The Usos (Jimmy & Jey) (c) vs. Shane McMahon & The Miz – Smackdown Tag Team Championship match

Background: At Elimination Chamber, The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) defeated The Miz and Shane McMahon to win the SmackDown Tag Team Championship. On the following episode of SmackDown, The Miz, who had been pinned, apologised to Shane for costing them the match and begged Shane to schedule a rematch. The Usos interrupted and insulted Miz, after which, Shane scheduled a rematch for the titles at Fastlane.

Previous PPV matches: This is a second PPV match between these two teams, The Usos previously beat Miz and Shane for the titles at Elimination Chamber.

Fastlane Record: Shane McMahon and The Miz wrestle at Fastlane for the first time, The Usos have drawn one and lost one at this event.

Match: The Miz’s father is at ringside in Miz’s hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. Shane McMahon and Jimmy Uso kick off the match and Shane takes the early advantage before tagging in his partner. Miz and Shane keep the advantage against Jey Uso and hit a Hart Attack for two count. The Usos soon take control and lay into Shane McMahon. There are not many men that have wrestled more PPV matches in the WWE than The Miz. The Usos double team Shane McMahon and make quick tags. McMahon finally makes the hot tag and Miz fires up on both Usos. Miz hits a cross body from the top rope to the outside on both Usos which I’ve never seen him do before. Jey hits a pop-up Samoan drop for a near fall. All hell breaks loose with all four men and Miz hits the skull-crushing finale on Jey but the referee is out of position seeing to Shane and Jey kicks out. There’s a terrible spot with Jimmy diving off the top rope for a splash but Shane dives off the other corner and hits a dropkick on Jimmy. Miz’s Dad tells Miz to go to the top, so he does and dives off with a frog splash but Jimmy gets his knees up and rolls Miz up for the three!

Result: The Usos retain the Smackdown Tag Team Championships by pinfall.

Review: This was a good way to kick off the show. It was a good match, not a great one but a decent match. The crowd were pretty hot, especially for The Miz. The Usos will probably go on to Wrestlemania with the Smackdown Tag Team Championships. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a Miz vs. Shane McMahon match.

Rating: 6/10

Asuka (c) vs. Mandy Rose – Smackdown Women’s Championship match

Background: On the February 19 episode of SmackDown, during a backstage segment, SmackDown Women’s Champion Asuka was interrupted by Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose. Rose challenged Asuka to a non-title match and defeated her due to a distraction by Lacey Evans. The following week, Rose was granted a championship match against Asuka at Fastlane.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time PPV match between these two girls.

Fastlane Record: Both girls make their Fastlane debut tonight.

Match: Mandy Rose has Sonya Deville in her corner. Asuka starts the match well and Mandy doesn’t look too bad so far. This is arguably the biggest match of Mandy’s career so far. Asuka gets distracted by Sonya Deville three times which allows Mandy to hit a running knee for a two count. Rose applies a nice abdominal stretch but Asuka soon locks on an octopus hold of her own. It’s all Asuka as she hits every type of kick possible. Mandy evades a running butt bump and hits a running knee of her own for a near fall. Sonya Deville pulls a kendo stick out from under the ring but doesn’t put the ring apron back properly and Mandy slips on it! Asuka then hits a spin kick on Rose and pins her for the three!

Result: Asuka wins by pinfall.

Review: This match was ok. Not a memorable one but a good win for Asuka. A creative finish that I haven’t seen before. They are hinting at a break up between Sonya and Mandy.

Rating: 3.75/10

Kofi Kingston vs. The Bar (Sheamus & Cesaro) – Handicap match

Background: This match has been made on the fly! Kofi Kingston seems to get punished from Vince McMahon for some reason and instead of having a WWE Championship match, he has a handicap match against The Bar!

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time handicap match involving these three men.

Fastlane Record: Kofi Kingston is 0-0-1, Cesaro is 2-0 and Sheamus wrestles at Fastlane for the first time.

Match: With both members of The Bar allowed in the ring at the same time, this match is a mugging from the bell. Sheamus and Cesaro double team Kofi, take the fight to the outside and lay into him there too. Kofi starts a comeback but the numbers are too much. Cesaro hits a big uppercut and the former tag team champions hit a powerbomb/top rope clothesline combo. Sheamus hits a brogue kick and then looks for a second but Big E and Xavier Woods run out from the back! They are attacked from behind by Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura as The Bar hit Kofi with a double white noise for the three.

Result: The Bar win by pinfall.

Review: This match was just one long beatdown. I didn’t dislike it, it was ok. It was what you’d expect. Not a masterpiece but not terrible.

Rating: 5/10

The Revival (Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson) vs. Ricochet & Aleister Black vs. Boddy Roode & Chad Gable – Raw Tag Team Championship match

Background: On the February 11 episode of Raw, The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson) defeated Bobby Roode and Chad Gable to win the Raw Tag Team Championship. The following week, NXT call-ups Aleister Black and Ricochet made their main roster debuts, and then defeated The Revival in a non-title match on the February 25 episode. On the March 4 episode, Black and Ricochet were granted a Raw Tag Team Championship match against The Revival, but it ended in disqualification after Roode and Gable attacked The Revival. A triple threat tag team championship match between the three teams was then scheduled for Fastlane.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time triple threat match between these three teams.

Fastlane Record: Bobby Roode is 0-1 at this event, the other 5 men wrestle at Fastlane for the first time. It’s actually a PPV debut for Ricochet.

Match: Ricochet and Chad Gable start the match in quick fashion but it’s not long before The Revival get involved and take control. Scott Dawson lays into Ricochet before tagging in Wilder who get a near fall following a gutbuster on Ricochet. Dawson tags in and hits a suplex on Ricochet onto the top rope. Roode and Black get hot tags as they enter the match for the first time. Black hits a beautiful asai moonsault.All hell breaks loose with the four challengers. Wilder makes a blind tag and hits a big splash on Gable. Ricochet then hits a shooting star press on Wilder, Bobby Roode breaks up the pinfall attempt. Ricochet hits a top rope hurricanrana on Scott Dawson which takes out the rest of the field. It wasn’t the cleanest of moves. Ricochet then hits a massive dive over the ringpost, taking out Bobby Roode. Chad Gable makes a blind tag and exchanges near fall with Scott Dawson. The Revival the hit shatter machine on Gable for the three!

Result: The Revival win the match by pinfall.

Review: This was a fun match. Ricochet was the highlight reel but the crowd were also hot for Aleister Black. The Revival win the match and presumably will go on to Wrestlemania to defend the belts.

Rating: 6/10

Samoa Joe (c) vs. R-Truth vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade – Fatal Four Way match for the United States Championship

Background: Backstage during the Fastlane Kickoff pre-show, R-Truth’s manager Carmella was attempting to get people to sign a petition so that Truth could have a rematch for the United States Championship, as Truth had lost the title on the previous episode of SmackDown in a fatal four-way match to Samoa Joe, which also involved Andrade and Rey Mysterio. Joe interrupted and said that he had no problem facing any of them. It was then announced that Joe would defend the United States Championship in a fatal four-way match against Truth, Andrade, and Mysterio on the main show, subsequently canceling the pre-show match between Andrade and Mysterio.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time fatal four way match between these four men.

Fastlane Record: Samoa Joe is 1-0, R-Truth is 0-1, both Rey Mysterio and Andrade wrestle at Fastlane for the first time tonight.

Match: It’s a fast paced start to the match that results in Samoa Joe taking out all three opponents with a suicide dive. It’s all Joe in the early going until he gets triple teamed. It’s fast paced action throughout with Samoa Joe mostly dominating. Rey hits Joe with a tornado DDT for a near fall. I love Andrade’s back elbow, it looks brutal every time. Rey hits a hurricanrana on Andrade off Truth’s shoulders in a nice spot. Andrade hits a nice springboard corkscrew to the outside on Joe. Rey then dives to the outside, hitting a hurricanrana on Andrade. Zelina Vega gets involved, kicking R-Truth in the face but Carmella then takes out Vega! R-Truth hits his John Cena moveset on Andrade and Samoa Joe. There’s finishers galore but Rey misses with the west coast pop which allows Joe to lock on the coquina clutch and Mysterio passes out!

Result: Samoa Joe wins by submission.

Review: This was a really fun match. I like Samoa Joe as United States Champion. If he’s not going to be the top champion then this is fine. Truth, Andrade and Mysterio bring a lot of energy to a match and these four men put on a good match.

Rating: 7/10

Bayley & Sasha Banks (c) vs. Nia Jax & Tamina – WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match

Background: At Elimination Chamber, The Boss ‘n’ Hug Connection (Bayley and Sasha Banks) defeated Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose, The Riott Squad (represented by Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan), The IIconics (Billie Kay and Peyton Royce), Naomi and Carmella, and Nia Jax and Tamina in a tag team Elimination Chamber match to become the inaugural holders of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship. The following night on Raw, their championship celebration was interrupted by Jax and Tamina, and Jax taunted Banks about not being able to retain a championship in her title defenses. The following week, The Boss ‘n’ Hug Connection were scheduled to defend the titles against Jax and Tamina at Fastlane.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first 2 on 2 tag team match between these two tag teams.

Fastlane Record: Sasha Banks is 2-0, Bayley is 1-0 at Fastlane, Nia Jax is 0-1 and Tamina is 0-1.

Match: Bayley and Tamina kick off the match but Bayley soon tags out to Sasha and Nia Jax tags in. Nia takes the advantage for her team and takes out both opponents. Nia hits a powerbomb on Bayley which gives Tamina a near fall. Bayley makes a hot tag to Sasha who comes in with a cross body on Tamina. Sasha and Tamina were once partners in Team BAD. Tamina looks to back body drop Banks into a Samoan drop from Nia but they make a mess of it. Nia pulls Sasha back up and hits the Samoan drop. Bayley and Sasha pick up the pace, flying around the ring and then out of it. It takes two of them to hit plancha’s to take Nia and Tamina out on the outside. Sasha hits double knees on Nia and Bayley follows it up with an elbow drop but Tamina breaks up the pinfall. Bayley hits a hurricanrana on Nia and keeps the pin for the three!

Result: Bayley and Sasha Banks win by pinfall.

Review: This match was pretty good. Sasha and Bayley bought a good pace to it. It was a good title defence from the champions and it’ll be interesting to see if the titles are defended at Wrestlemania.

Rating: 5.75/10

Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kevin Owens vs. Mustafa Ali – WWE Championship match

Background: On the February 12 episode of SmackDown, The New Day’s Kofi Kingston was a last-minute replacement for an injured Mustafa Ali in a gauntlet match to determine who would enter the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match last; Kingston pinned WWE Champion Daniel Bryan and lasted over an hour before being eliminated. At Elimination Chamber, Bryan retained the title in the titular match, with Kingston being the last wrestler eliminated. On the following episode of SmackDown, Kingston was granted a WWE Championship match at Fastlane after pinning Bryan in a six-man tag team match that featured Kingston, AJ Styles, and Jeff Hardy against Bryan, Samoa Joe, and Randy Orton. The following week, however, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon interrupted the contract signing between Bryan and Kingston. Although Vince praised Kingston, he replaced him with a returning Kevin Owens, stating that Owens was more qualified and more deserving of the opportunity.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time WWE PPV match between these three men.

Fastlane Record: Kevin Owens is 1-2, Daniel Bryan is 0-1, Ali makes his Fastlane debut.

Match: Interesting that Mustafa Ali is announced a surprise third addition to this match, he gets boo’d and the crowd chant loudly for Kofi. The match starts with Owens disposing of Daniel Bryan and going at it with Mustafa Ali. The match soon breaks down into a triple threat and Daniel Bryan gets his time to shine. Ali hits an inverted hurricanrana on Kevin Owens and then a Spanish fly on Daniel Bryan. Owens avoids an 045 from Ali and hits a stunner but Bryan breaks up the pinfall. Owens hits a pop-up powerbomb on Bryan who kicks out at 2. Mustafa Ali hits a 450 splash on Daniel Bryan on the apron and the crowd love that one. Erick Rowan looks to get involved but Ali and Owens superkick him back down to the outside. Bryan hits a running knee to Kevin Owens but misses one on Ali. Owens hits Ali with a pop-up powerbomb into the apron but Rowan then takes out KO before he can take advantage. Bryan slaps Ali around, telling him that he doesn’t deserve to be here. Ali looks for a moonsault but Bryan hits him with a running knee for the victory!

Result: Daniel Bryan wins by pinfall.

Review: This was a good match. Three good workers who made the match chaotic and made you believe that anyone could have won it. Mustafa Ali was a good addition. I can only assume we are heading for Daniel Bryan vs. Kofi Kingston at Wrestlemania.

Rating: 7/10

Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte – If Becky wins, she is added to the Raw Women’s Championship match at Wrestlemania

Background: At the Royal Rumble, Becky Lynch was unsuccessful in regaining the SmackDown Women’s Championship, but later entered the women’s Royal Rumble match and won by last eliminating Charlotte Flair, despite injuring her own knee. The next night on Raw, Lynch confronted Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey and chose to face her at WrestleMania 35. Lynch then refused a medical examination on her knee after a brawl with Flair on SmackDown. Stephanie McMahon gave Lynch an ultimatum: have her knee examined or be suspended until she does. Lynch still refused and attacked both Stephanie and Triple H. The following Raw, it was revealed that Lynch had been medically cleared; after she apologised for the attacks, the suspension was lifted, however, Vince McMahon overruled Triple H and Stephanie by suspending Lynch for 60 days and replaced her with Flair as Rousey’s WrestleMania opponent. On the February 25 episode of Raw, Lynch was arrested after attacking Rousey; Rousey then demanded that Lynch be reinstated and left the championship in the ring. The following week, Stephanie declared the title vacant, reinstated Lynch, and scheduled a match between her and Flair for the championship at Fastlane. Later on, however, Rousey protested that she did not vacate the title and was only trying to send a message, prompting Stephanie to hand her back the title belt and change the stipulation of the Fastlane match: if Lynch won, she would be added back into the championship match at WrestleMania to make it a triple threat match.

Previous PPV matches: This is the 5th PPV match between these two girls, they have both won 2 matches each before tonight.

Fastlane Record: Charlotte is 2-1, Becky is 1-1.

Match: Charlotte goes right for the injured leg of Becky. Becky tries to fight back, she actually made her entrance with a crutch. Charlotte locks on a single leg crab but Becky doesn’t tap out. Charlotte just plays with Becky at times whilst working the injured leg throughout. Becky nearly get Charlotte counted out but Charlotte makes it back in the ring and Lynch locks on the disarm-her. Charlotte counters and locks on a figure four but out comes Ronda Rousey! Rousey runs down to the ring and strikes Becky Lynch! The referee calls for the bell, Becky Lynch wins by disqualification!

Result: Becky Lynch wins by disqualification.

Review: This was a solid match. It doesn’t feel like it was as good as it could have been because of Lynch’s limitations. It was a good match though and the psychology was spot on. It looks like we’ve got a triple threat match for Wrestlemania!

Rating: 7/10

The Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose) vs. Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley & Drew McIntyre

Background: On the October 22, 2018 episode of Raw, Roman Reigns went on hiatus due to leukemia and subsequently vacated the Universal Championship. Later that same night, Dean Ambrose turned on Seth Rollins, feeling that the trio’s stable, The Shield, had made him weak. Rollins and Ambrose then fought over the next couple of months, with their feud culminating at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, where Ambrose defeated Rollins. Reigns returned on the February 25, 2019 episode of Raw and explained that his leukemia was in remission and that he would return to action. The following week, Reigns called out Rollins, wanting to reunite The Shield one more time. Rollins reluctantly agreed since it meant having to team with Ambrose again. Later, after Ambrose was defeated by Elias, Reigns and Rollins came out, but Ambrose exited through the crowd. Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, and Bobby Lashley then ambushed Reigns and Rollins, after which, Ambrose returned and aided his former Shield brothers. After gaining the upper hand, Ambrose joined Reigns and Rollins for the signature Shield fist bump and a six-man tag team match pitting the reunited Shield against Corbin, McIntyre, and Lashley was scheduled for Fastlane.

Previous PPV matches: This is a first time 6 man tag between these 6 men.

Fastlane Record: Roman Reigns is 3-0, Dean Ambrose is 0-2, Seth Rollins is 1-0, Baron Corbin is 0-1, Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley make their Fastlane debut tonight.

Match: The match starts with all 6 men slugging it out and The Shield coming out on top. Bobby Lashley and Seth Rollins then kick off the match. It’s Lashley’s power against Rollins speed. It’s not long before all six men have been in the ring, including Roman Reigns who makes his return to in-ring action. Drew McIntyre is dominant for his team in the ring whilst Bobby Lashley lays into Seth Rollins on the outside. All hell breaks loose before long and all six men go at it on the outside. McIntyre hits Ambrose with the claymore which sends him out of the ring. Ambrose and Rollins hit suicide dives on Lashley and McIntyre. Everyone but Reigns and Corbin fight over to where the kick-off show desk is. Rollins flies off one of the stands, taking out Lashley and McIntyre with a cross body. In the ring Reigns hits superman punch for a near fall. Corbin hits end of days on Reigns for a near fall. Rollins stomps Lashley on the outside and Reigns then spears Corbin. The Shield then triple powerbomb McIntyre through an announce desk. The Shield triple team Corbin in the ring, Ambrose hits him with dirty deeds and they hit a triple powerbomb for the last time. Reigns hooks the leg and gets the three.

Result: The Shield win by pinfall.

Review: This was a really fun main event. It was all about The Shield and the end of their story. A final pay per view match for Dean Ambrose who has chosen not to re-sign with the company. It was a chaotic match and just good fun. Lashley and McIntyre were protected. Reigns was the man to get the pin. It’s the end of an era and a fitting way for Dean Ambrose to wrestle his final PPV match.

Rating: 7.5/10