Tuesday, March 19, 2024
EditorialPPV Aftershock: Fastlane 2015

PPV Aftershock: Fastlane 2015

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If a columnist is so bold as to make predictions on an upcoming PPV, they
should be held accountable for their predictions. Aside from highlighting the
winners and rating, I will compare them to my original predictions.

Link to the original
prediction article:

https://www.ewrestlingnews.com/articles/prediction-…

Team Authority vs.
Ziggler/Rowan/Ryback (6 man tag)

Predicted Winner –
Ziggler/Rowan/Ryback

Actual Winner – Team
Authority

Predicted Rating:
2.5/5

Actual Rating: 2.5/5

Was this the worst way to start off a PPV? No. Did
it feel like a Raw main event? Absolutely. Aside from a few high spots from the
usual suspects (Ziggler, Rollins), this was not anything special. Ryback could
have caught Rollins to make for a better spot. The finish (specifically Kane’s
chokeslam) was quite disjointed. Kane being the man to score the pinfall was
odd, but not horrible, as he still needs to win to seem somewhat credible in
order to ride out another year of mediocrity and put some midcard babyfaces over. This little feud has been a
continuation since Survivor Series, and needs to finish up very soon.

Going forward: Ziggler to face Bryan at WM
(hopefully with a Ziggler heel turn), Big Show going part time after WM, and
the rest to enter the Andre the Giant battle royal (if they do it this year).

Goldust vs. Stardust

Predicted Winner –
Stardust

Actual Winner –
Goldust

Predicted Rating: 3/5

Actual Rating: 2/5

This match had a long buildup, and no real payoff.
Yes, it sets up for a WrestleMania match to retire Goldust, but that’s about
it. If they planned on having a match where Goldust was “hesitant” to attack
Cody, this was not the place to do it. The match was slow and filled with basic
wrestling moves (I was counting arm drags and stopped counting at 10). Both of
these men are better than that, and should know how to properly pace a match.
This was very disappointing from the brothers. The upside? Cody stopped using a
body suit.

Going Forward: Goldust and Stardust to have a
blowoff, and possibly a retirement match at WrestleMania.

The Usos vs. Kidd
& Cesaro (Tag Titles)

Predicted Winner –
Usos

Actual Winner – Kidd
& Cesaro

Predicted Rating:
3.5/5

Actual Rating: 3.5/5

This was an unsuspected surprise. The workhorses of
the company put on a great show with the best current tag team, and the titles
changed hands. One would think that with Rikishi going into the HOF, the Usos
would have remained champions going into WrestleMania. Regardless, this was a
good way to attempt to jumpstart the otherwise dead crowd. Cesaro’s single leg
swing was something new. Kidd had some fluid spots, as per the usual. The rest
of the roster needs to take note from these two guys, and start innovating new
moves and bringing different styles to the ring.

Going Forward: Some sort of WrestleMania pre-show
tag titles match.

Nikki Bella vs. Paige
(Divas Title)

Predicted Winner –
Nikki Bella

Actual Winner – Nikki
Bella

Predicted Rating:
1.5/5

Actual Rating: 2/5

Nikki tried her best, but it
still was not good enough. That sunset flip powerbomb looked so rehearsed,
which was too bad. If this didn’t prove that the Bellas do not belong in the
WWE, nothing will. Brie did nothing to help the situation. This and the dead
crowd made it quite hard to even pay attention to this match.

Going forward: I’m still
thinking Brie will turn and we will see a Bella match at WrestleMania, unless
the wrestling Gods deliver us Charlotte by tonight.

Bad News Barrett vs.
Dean Ambrose (IC Title)

Predicted Winner – Dean
Ambrose

Actual Winner – BNB

Predicted Rating: 3.5/5

Actual Rating: 3/5

This match felt like it could have been a little
better if it was a few minutes longer and didn’t have that DQ ending. Yes, it
sets up for another match, but this PPV really needed a second strong
performance after the tag match. The match had a majority of a brawling aspect
to it, so it would be nice to see a few more transitional power moves and a few
more top rope spots in their future blowoff. The men do work well together, so
it’s only a matter of time before we see a great match in this IC feud.

Going forward: They ‘should’ have a match at
WrestleMania, but the card already looks quite crowded. Hopefully they will
have a proper match without time constraints, or with a street fight
stipulation at extreme rules.

Rusev vs. John Cena
(US Title)

Predicted Winner –
Rusev

Actual Winner – Rusev

Predicted Rating: 3/5

Actual Rating: 3/5

This match did exactly what it needed to; put Rusev
in a position where he looks like a legitimate player for 2015. Although
starting off a little disjointed, John Cena put Rusev over in a good fashion. I
wonder why he is always booked to look like the underdog that might sneak by
with a win, even as the grizzled veteran that is looking for a fight. This isn’t
Zach Gowan trying to get the one up on the Big Show. Other than that, it was
one of the better matches of the night. The low blow finish and pass out to the
accolade was a nice touch to finish the match. They were lucky enough to not
have a time constraint, as the others did.

Going forward: Cena vs. Rusev at WrestleMania with
some sort of stipulation (No DQ, last man standing etc.).

Roman Reigns vs.
Daniel Bryan (#1 contender)

Predicted Winner – Tie/Double
DQ

Actual Winner – Roman Reigns

Predicted Rating: 3.5/5

Actual Rating: 3.5/5

As far as the winner goes, people seem to have mixed
reactions. Reigns winning sets up for a WrestleMania that is definitely not as
ideal as it would have been if Bryan won (or there was a tie). The match itself
was fine, but it did seem that Bryan carried a good majority of it. If you look
back to HBK vs. anyone who isn’t HBK, you can see something similar. Roman did
botch a move (it was a catch into a Yes lock I believe), which was glaringly
obvious. Daniel tried to recover it into an armbar, which still killed the mood
a bit. This did give some closure to some of the casual fans that were deadest on
Bryan winning, which was what they were going for.

Going forward: Bryan vs. (hopefully) heel Ziggler,
and Roman vs. Lesnar at WrestleMania. Roman can go one of two ways here. They
can have him heel turn with Heyman, and beat Lesnar. They can also have Rollins
come cash in after WrestleMania. Either way, it will be something different.

Other Notes:

Bray Wyatt coming out as the Undertaker was a great
setup and promo. I did not care much for this match until now. As a side note,
it looks like Taker is on a heavy workout schedule to get back in shape.

Triple H and Sting should also be a fun match,
provided Sting can still wrestle somewhat fluidly. I know it may take away from
the mystique of Sting, but I would like to hear him talk on the mic. The setup
at Fast Lane could have just as easily been at the end of a Raw, and the
remaining time could have been given to Ambrose/Barrett or the tag match. Oh
well.

Overall, this PPV was exactly what I thought it
would be, filler between the Rumble and WrestleMania. Nothing stood out, and
the NXT live event dwarfed it in comparison. It did tell some stories and
furthered some matches to WrestleMania, which is an important thing to do. The
crowd also seemed very quiet, which was too bad. That extra energy could have
really helped this event.

Agree? Disagree? Have your own ratings? Post below 🙂

Follow me on Twitter @ShotgunMichaelH

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