WWE Fastlane 2023 is coming up this Saturday! Before the event takes place, let’s run down everything you need to know about the upcoming pay-per-view.
Who is scheduled for the card? How interesting does the show seem? What’s going to happen with all the matches?
Here is a full preview of WWE Fastlane 2023.
Date: October 7, 2023
Start Time: 7 p.m. ET (kickoff), 8 p.m. ET (main show)
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana
(as currently advertised; card is always subject to change)
Temperature Scale = Scorching > Hot > Lukewarm > Temperate > Chilly > Cold > Freezing
Heat Index is my assessment of how interesting the segment is, including how excited I am for the match and how intriguing the feud has been. The hotter, the better. Scorching translates to not being able to wait to see it, while Freezing means I couldn’t possibly care less and think it will be awful.
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Seth Rollins wins.
Thoughts: I’d love to say I’m Hot on this, but it not only is a rematch, but Last Man Standing matches have a hit or miss track record. Often, they’re slow and lumbering, with every maneuver keeping people down for a 9-count. That makes for a boring match. When done right, they can be action-packed and awesome, though. These guys are talented, and they have the ability to pull that off. WILL they? That remains to be seen. But while I think there’s a slight chance Damian Priest cashes in his Money in the Bank contract, I ultimately imagine Rollins is just walking out with the title. While I think that’s the correct decision, it isn’t the most interesting, if you catch my drift. Hopefully, they put on a good enough show that makes me regret not putting this in Hot.
Heat Index = Hot
Prediction: John Cena and LA Knight win.
Thoughts: There is absolutely no way this is going to be a technical masterpiece. We’re not seeing Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr here or anything of that sort. But I do think the crowd is going to be hot for it, a win for the babyface team can lead to something good down the line for LA Knight, and it’ll be a rather fun segment in full.
Heat Index = Hot > Lukewarm
Prediction: Iyo Sky wins.
Thoughts: I can’t quite decide between Hot or Lukewarm for this. With these three involved, it has potential to steal the show and be the best match on the card. There’s also a chance we see a title change, namely with Flair winning the title. Maybe Bayley costs Iyo the belt and they start a feud coming out of this, while Flair can focus on the title scene? I’m intrigued, at least. For now, I’ll say Iyo retains, but I’m not feeling particularly confident in that prediction.
Heat Index = Temperate
Prediction: Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits win.
Thoughts: No way is LWO winning this. That goes especially true if the three members of that group competing are Santos Escobar with Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro, rather than Rey Mysterio being involved. That’s what I’d guess is happening. Lashley, Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford need to come together as a unit and that can only happen with a win here. Wilde or Del Toro will take the pin. Lashley will start to feud more directly with Escobar and Mysterio, leading to a United States Championship match either on SmackDown or at Crown Jewel. It wouldn’t shock me if Lashley won that, either.
Heat Index = Hot
Prediction: The Judgment Day wins.
Thoughts: I was leaning more toward Lukewarm, but my gut tells me this will be another Hot segment similar to the Cena and Knight match. The crowd goes nuts for Cody and Jey. They’ll be fully invested. We might even see a title change. I don’t THINK that will happen, but it’s possible, that’s for sure. What I anticipate going down is we’ll see interference not only from the rest of The Judgment Day (Dominik Mysterio, Rhea Ripley and JD McDonagh), but possibly even Drew McIntyre as well, to set up a match for Crown Jewel between Drew and either Jey or Cody.
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Thoughts: As it stands right now, these five matches are all that has been announced. We can expect to see at least one, if not two or three more added to the lineup. Those may make a big difference in the overall Heat Index hype value that I have. Once again, I wish we had our true world champion on this card defending his titles, considering Roman Reigns has been MIA most of the year. For that matter, I wish the United States title, Intercontinental Championship, Women’s World Championship, Women’s Tag Team Championship and other names were on the lineup, too. If this were an AEW $50 event, I would be advising people not to spend the money. For $10 through Peacock, it’ll be worth it. Maybe we’ll even get some surprises.
What do you think is going to happen at WWE Fastlane? Which matches are you most excited to see? Keep the discussion going in the comments below!