WWE Fastlane! The first of its kind and the ppv that eliminated the Elimination Chamber event. As hokey as the title first suggested I liked the whole "fastlane to Wrestlemania" gimmick. I also liked that the WWE brass decided to throw out one of the gimmick pay per views. Gimmick matches should be special, they should be reserved to add heat or interest to hot story lines. Good decision in my book. Before I get into the bulk of the review I must say that the Memphis crowd was either lame or not miced up right. Their presence was very minuscule and actually took away from what I felt was a solid B graded event.
The Fast lane ppv kicked off with a six man tag match that pitted the authority against those whom the authority has harassed for the better part of the last year. I felt this match was quite entertaining for what it was. I think, like the rest of the WWE universe, I'm ready to be a Ryback fan.
His big, heart wrenching promo, his gear (cmon guys, its cool!), his power moves, all of this is really drawing me in right now. Unlike a lot of people I like how Erik Rowans character is going. He reminds me of Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy, tough but sensitive, gigantic but relatable. The end of this match had a pretty cool spot wth Big Show hitting Ziggler with a knockout punch from the outside as Ziggler was mounted on Kane in the corner. The punch looked devastating (especially in the slow motion replay)!
Next up was Goldust vs. Stardust but it felt more like Dustin Runnells vs. Stardust. The promo between father and son before the match...I don't know. Goldust needs to be Goldust if he's going to feud with Stardust. If stardust is crazy then Goldust should show off his less than sane side as well. I liked how the crowd and Stardust interacted. The match seemed to bore the crowd and the finish seemed botched. The saving grace for this program came after the match though, with Stardust/Cody Rhodes showcasing his ever growing promo abilities. I swear, if Cody doesn't get a world title singles push in the next 2 to 3 years he should peace out and go to NJPW or ROH. The guy can be a good top midcard, occasional main eventer!
I was really looking forward to the tag title match and it did deliver. Great match, great spots, especially the one legged swing into the half crab and Tysons spring board leg drop.Tysons dry humor and prick like attitude toward Nattie is hilarious. I think the rematch at Mania is an intergender 6 man tag. Maybe Natalya costs Kidd and Cesaro the belts, maybe they retain and Natalya turns full heel. Either way, I like it. The Usos, while a bit over pushed, are so amazing when it comes to chemistry. Chemistry not just with each other but with every tag team they perform with!
The Triple H/Sting promo was pretty good. I like how Stings character is reminiscent of his most popular time in WCW, being a silent, strong, mysterious character. Triple H delivered on the mic. Only two complaints: why was Stings entrance so....normal? For the WWE to get Sting and make a big deal, having him come out of gorilla position doesn't scream big deal. Second complaint, why are they making this angle WWE s WCW? WCW has been dead, it wont be resurrected (at least I hope not), and half your audience hasn't even watched WCW before. Its old and in the past!
Womens title match: Look, The Bellas have really improved and Paige is electric as a character and in the ring. If you don't give them time to work though, no one will care. How do you have 4 star female matches on NXT and then give your main roster divas 5 minute segments? Makes no sense.
The oh so prestigious Intercontinental title was to be fought for next. What we got was a disqualification, Barret (the bad ass ex bare knuckle boxer) running from Ambrose and Ambrose stealing the belt. I didn't mind the match for the most part, but just like most midcard booking and especially the IC Title booking, it made little to no sense. If Zigglers run brought any meaning to the I.C. title, Barrets run has erased it. Ambroses promo after the match on WWE.com was cool though, he came off legit and poked fun at the whole "lunatic" gimmick.
I'm not going to lie, I marked out when the druids appeared. I thought "Oh shit, Takers back to accept Wyatts invitation". When the coffin opened and a laughing Bray Wyatt emerged I wasn't let down, it was brilliant! Brays promos are gold and this was no exception. If he doesn't beat Taker at mania I at least would like Taker to shake his hand or something to put him over. Although, if its a coffin match I don't think the loss could hurt either competitor. If Taker loses I still don't think it hurts him all that much. That way people will see Sting (the WCW guy) take on Undertaker (The Real WWE Guy) next year, Taker wins and wipes away the shame of his last two losses.
Rusev vs. Cena was what I expected, AWESOME! Rusev and Lana are compelling heels. I was happy with the result because Rusev should remain unbeaten until Mania or even next years mania. Heres a little scenario: Cena loses the rematch at mania, whether clean or dirty. The Rock comes back to antagonize Rusev again. Have this reignite Cena and Rock with Rusev in the middle. Have Rusev win a triple threat match, setting up the third match between Rock and Cena. If the WWE want to build their future stars, pull the trigger. Have Reigns or someone of the like defeat Rusev when the time comes. This is no knock on Cena by any means. Since 2011 Cena has really won me over. His recent body of work is one of consistency and of putting over new talent. Cenas feuds with Punk, Bryan, Lesnar and Rollins show that he is a true leader, a man with little ego and somewhat of a successor to that respect hat so many give the Undertaker. Cena is past the point that if he loses, clean or dirty, that his character and legacy will take a dent. Also, if he loses clean t could help bring fire and change to his persona. No, I'm not lobbying for a Cena heel turn. Honestly, as a fan and a critic I don't want him to turn heel. Hogan turned heel, Rock was heel, Stone Cold turned heel. Let Cena be the top guy that doesnt change. Hes not the best in ring performer (Michaels), hes not the best on the mic (SCSA/The Rock), His championship legacy can be remembered by the one guy who never turned.
The main event was solid throughout. I loved both competitors aggression. Daniel Bryans in ring psychology is second to none. Reigns blows looked absolutely incredible! I liked the last 20 minutes or so the most. The reversals, signature moves, etc. At one point Reigns had Bryans leg ad Bryan slapped him across the face a few times, can you say BAD ASS?! The finish was cool, especially a heated Bryan shaking Reigns hand and telling him to beat Lesnars ass.
The Fast lane ppv kicked off with a six man tag match that pitted the authority against those whom the authority has harassed for the better part of the last year. I felt this match was quite entertaining for what it was. I think, like the rest of the WWE universe, I'm ready to be a Ryback fan.
His big, heart wrenching promo, his gear (cmon guys, its cool!), his power moves, all of this is really drawing me in right now. Unlike a lot of people I like how Erik Rowans character is going. He reminds me of Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy, tough but sensitive, gigantic but relatable. The end of this match had a pretty cool spot wth Big Show hitting Ziggler with a knockout punch from the outside as Ziggler was mounted on Kane in the corner. The punch looked devastating (especially in the slow motion replay)!
Next up was Goldust vs. Stardust but it felt more like Dustin Runnells vs. Stardust. The promo between father and son before the match...I don't know. Goldust needs to be Goldust if he's going to feud with Stardust. If stardust is crazy then Goldust should show off his less than sane side as well. I liked how the crowd and Stardust interacted. The match seemed to bore the crowd and the finish seemed botched. The saving grace for this program came after the match though, with Stardust/Cody Rhodes showcasing his ever growing promo abilities. I swear, if Cody doesn't get a world title singles push in the next 2 to 3 years he should peace out and go to NJPW or ROH. The guy can be a good top midcard, occasional main eventer!
I was really looking forward to the tag title match and it did deliver. Great match, great spots, especially the one legged swing into the half crab and Tysons spring board leg drop.Tysons dry humor and prick like attitude toward Nattie is hilarious. I think the rematch at Mania is an intergender 6 man tag. Maybe Natalya costs Kidd and Cesaro the belts, maybe they retain and Natalya turns full heel. Either way, I like it. The Usos, while a bit over pushed, are so amazing when it comes to chemistry. Chemistry not just with each other but with every tag team they perform with!
The Triple H/Sting promo was pretty good. I like how Stings character is reminiscent of his most popular time in WCW, being a silent, strong, mysterious character. Triple H delivered on the mic. Only two complaints: why was Stings entrance so....normal? For the WWE to get Sting and make a big deal, having him come out of gorilla position doesn't scream big deal. Second complaint, why are they making this angle WWE s WCW? WCW has been dead, it wont be resurrected (at least I hope not), and half your audience hasn't even watched WCW before. Its old and in the past!
Womens title match: Look, The Bellas have really improved and Paige is electric as a character and in the ring. If you don't give them time to work though, no one will care. How do you have 4 star female matches on NXT and then give your main roster divas 5 minute segments? Makes no sense.
The oh so prestigious Intercontinental title was to be fought for next. What we got was a disqualification, Barret (the bad ass ex bare knuckle boxer) running from Ambrose and Ambrose stealing the belt. I didn't mind the match for the most part, but just like most midcard booking and especially the IC Title booking, it made little to no sense. If Zigglers run brought any meaning to the I.C. title, Barrets run has erased it. Ambroses promo after the match on WWE.com was cool though, he came off legit and poked fun at the whole "lunatic" gimmick.
I'm not going to lie, I marked out when the druids appeared. I thought "Oh shit, Takers back to accept Wyatts invitation". When the coffin opened and a laughing Bray Wyatt emerged I wasn't let down, it was brilliant! Brays promos are gold and this was no exception. If he doesn't beat Taker at mania I at least would like Taker to shake his hand or something to put him over. Although, if its a coffin match I don't think the loss could hurt either competitor. If Taker loses I still don't think it hurts him all that much. That way people will see Sting (the WCW guy) take on Undertaker (The Real WWE Guy) next year, Taker wins and wipes away the shame of his last two losses.
Rusev vs. Cena was what I expected, AWESOME! Rusev and Lana are compelling heels. I was happy with the result because Rusev should remain unbeaten until Mania or even next years mania. Heres a little scenario: Cena loses the rematch at mania, whether clean or dirty. The Rock comes back to antagonize Rusev again. Have this reignite Cena and Rock with Rusev in the middle. Have Rusev win a triple threat match, setting up the third match between Rock and Cena. If the WWE want to build their future stars, pull the trigger. Have Reigns or someone of the like defeat Rusev when the time comes. This is no knock on Cena by any means. Since 2011 Cena has really won me over. His recent body of work is one of consistency and of putting over new talent. Cenas feuds with Punk, Bryan, Lesnar and Rollins show that he is a true leader, a man with little ego and somewhat of a successor to that respect hat so many give the Undertaker. Cena is past the point that if he loses, clean or dirty, that his character and legacy will take a dent. Also, if he loses clean t could help bring fire and change to his persona. No, I'm not lobbying for a Cena heel turn. Honestly, as a fan and a critic I don't want him to turn heel. Hogan turned heel, Rock was heel, Stone Cold turned heel. Let Cena be the top guy that doesnt change. Hes not the best in ring performer (Michaels), hes not the best on the mic (SCSA/The Rock), His championship legacy can be remembered by the one guy who never turned.
The main event was solid throughout. I loved both competitors aggression. Daniel Bryans in ring psychology is second to none. Reigns blows looked absolutely incredible! I liked the last 20 minutes or so the most. The reversals, signature moves, etc. At one point Reigns had Bryans leg ad Bryan slapped him across the face a few times, can you say BAD ASS?! The finish was cool, especially a heated Bryan shaking Reigns hand and telling him to beat Lesnars ass.
Reigns winning cleanly makes sense. His aggressiveness in strikes and his overall presence lately has been crucial for this main event push. I can buy Reigns challenging Lesnar, with Lesnars last two years of booking I cant see Bryan being a viable threat ( even though Paul Heyman could sell pork to a Jew). Once Reigns dethrones Lesnar, or anyone does for that matter, Bryan can then try to retain the title he never legitimately lost.
At WrestleMania I'm predicting a cash in and a feud between Rollins and Reigns for 2 to 4 months.
Where does Bryan fit in? Right now there are two wrestlers being talked about. Sheamus, his longtime Wrestlemania rival and Dolph Ziggler. A match with Dolph Ziggler writes itself: two fan favorites, arguably the two best "wrestlers" on the roster, it wouldn't need much of a build. Id pay the sixty bones to watch them go at it again, their match at Bragging Rights is still a go to for me (which can be viewed on the WWE Network for a low price of $9.99 a month, MAGGLE!). Sheamus vs. Bryan would be acceptable, especially if built correctly. The 2 out of 3 falls match at Extreme Rules is also a modern favorite of mine. Lets be honest, Bryan can wrestle a broomstick and make it exciting.
The road to WrestleMania `is starting to become a clear path for some, while others are speeding up and finding their places on the highway to Santa Clara, California.
Overall, the inaugural Fastlane event helped with the solidification and the foreshadowing of the feuds/ story lines for this years "granddaddy of them all"!
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