Tomorrow night is WWE Fastlane, the last pit stop on the “Road to WrestleMania.” Presumably, this event will determine what will, and what won’t, happen at WrestleMania. There are plenty of big matches that will take place, so let’s look at these in detail as well as my predictions for each match-up.
Preshow: Alberto Del Rio vs. Kalisto – United States Championship (2-Out-of-3 Falls)
When Alberto Del Rio returned to the WWE, he defeated John Cena in the U.S. Open Challenge to win the United States Championship. While John Cena has been out due to injury, Kalisto has stepped up as a challenger to Del Rio’s title. With both Superstars winning and losing the title to each other, this match could either end the feud or send it to “The Grandest Stage of Them All,” WrestleMania 32.
Prediction:
WWE seems pretty high on Kalisto right now and he has a better connection with the fanbase than Del Rio (the “Lucha” chant helps a lot). Even though Del Rio has been getting the upper hand in tag team matches, he’s been mainly pinning Kalisto’s partner, Sin Cara. Kalisto seems to be one of the next big faces for the company, and keeping the title on him helps him grow in that direction. Winner: Kalisto
Kane, Ryback, & The Big Show vs. The Wyatt Family (w/Bray Wyatt)
Out of all the matches to be on the pre-show, this seems to be the one to pick, but the United States title match is the one that’s being shown instead. The Wyatt Family has been on a roll as of late, decimating all three of their opponents in the past few weeks. Also, they even took out Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns on the “go-home” episode of Monday Night Raw before the Royal Rumble.
Prediction:
With a team that works this well as a unit, it’s hard to imagine them taking a loss to three Superstars just thrown together. Also, there have been rumors that Vince McMahon is determined to push Braun Strowman, and the best way to do that is to have him take out the three other “big guys” on the roster. Winners: The Wyatt Family
Charlotte vs. Brie Bella – Divas Championship
Brie Bella earned her #1 Contender position by defeating Charlotte in a non-title match a few weeks ago on Monday Night Raw. Since then, Brie Bella has gotten the fans behind her, but primarily because of her sister Nikki currently out with a neck injury, and her husband Daniel Bryan’s retirement. Charlotte has been on a roll as of late, whether or not she gets help from her father, Ric Flair.
Prediction:
Brie Bella seems to only be in this feud because of her relationship to Nikki Bella and Daniel Bryan, so that Charlotte can defeat yet another sympathetic face. I see Charlotte winning, then going to WrestleMania 32 to defend the title against Sasha Banks and/or Becky Lynch. Winner: Charlotte
Sasha Banks & Becky Lynch vs. Naomi & Tamina
Sasha Banks decided to leave Team B.A.D., and focus on a solo career. Ironically, that led her to a tag team match at Fastlane. Naomi and Tamina didn’t like the fact that Banks left them (because of “Unity” and all that), and have been attacking her throughout the following weeks. During this feud, Becky Lynch got mixed up in all of this and formed a temporary alliance with Banks to take on Naomi and Tamina to get revenge.
Prediction:
Like I said in the Charlotte/Brie Bella prediction, I expect Banks, Lynch, or both to be in the title picture at WrestleMania. No matter who is challenging Charlotte for the Divas title, they need some more momentum for it, and Tamina and Naomi probably won’t even be on the card. Winners: Sasha Banks & Becky Lynch
Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler – Intercontinental Championship
Owens and Ziggler have been battling each other week after week, and hopefully this will be the end of the feud. Enough of this already.
Prediction:
There’s one reason behind this prediction: Owens has direction, Ziggler doesn’t. Winner: Kevin Owens
AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho
This has been a great feud for Styles to start off with in the WWE. Jericho is one of the best in the company on the mic and with ring psychology. Styles defeated Jericho on his Monday Night Raw debut, and Jericho won the rematch. This match is to settle the score, except if the Miz gets himself involved.
Prediction:
AJ Styles is the biggest company signing in a long time (excluding the signing of Shinsuke Nakamura, but he has hasn’t debuted on the main roster yet), and WWE is ready to push him to the moon. Styles won his first Monday Night Raw match, and he should also win his Pay-Per-View debut. Winner: AJ Styles
Brock Lesnar vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns – winner faces Triple H for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 32
Over the last few weeks, Lesnar, Ambrose, and Reigns have been trying to prove that they’re the most viable #1 Contender for Triple H’s WWE World Heavyweight Championship. In all technicality, Reigns still has his rematch clause after losing his title to Triple H in the Royal Rumble match, but the Authority is “stacking the odds” against him.
Prediction:
It shouldn’t happen, but 2015 and 2016 have been the years of Roman Reigns beating the odds. Winner: Roman Reigns
That is the entire match card for Fastlane, including my predictions for each match. Are my predictions correct? We’ll find out tomorrow.
