable & Bobby Roode to retain the titles
All three teams faced off in the ring. Ricochet and Black sent both teams to the floor. They teased a double dive but bounced off the ropes and posed in the middle of the ring.
Black ran wild on Roode and Gable. He hit a moonsault on Roode and attempted Black Mass. Instead, Roode sent Black’s foot into Scott Dawson and hit a spine buster on Black.
Gable hit a rolling German Suplex on Black but Dash Wilder broke up the pin attempt with a splash off the top. Ricochet immediately hit a shooting star press on Wilder for a near fall. Ricochet and Dawson fought on the top rope.
Ricochet gave Dawson a hurricanrana from the top to the floor wiping out the other four guys. Both Ricochet and Dawson actually hit the apron first. Ricochet pretty much landed on his head. Ricochet ran across the ring and hit a dive over the ring post onto Roode on the floor. Gable made the tag as Ricochet flew over.
Gable hit a cross body on Dawson but he rolled through for a near fall. Dawson dropped Gable on the top rope and Revival hit the Shatter Machine for the win.
After the match, Roode jumped The Revival from behind. Black hit the Black Mass on Wilder and Ricochet hit the 630.
United States Champion Samoa Joe defeated R-Truth (w/Carmella), Andrade (w/Zelina Vega) and Rey Mysterio to retain the title
Joe hit a suicide dive to the floor wiping out all three guys. Mysterio hit a double hurricanrana on Andrade and R-Truth. Joe locked on the Coquina clutch on Truth but Mysterio broke it up. Joe attempted a power slam but Mysterio reversed by driving him head first into the ring.
Mysterio gave Andrade a hurricanrana off of Truth’s shoulders. Andrade then hit the Three Amigos suplex on Mysterio. Mysterio reversed the third suplex into a near fall. Andrade hit a corkscrew plancha taking out Joe. Mysterio then hit a hurricanrana on Andrade from the top to the floor. Zelina Vega interfered and hit a superkick on Truth. Carmella then attacked Vega.
Truth hit the 5 Knuckle Shuffle on Joe but Andrade broke up the pin attempt. Mysterio hit the 619 on Joe but missed the splash. Joe then locked on the Coquina clutch and Mysterio passed out for the win.
Women’s tag team champions Bayley & Sasha Banks defeated Nia Jax and Tamina to retain the titles
Beth Phoenix joined the commentators for this match.
Jax hit a powerbomb on Bayley for a near fall. Banks hit a knee and cross body on Tamina. Tamina tossed up Banks and Jax caught her with a Samoan drop. They messed up the spot but Jax managed to power Banks up. Jax missed a charge in the corner and Banks hit the double knees on Jax.
Banks hit a cross body onto the heels but they caught her. Bayley took them all out with a suicide dive. The finish came when Jax attempted a powerbomb but Bayley reversed into a hurricanrana for the win.
After the match, Jax and Tamina jumped Banks and Bayley. Tamina nailed Bayley with a superkick and Jax tossed Banks over the announce table.
Tamina and Phoenix went face-to-face. Phoenix heard enough and attacked Tamina. Jax jumped Phoenix from behind. Jax gave Phoenix a leg drop in the ring. Natalya ran down for the save but Tamina rocked her with a superkick.
The WWE Championship match was announced as a triple threat before Kevin Owens came down to the ring. The commentators were confused by that announcement. Mustafa Ali was introduced as the third participant. Ali actually got a mixed reaction since the fans wanted Kofi Kingston in that position. The fans broke into a “We want Kofi” chant.
WWE Champion Daniel Bryan (w/Rowan) defeated Kevin Owens and Mustafa Ali to retain the title
The fans continued to chant for Kingston throughout the match.
Ali was on the top rope when Bryan rocked him with a dropkick, which sent Ali into the barricade. Bryan isolated Owens and worked over the arm. He hit Owens with a series of kicks but Ali broke up the pin attempt. Owens hit cannonballs on both Ali and Bryan. Owens hit a senton on Bryan with Ali on his back.
Ali hit an inverted hurricanrana on Owens and hit a Spanish fly on Bryan. Ali missed the 054 on Owens. Owens then hit the Stunner on Ali but Bryan broke up the pin attempt. Bryan attempted the running knee but Owens hit the pop-up powerbomb for a very close near fall.
Owens attempted a powerbomb on the apron but Bryan countered with a backdrop. Bryan missed a knee on Ali and crashed into the ring post. Ali then hit the 450 on Bryan on the apron. Ali made the cover but Rowan pulled out Bryan. Ali and Owens gave Rowan a double superkick. Ali hit a hurricanrana off the apron on Rowan and Owens followed up with a dive.
Ali and Bryan fought on the top rope but Bryan pushed him off to the floor. Ali managed to land on his feet and hit a tornado DDT on the floor. Ali charged at Owens but he caught him with a pop-up powerbomb on the apron. Rowan tossed Owens into the barricade and Bryan scored a near fall in the ring.
Bryan and Ali traded shots in the middle of the ring. The finish came when Ali attempted another tornado DDT off the second turnbuckle but Bryan caught him with the running knee for the win. This was a good match, especially towards the end. The finish looked great. After the match, Rowan attacked Ali.
Becky Lynch defeated Charlotte Flair by disqualification; Lynch is added to the Raw Woman’s Championship match at WrestleMania
The fans chanted for Lynch before she was introduced. Lynch came out on a crutch limping but threw the crutch away. Flair attacked the leg as Lynch tried to fight back. Flair locked on a half-crab and continued to work over the injured knee. Flair slammed Lynch’s leg on the apron. Lynch briefly took over but Flair quickly regained control by attacking the leg.
Lynch used an inside cradle for a two count. Flair took back over and tossed Lynch into the barricade. Flair climbed to the top for a moonsault but Lynch pushed her to the floor. Flair beat the 10 count but Lynch locked on the Dis-arm-her. Flair fought out and locked on the figure four leg lock.
Ronda Rousey then ran out and punched Lynch as she was in the hold. Flair got disqualified and Lynch is added to the WrestleMania match. Rousey walked off and pointed at the WrestleMania sign. The finish got a mixed reaction.
In the ring, Elias came out for his third performance of the night. He mocked Becky Lynch and buried Ohio. He talked about The Shield but said he has no faith in them like when the Browns take the field.
Elias said Cleveland is the worst city to host the final PPV before WrestleMania. Lacey Evans’ music hit and she walked down to the ring. She turned around and walked back.
Elias was watching Evans walk away when Randy Orton appeared and hit the RKO out of nowhere. Suddenly, AJ Styles appeared and hit the Phenomenal Forearm on Orton.
The Shield defeated Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin & Bobby Lashley
Both teams went face-to-face and brawled with The Shield gaining the advantage. Roman Reigns hit a clothesline for a two count. The heels isolated Seth Rollins and worked him over. Dean Ambrose got the tag and rolled up McIntyre for a near fall. He then hit a huge elbow to the floor on McIntyre. Lashley hit a spear on Ambrose to regain control.
Corbin and Lashley beat down Reigns and Rollins on the floor. The heels isolated Ambrose and kept him on their side of the ring. Ambrose fought back and hit a neck breaker on Lashley.
Reigns got the tag and went after all three heels. He hit the drive by on Corbin but McIntyre broke up the pin. Rollins and Ambrose hit a double suicide dive on Lashley and McIntyre. Reigns attempted a dive but Corbin hit deep six for a near fall.
Corbin hit a chokeslam on Reigns for a near fall. Rollins, Ambrose, Lashley, and McIntyre fought through the crowd. In the ring, Reigns hit a sit out power bomb for a near fall. In the crowd, Ambrose jumped off the Kick off panel table but the heels caught him. Rollins then jumped out of the stands and wiped out all four.
In the ring, Reigns hit the Superman punch for a near fall. He hit the Superman punch on McIntyre and Lashley as well. Corbin hit the End of Days for a very close near fall. The heels set up for The Shield triple powerbomb but Ambrose broke it up. Rollins gave Lashley the curb stomp on the announce table. Reigns followed up with a spear on Corbin.
The Shield then hit the triple powerbomb on McIntyre through the table. Corbin was in the ring alone as The Shield surrounded it. The fans chanted, “This is Awesome”. Rollins hit a superkick, Reigns hit the superman punch and Ambrose hit Dirty Deeds on Corbin. The finish came when they hit the triple powerbomb on Corbin for the win. The Shield celebrated in the ring. The commentators pushed that this is the last time The Shield will ever be together.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including the death of Wally Yamaguchi and Dave’s memories of their friendship, Fast Lane preview and star ratings odds, new WWE debuts, UFC on ESPN+ 4 recap with a fun night of fights, Jon Jones buyrate, mailbag, and more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start – 23:58: Wally Yamaguchi
23:58 – 34:47: Fastlane
34:47 – 37:54: New signees make NXT debut
37:54 – 47:34: New Japan Cup
47:34 – 1:00:24: UFC on ESPN+
1:00:24 – 1:04:33: Anthony Smith/Alexander Gustafsson, Jones PPV number
Another match has been added to Sunday’s Fastlane pre-show.
WWE announced today that The New Day (Big E & Xavier Woods) will face Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev on the pre-show for Fastlane. This is the second match to be announced for the pre-show, with Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade also set to take place before the main card gets underway.
New Day’s Kofi Kingston was originally scheduled to challenge for Daniel Bryan’s WWE Championship at Fastlane, but Kevin Owens replaced Kingston as Bryan’s challenger. The storyline was Vince McMahon taking Kingston out of the match and saying Kingston isn’t as deserving of getting a title shot.
The Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio is hosting Fastlane on Sunday. The pre-show will begin at 6 p.m. Eastern time, with the main card starting at 7 p.m.
The card for Fastlane is now up to nine matches:
WWE Champion Daniel Bryan defending against Kevin Owens
Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair (if Lynch wins, she’ll be added to the Raw Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania)
The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose) vs. Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre & Bobby Lashley
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defending against Shane McMahon & The Miz
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks & Bayley defending against Nia Jax & Tamina
SmackDown Women’s Champion Asuka defending against Mandy Rose
Raw Tag Team Champions The Revival defending against Ricochet & Aleister Black and Bobby Roode & Chad Gable in a triple threat match
Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade (pre-show)
The New Day (Big E & Xavier Woods) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rusev (pre-show)
With the addition of a pre-show match, the card for Fastlane is now up to eight matches.
Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade was announced for the Fastlane pre-show on tonight’s go-home edition of SmackDown. Mysterio, Andrade, and Samoa Joe all answered R-Truth’s United States Championship open challenge on the episode, with Joe pinning Andrade after hitting a uranage. Mysterio had hit the 619 and a frog splash on Andrade before Joe broke up the pin with a senton.
This was the second week in a row that Mysterio and Andrade were involved in a US title open challenge. R-Truth pinned Mysterio with a roll-up on last week’s SmackDown after Mysterio hit the 619 on Andrade. Andrade then tried to attack Mysterio in a post-match angle, but Mysterio countered and went for the 619 again. Andrade bailed before Mysterio could hit it.
Andrade pinned Mysterio in a tag match and a singles match on SmackDown in January. They had a two-out-of-three falls match after that, with each winning a fall before the third fall ended in a disqualification.
The Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio is hosting Fastlane on Sunday. Here’s the updated card:
WWE Champion Daniel Bryan defending against Kevin Owens
Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair (if Lynch wins, she’ll be added to the Raw Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania)
The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose) vs. Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre & Bobby Lashley
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defending against Shane McMahon & The Miz
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks & Bayley defending against Nia Jax & Tamina
SmackDown Women’s Champion Asuka defending against Mandy Rose
Raw Tag Team Champions The Revival defending against Ricochet & Aleister Black and Bobby Roode & Chad Gable in a triple threat match
Raw Tag Team Champions The Revival will defend their titles against Ricochet & Aleister Black and Bobby Roode & Chad Gable at Sunday’s pay-per-view. Ricochet & Black challenged for The Revival’s titles on Raw last night, with Roode & Gable attacking The Revival and causing the match to end in a disqualification.
Ricochet & Black and Roode & Gable went face-to-face and argued after the DQ, and Ricochet & Black stood tall after a brief brawl.
Ricochet & Black vs. Cesaro & Sheamus has also been announced for tonight’s SmackDown.
Fastlane is taking place at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on Sunday. Here’s the updated card:
WWE Champion Daniel Bryan defending against Kevin Owens
Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair (if Lynch wins, she’ll be added to the Raw Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania)
The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose) vs. Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre & Bobby Lashley
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defending against Shane McMahon & The Miz
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks & Bayley defending against Nia Jax & Tamina
SmackDown Women’s Champion Asuka defending against Mandy Rose
Raw Tag Team Champions The Revival defending against Ricochet & Aleister Black and Bobby Roode & Chad Gable in a triple threat match
The road to the Raw Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania 35 will include Becky Lynch facing Charlotte Flair at Fastlane.
Lynch vs. Charlotte was announced for Fastlane on tonight’s go-home edition of Raw. The stipulation is that — if she defeats Charlotte at Fastlane — Lynch will be added to the Raw Women’s title match at WrestleMania, officially making it a triple threat between Ronda Rousey, Lynch, and Charlotte.
Lynch and Charlotte’s match at Fastlane was originally announced as being for the vacant Raw Women’s Championship, but that was changed when Rousey appeared in tonight’s main event angle. Rousey said she didn’t vacate the title when she left it in the ring last week, she gave Stephanie a week to think about it and add Lynch to the WrestleMania match. Rousey told Stephanie to give her the title back, and Stephanie gave it to her.
Rousey cut a promo where she turned against the crowd. Rousey said she did everything she could to respect the business, but the fans booed her out of the Staples Center and people chant for Lynch while Rousey’s working her ass off to entertain them. Rousey said she could break Lynch and Charlotte’s noses if she so much as sneezed in their direction — and the fans know it.
That led to Rousey kicking Charlotte and attacking Lynch. She put Lynch in an armbar three times, with Charlotte backing away instead of getting involved.
Stephanie made Lynch sign a “hold harmless agreement” on Raw to wrestle with her storyline knee injury.
Fastlane is taking place at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on Sunday. Here’s the updated card:
WWE Champion Daniel Bryan defending against Kevin Owens
Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair (if Lynch wins, she’ll be added to the Raw Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania)
The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose) vs. Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre & Bobby Lashley
SmackDown Women’s Champion Asuka defending against Mandy Rose
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks & Bayley defending against Nia Jax & Tamina
SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos defending against Shane McMahon & The Miz
The Shield has reunited once again, with the trio taking on the new team of Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntyre at Fastlane.
Roman Reigns started off Raw tonight noting that life was too short, and he wanted to reunite the Shield one last time. He called out Rollins and, after some debating, eventually agreed. Dean Ambrose came out to give his response, but before he could answer ended up being laid out by Elias.
The two had a match later on Raw, with Elias picking up the win. Reigns and Rollins came out to persuade him to rejoin the Shield. Ambrose exited the ring and headed through the crowd, seemingly rejecting the offer. Corbin, McIntyre and Lashley then came out, with McIntyre saying they were going to end this now. They attacked Rollins and Reigns until Ambrose made up his mind, coming in for the save. The trio then did their signature pose.
Fastlane will take place this Sunday at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
