4:02 pm | March 10, 2019 | Go to Source | Author:
It’s WrestleMania season, but before the granddaddy of them all on April 7, there’s many storylines to address in the world of WWE.
Sunday night at Fastlane, the final PPV before WrestleMania, should answer some key questions. Six titles will be up for grabs, but perhaps the most notable showdown will pit Charlotte Flair against Becky Lynch, with massive stakes for the latter performer. If Lynch wins, she will be granted a spot in the WrestleMania Raw women’s championship against Flair and Ronda Rousey, making the likely main event that much more fascinating.
Daniel Bryan has a big obstacle against a returning Kevin Owens, while The Revival and The Usos hope to hang on to their respective tag-team belts.
How will it all play out? Tim Fiorvanti is live at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio and his coverage will be supplemented by Sean Coyle and Matt Wilansky throughout the night.
This story was updated in real time.
Kofi Kingston vs. The Bar
Match in progress.
SmackDown Live women’s championship: Asuka (c) def. Mandy Rose
This wasn’t the match-up many anticipated, but here we are. I suppose we should be thankful that the SmackDown women’s championship is being featured on the show at all given its exclusion from WWE TV most weeks. Asuka is far too talented to be ignored, though, and perhaps she, along with the title, will be featured more prominently after tonight.
Her title defense against Mandy Rose began with the champ in control, but we were quickly reminded that Rose had an ace up her sleeve in her comrade Sonya Deville, who was at ringside. Deville distracted Asuka early and often, which allowed Rose to get back into the match.The two went back and forth a bit and angry Asuka was unleashed after some ill-timed taunting by Rose.
The finish saw Deville pull a kendo stick out from under the ring, but in doing so, she left a piece of the ring apron laying in the ring. As Rose bounced off the ropes, she slipped on the apron which allowed Asuka to connect with a spinning heel kick to the jaw for the win.
After the match an upset Rose refused the hand of Deville and a split was teased. The match was nothing to write home about, but now, perhaps, a legitimate WrestleMania rivalry for Asuka can begin.
SmackDown Live tag team championship: The Usos (c) def. The Miz and Shane McMahon
It was too good to be true. We all knew it, and it was just a matter of time.
From the outset, the union of “the worlds best,” The Miz and Shane McMahon, was destined to be short-lived, despite their brief run as SmackDown tag-team champions.
On Sunday at Fastlane, following a disappointing loss to The Usos when Miz was rolled up after a missed frog splash, the split became official.
As McMahon and Miz were embracing The Miz’s father, who was sitting ringside, following the match, the former SmackDown commissioner unleashed a memorable and sudden beatdown on his partner.
McMahon pummeled Miz into the barricade and went as far as grabbing Miz’s father in the face. McMahon ruined the friendship and a viable team, but in the end likely set up a WrestleMania showdown most of us saw coming.
While in the back of our minds that this swerve was always in the cards, Miz and McMahon had natural chemistry. It was a story of enemies turned partners, and partners turned champions. And then this.
So long to a joining of misfits that seemed to work so well with each other. And hello to what will no doubt be a bitter feud until a likely battle come April 7.
Kickoff show:
The New Day def. Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura
The lone match on tonight’s Fastlane kickoff show featured a tag match pitting Big E and Xavier Woods of the New day against the duo of Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura. The entertaining bout served its purpose of warming up the crowd as they came alive for the mid-match hot tag to Big E. After a number of false finishes, its conclusion saw the New Day execute their UpUpDownDown finisher on Rusev for the win.
Still to come:
WWE championship: Daniel Bryan (c) vs. Kevin Owens
Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair
The Shield vs. Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley
Women’s tag team championship: Bayley and Sasha Banks (c) vs. Nia Jax and Tamina
Raw tag team championships: The Revival (c) vs. Bobby Roode & Chad Gable vs. Aleister Black & Ricochet
U.S. championship Fatal 4-way: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Rey Mysterio vs. R-Truth vs. Andrade
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