WWE Fastlane 2018 Predictions
Hello Misfits! This is The Wrestling Classic here with my predictions for this Sunday’s Fastlane PPV. It’s the last stop for Smackdown Live before heading towards Wrestlemania. I guess we can say we’re on the Fastlane to Wrestlemania…appreciate my dad joke. Anyway, all the champions are defending their championships and their opportunity to walk into Wrestlemania as champions. The card is stacked with matches that have the potential to deliver beyond out expectations but the only question is if they will. I was 100% correct with my predictions for the first couple of PPV’s of 2018 but I feel like my streak is going to end here at Fastlane. The WWE is no stranger of shocking us and being unpredictable during Wrestlemania season. Therefore, being this close to the event anything is possible even if things feel set in stone. Lets get to my predictions.
Becky Lynch & Naomi vs. Natalya & Carmella
Image via WWE.com
I’m not sure if this match is going to be on the main show or the kick-off but it’ll be a fun one either way. All four girls are strong unique characters and know how to entertain us while playing up their personalties. Its great to see these women being used and not just being kept off the card. These four have been on Smackdown Live since the initial draft and all have had definitive moments on the brand. Becky Lynch, Naomi and Natalya are all former Smackdown Live Women’s Champions and Carmella is still the first ever Ms Money in the Bank. As much as I would love to see Naomi and Becky Lynch pick up the victory here, I have a lot of babyface predictions for this card. Due to that I’m going to give this one to the heels and say somehow Natalya and Carmella pick up some momenteum by getting a sneaky victory over Naomi and Becky Lynch.
Prediction – Natalya & Carmella
WWE Tag Team Championship
The Usos (C) vs. The New Day
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The Usos and The New Day reignite their rivalry from last year which brought us a plethora of great matches including one inside of a hell in a cell. I would have loved to see another team face off against The Usos but I see this match as buffer so we can get something fresh for the Usos at Wrestlemania. On that note, I see the Usos walking into Wrestlemania as the tag team champions. They have been too dominant and really impressive as tag team champions to lose it in a match that feels like it was put together randomly just to give this PPV a quality tag team championship match. The Usos pick up the victory here and The New Day remain over. I see the Usos impressive championship reign really being in jeopardy at Wrestlemania and that means walking out champs here.
Prediction – The Usos
United States Championship
Bobby Roode (C) vs. Randy Orton
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If you asked me in 9-10 years ago, this would really be a match I wanted to see. It’s not that I dont want to see it now but the babyface and babyface dynamic takes away a bit of the excitement. One of these guys definitely should be a heel in a rivalry between these two. They both play better heels than babyface’s in my opinion but either as the bad guy would make the other guy a better good guy because they both play such good bad guys, ya dig? Anyway, the cool thing about this is that if Orton does happen to win the United States Championship here it would make him a grand slam champion in the WWE as he would have held every major championship. Its something i actually think he deserves the honour to have. However, I dont feel like Roode should lose the championship just yet. Let him carry it through to Wrestlemania. I can definitely see Jinder Mahal being involved in this match as he has heavily been involved in the build up for it. I predict a triple threat for the United States Championship at Wrestlemania between Roode, Orton and Mahal. Roode wins here and maybe Orton hits his grand slam achievement at Wnrestlemnia…even though I might be rooting for The Modern Day Maharaja if he is involved.
Prediction – Bobby Roode
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev w/ Aiden English
Image via WWE.com
I appreciate them finding a way to have the extremely over Rusev on the Fastlane card. I’m not too sure what their plans are for him at Wrestlemania but I hope they have a plan for him because the Wrestlemania crowd cheering on for “Rusev Day” while it is as over as it is right now is something that must happen. As for Shinsuke Nakamura, we know the plans they have for him as he has a guaranteed shot at the WWE Championship after winning the Royal Rumble in January. I dont see Nakamura losing this match at all being this close to Wrestlemania. Nakamura must win this to continue building his momentum and looking like a major threat to the WWE Champion at Wrestlemania. I just hope he just does in a way where Rusev still looks strong or somewhat strong and not just totally jobbed out by super dominant Nakamura.
Prediction – Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE Women’s Championship
Charlotte Flair (C) vs. Ruby Riott w/ Liv Morgan & Sarah Logan
Image via WWE.com
Ruby Riott has been on a roll stacking up victories to earn herself a shot at the Queen for the Women’s Championship. The match has a ton of potential to be good but the story behind it has really been missing that fire and this really just feels like a final stop for Charlotte before she reaches her destination. The destination being Wrestlemania and for her to start figuring out her match for the big show, she needs to get through Ruby Riott. I definitely see Charlotte Flair walking into Wrestlemania at champion but I expect this to be Ruby Riott’s best showing on the main roster as of yet. This in a way could be Ruby Riott’s coming out party. Charlotte still walks out victorious. I’m also not against something cool happening after the match such as Carmella attempting to cash in or Asuka coming out to officially challenge Charlotte for the Women’s Championship at Wrestlemania instead of facing Alexa Bliss. We’ll see though.
Prediction – Charlotte Flair
WWE Championship
Six-Pack Challenge
AJ Styles (C) vs. John Cena vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin
Image via WWE.com
It’s the fighting champion AJ Styles with the odds being stacked against him as he defends the WWE Championship against five opponents less than a month away from Wrestlemania. It isn’t going to be a cake walk for the “Phenomenal One” either because these aren’t any random five guys but five guys who are a threat to Styles in different ways. Corbin is a dominating figure with size and strength. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn have the ability to work together to put the odds in their favour before fighting each other and are both super talented in their own right. Dolph Ziggler is motivated and is known to capitalize on an opportunity when he sees it. Then there is John Cena who got a clean win over Styles to get into this match and he’s John Cena for fuck sakes. There isn’t anything else I have to say. That all being said, it almost sounds like Styles doesn’t have a chance. However, lets break it down a bit. I’m pretty sure Owens and Zayn are heading into an angle against each other. John Cena has a big match waiting for him whether its against Undertaker, Mysterio or anyone else but it won’t be more the WWE Championship. I’m not too sure what Corbin and Ziggler are going to be doing but I dont see either one of them really being a draw to face Nakamura at Wrestlemania. I dont see AJ Styles anywhere else on the Wrestlemania card or anyone else being a suitable opponent for Nakamura in a match us fans could get excited about. Plus, it was Nakamura’s preference to face Styles at Wrestlemania. I want to see that Werstlekingdom magic at Wrestlemania. AJ Styles walks out as champion and I have no doubt that he will.
Prediction – AJ Styles
What do you think about my predictions for the Fastlane? What are your predictions? Do you agree or disagree with my thoughts and ideas of what might happen on the show? Leave your comments and opinions below.