At Fastlane, the last SmackDown-exclusive PPV and the final event before WrestleMania, WWE made several matches for the Showcase of the Immortals fix. The focus was of course on the Six-Pack-Challenge around the WWE-Championship of AJ Styles, where John Cena’s hope for a WrestleMania-Match as well as the feud between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were central themes.
Winner: Tye Dillinger and Breezango after a swing from Dillinger against Rawley. Some match still had to be set as a filler for the kickoff and it became in fact “some match”. Gable and Benjamin were the only ones to have had any relevance in the last few months, and once again they ended up on the loser’s side, while the three audience favourites actually didn’t have to work for once.
For Rawley, who won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania less than 12 months ago, it is another low point and proof that his solo push has long since come to an end after the successful separation of Zack Ryder. For none of the six participants this match will have any positive consequences.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura per Kinshasa. Two good news first: Aiden English found his voice again and accompanied his partner singing and rapping to the ring; furthermore Rusev was not squashed. The fact that he had to take the pin after a decent match was only logical, because the Royal Rumble winner and number 1 champ to the WWE Championship Nakamura logically needed a win at the last PPV before WrestleMania.
Between the two it went back and forth, Rusev was several times close to setting up his Accolade and was not depicted weakly overall. So you have done everything right here and both men will be devoting themselves to other opponents from Tuesday – provided you bookt Rusev, in contrast to the last weeks, at all.
Winner and new United States Champion: Randy Orton per RKO. With this title win Viper crowned himself for the 10th time. Grand Slam Champion of WWE history. Previously, he and Roode played a longer match without any intervention from Jinder Mahal. The Indian only entered the hall during Orton’s victory celebration and attacked the new champ before Roode handled both.
A triple-threat match between the three for WrestleMania therefore seems quite likely and the coming weeks until the PPV of the year will be filled with alternating matches between the participants. It remains to be seen whether Randy, who won the title primarily to complete his record, will once again give the transition champ for Jinder, but it seems unlikely.
Meanwhile, all alarm bells are ringing at Roode, because his booking since the call-up was mostly weak despite winning the title and he is afraid that he could disappear into insignificance after the mentioned three-way.
Winners: Natalya & Carmella by kick from Carmella against Lynch after the heels tried to use the MitB case as a weapon and distracted the referee. This success should give the Princess of Staten Island another momentum before they – if you want to believe the rumors – will cash in their suitcase unsuccessfully at WrestleMania or at the latest afterwards.
It would be the sad end of an unsuccessful and completely unimaginative push following the victory at Money in the Bank last year. At no time since the separation from James Ellsworth has it been felt that WWE knows what to do with Carmella. A screwed-up cash-in wouldn’t come as a surprise.
For the other participants this result has little meaning, but that Becky had to take the pin once again shows clearly how much her standing has declined since the title run. A turn would be urgently needed with her, because otherwise the Irish woman at best threatens to become the face version of Natalya.
No Contest. Whoever hoped for another big match between the two top teams of the WWE was disappointed relatively quickly, because the Bludgeon Brothers entered the hall after a few minutes to first handle New Day manager Big E and then also the four men in the ring. This was followed by a long and brutal beatdown, which, after months of squash victories, established Harper and Rowan as serious candidates for the tag titles.
First of all, this booking may be disappointing, as it was the hottest match-of-the-night contestant, but the positive aspects clearly predominated here: Usos versus New Day was a long, great feud last year, which was definitely over. With the impressively booked addition of the Bludgeon Brothers you now have a 3-Way for WrestleMania in petto, which feels fresh and could steal the show.
Harper & Rowan will continue to be heavily busted in the coming weeks and both face teams will dominate, but those who ultimately hold up the titles will remain thrilling. Everything done right, WWE!
Page 1: US Championship Match – Bobby Roode vs. Randy Orton, The Usos vs. The New Day
Page 2: Charlotte Flair vs. Ruby Riott, Six-Pack Challenge Match for the WWE Champion title