In what has to be the most unanticipated and predictable PPV Fastlane offered the WWE universe nothing to get excited about in the lead up to what has to be the least anticipated Wrestlemania in recent memory.
The pre-show saw the ever reliable Paul Heyman own the panel in his rant about his client Brock Lesnar, while Jerry Lawler sat there looking like an airbrushed baby due the amount of surgeries he keeps getting. We were then treated to a very entertaining 2 out of 3 Falls match for the US Title pitting champion Kalisto against challenger Alberto Del Rio that saw Kalisto successfully retain.
The show then kicked off with Divas Tag-Team action that saw Naomi & Tamina v Sasha Banks & Becky Lynch. The match was ok with a few cool spots involving Banks’ knees and The Banks Statement on Tamina for the tap out.
Kevin Owens v Dolph Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship. The two but on their usual high standard match but nothing different from the other 506 times we’ve seen them fight recently.
Then we got to see the Wyatt Family suffer another defeat just as they had gained some momentum, so much in fact that rumours surfaced about Bray v Lesnar at WM32. Standard WWE booking then. The match was ok with some funny moments when Ryback during a series of running knees nearly threw himself over the turnbuckle. His excitement levels were through the roof and his offence looked particularly stiff and he botched his Shellshock finisher dropping Luke Harper painfully on his shoulder who looked extremely uncomfortable while taking the pinfall.
Next Charlotte took on Brie Bella for the Divas Championship in a lame run of the mill affair where even Daniel Bryan’s Wrestlemania 30 kick pads couldn’t help Brie pick up a victory as she tapped to the figure of eight. Is this the last we’ll ever see of the Bella twins? I hope so.
Edge and Christain entered the arena to a huge pop to pimp their god awful comedy show but were interrupted by The New Day. The two teams traded barbs at each other’s expense, some funny some a tad racist before The League of Nations came out got made to look like punks and then The New Day turned face. Sheamus and his boys are dead in the fucking water, all 4 of them should treated with way more respect and not treated like jobbers, no wonder Wade Barrett handed his notice in. If The New Day go full on baby face I can see their time as genuinely funny and entertaining trio becoming overly saturated becoming unfunny and tired, which makes me sad.
Next up was the highlight of the night AJ Styles v Chris Jericho but on a mother impressive showing that featured some painful looking high spots and a biggest Lionsault I have ever seen. There were however some mistimed spots but nothing to soil the match that was left for the end when Y2J kicked out the Styles Clash on its PPV debut, the move is dead already. Great. AJ submitted Jericho with the Calf Crusher and the two shook hands after.
Main event time. No wait whats this? The Social Outcasts’ Curtis Axel v R-Truth in a impromptu match that existed only to forward the Goldust/R-Truth storyline.
Now main event time. The Triple Threat match got off to a cracking start with Lesnar tossing around Ambrose and Reigns like children. The two former Shield members managed to gain some advantage and powerbombed Lesnar through the announce tables not once but twice. While Lesanr lay incapacitated the two “brothers” battled for supremacy until The Beast returned and Ambrose brought a chair into play and viscously battered both opponents with it. Then just like that Reigns speared him and won, the crowd booed as the WWE continue to push Reigns down our throats whether we like it or not.
Overall it was a poor event that despite featuring three entertaining matches failed to promote anything of value, forward any storylines and make any intriguing happenings for Wrestlemania. We now have Roman Reigns in his second Wrestlemania main event in as many years against a 45 year old non-wrestle, which he will obviously win making everything WWE feel forced, predictable, and stale.