PWP Nation’s Caden Moran discusses eight things we learned from WWE Fastlane 2019
The 2019 edition of WWE Fastlane was last night, and it was a spectacular show for a filler event. Fun matches, stories progression, and an emotional sendoff is how to define Fastlane this year.
As the road to Wrestlemania has no more stops, we look at what we learned from the final pay-per view before the biggest event of the year. Here are eight things we learned from WWE Fastlane 2019.
#8 – Beth Phoenix is in for one last match
Last night after the Women’s Tag Team Championship match, we saw guest commentator Beth Phoenix stand up to both Tamina and Nia Jax. Phoenix went on to get physical with the duo before being beaten down. Her longtime friend and partner Natalya tried to make the save before being beaten down as well.
With Wrestlemania right around the corner, it is safe to assume why we saw Beth Phoenix get physical for the first time in a long time. Whether it be involving the Women’s Tag Team titles or if it will just be a normal tag team match, Phoenix will be competing at Wrestlemania.
The last time Phoenix competed in a ring was during the first ever women’s Royal Rumble match in January of 2018. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with Beth and Natalya leading into Wrestlemania.
#7 – There is still no clear plan for Asuka
Asuka defeated Mandy Rose last night to retain the Smackdown Women’s Championship due to a mistake from Sonya Deville. It was more of a lucky win for Asuka than a dominant one, but still a victory nonetheless.
However, even with her victory over Rose, there is still no clear Wrestlemania direction for “The Empress of Tomorrow.” Hopefully, something is addressed during this week’s episode of Smackdown Live. There have been zero challengers stepping up to Asuka, and there hasn’t’t really been any focus directed to the champion ever since the Royal Rumble event in January.
Asuka is one of WWE’s biggest stars, and there needs to be a clear plan for her going into the next month. Let’s hope something gets made official soon before it’s too late.
#6 – Ronda Rousey’s interference makes sense
The RAW Women’s Championship match at Wrestlemania is officially a triple threat…thanks to Ronda Rousey.
After Becky Lynch was close to tapping out to Charlotte Flair last night, Rousey ran down to the ring and hit Lynch which allowed her to win via disqualification. Ronda Rousey helped get Becky Lynch in the match, and while some people may dislike the booking of this story, I thought Ronda’s interference is a nice touch.
Ronda Rousey wants to fight both women, and the only way she could do that was to give an assist to an injured Becky Lynch. Ronda has been vouching for Becky despite Becky’s actions towards Ronda and WWE itself. However, Rousey wanted both at Wrestlemania, and now she has both.
The build is over. All that is left is the match.
#5 – Smackdown’s mid-card finally means something
Even though Samoa Joe won the United States Championship just six days ago, it still feels like Smackdown Live’s mid-card finally means something. We saw Joe defend his title against Rey Mysterio, Andrade and R-Truth. As expected, the match was great, which is not something the mid-card has had in a while.
At least for the United States title, there hasn’t’t been any interest or intrigue around the title in a very long time. However, with someone like Samoa Joe holding the belt, everything changes. Samoa Joe makes things matter, and with solid competition, the matches and stories can be a lot of fun.
As we saw last night, the turnaround for the United States title is here, and the mid-card scene on the blue brand is going to become a lot more interesting.
#4 – Mustafa Ali was a nice addition
The WWE Championship match at WWE Fastlane was turned into a triple threat when Mustafa Ali joined the scene. It wasn’t a warm welcome for Ali as Cleveland wanted Kofi Kingston. However, Ali still delivered in a tough spot for him.
Ali’s addition to the match was a nice addition as it added more to the match overall, and I believe it helped all three guys more in the long run. Mustafa Ali had to jump back into the scene to keep his momentum he has built and to prove something while Kevin Owens had to show that he still has what it takes. It was a big spot for both men against Daniel Bryan, but both men delivered.
Even though Ali took the pin, and the fans continued to chant for Kofi, Ali still proved something to the fans and himself. He may have taken the pin, but the final stretch of the match that was only him versus Bryan was a big moment for Ali. It’ll be interesting to see where both Ali and Owens go after this.
#3 – It is all about Kofi Kingston right now
Speaking of Kofi Kingston, the final stretch from now until Wrestlemania is all about him. Last night, we saw him being teased as the third participant in the WWE Championship match, but he was swerved and put in a match against The Bar.
Kofi went on to lose, but there is more to it than what many believe. Kofi Kingston is being built like the 2013-2014 Daniel Bryan at the moment. Having these moments teased in front of him, only for them to be taken away from Vince McMahon.
Kofi Kingston is in a great spot right now, and the booking for him has been spot on thus far. Wrestlemania will be the place where Kofi Kingston has his moment. It is all about Kingston right now.
#2 – The Miz & Shane McMahon are in the right spots
The Miz and Shane McMahon splitting up and having a match at Wrestlemania has always been the plan when this duo started. However, many thought The Miz would be the one to turn on Shane. That was not the case at WWE Fastlane.
Shane McMahon beat down The Miz in front of his hometown crowd and father last night. The crowd reaction was nuclear for Shane and it solidified The Miz as a true babyface. The Miz as a babyface didn’t work back in 2012, but it has proven to be working so far in 2019.
The right roles were assigned to the right guys. The Miz should be the babyface who the fans want to like and it has been a long time since we have seen a heel Shane McMahon. It’ll be an interesting feud going into Wrestlemania, and with The Miz in an unfamiliar role, I am looking forward to seeing how he pulls it off.
#1 – This is truly the end of The Shield
Last night at WWE Fastlane, we saw the true end of The Shield.
With Dean Ambrose set to exit WWE, last night was the final time we would see The Shield in action together, and it was emotional. I didn’t expect the final moments of the match to feel real and as emotional as they were. However, before the final triple power bomb, Seth Rollins showed us how real this truly was, as he let out “ONE LAST MOTHAF****N TIME!”
It was the moment where many of us realized that this is truly the end to one of the most dominant forces in WWE history. Three brothers who came in on top, leave on top. If this truly was the end for Dean Ambrose, I doubt he would rather have last night go any other way. For seven years, we believed in The Shield.
Never should we ever stop believing.
WWE Fastlane was an incredible show, and Wrestlemania should be even better. Fastlane will go down in history as one of the best final shows before Wrestlemania. I enjoyed every second, and hopefully you all did too.
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