WWE Fastlane 2021: Hits And Misses

Another PPV is in the books, and with that, the Road To WrestleMania is just about done. It’s time to get into WWE Fastlane 2021’s Hits and Misses!

WWE Fastlane 2021: Hits And Misses

So, what would we rather tackle first…the good or the bad? How about we toss out three misses first, and get the bad stuff out of the way quick.

The Misses

Like I said…bad stuff first!

Up first…Retribution seemingly broke up.

Or, more specifically, the rest of the group realized that they were bigger and stronger than the annoying Ali.

It will be interesting to see what WWE does next with the group, if anything. Breaking them up during a pre-show match seems kind of…anti-climactic.

As in, I think this could be WWE’s way of admitting the whole angle sucked, and was one big miss. I’d guess if they were smart, let things go for a while and bring back Dijakovic as, you know, himself.

Next up…not the best start to the Apollo/Big E fun.

Short match, bit of an odd ending. I think those two can and should get a better outing on a bigger stage.

Not that I expected Big E to be defending the IC strap in April…but here we are.

Not sure about The Fiend…

This may be an unpopular miss…but hear me out.

While some feel that The Fiend is one of the better characters going, nor or in the past few years…this one feels like it’s getting a bit too close to some of the way too unbelievable gimmicky characters.

Like, bad 80’s wrestling characters, almost.

I mean, Southern Fried Fiend is back, so…hooray. But the stuff dropping, the flames, the shooting lightning and all…it’s not sustainable.

If that is stuff that both The Fiend and Alexa Bliss can do, then they ought to be holding gold now and for eternity, because who can compete with lightning bolts as a finishing move?

Also, more as a random one, but this particular PPV is kind of meh. The name is not inspired, it’s been picked on since it’s inception, and it’s just three weeks away from WrestleMania.

I honestly think WWE should bag this one and enjoy a 6 or 7 week build between the last pre-Mania PPV and the biggest show of the year.

OK, that’s about all I had on the misses.

Now time for the hits!

I think Fastlane did deliver some good stuff. So let’s discuss!

Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura!

On perhaps any other night, this could have been the match of the night. It very nearly stole the show.

Both men were exceptional. I’d have liked to get Nakamura a big win, he’s worth building up again…but this one was solid.

Retribution broke up!

Wait…wasn’t this in my misses too? Sure, but the concept and execution of the group was what got it there.

This lands here because maybe, just maybe, WWE is pulling the plug on the stupid idea. And those God awful masks.

Daniel Bryan…Roman Reigns…and Edge!

That was a strong main event, hands down. Match of the night, easily.

And best of all? Even though you’d think that means Reigns and Edge is set in stone…I’d say not so fast.

Up until a couple weeks ago, Edge was easily a babyface.

After Fastlane? Not so much.

Unless you weren’t paying attention, Edge snapped. He declared that it was his moment, that the WrestleMania stage was for him.

So, after bashing both men with a chair, saying that and storming off? That was a heel turn if ever there was one.

Plus, while Reigns did win, Bryan had him tapping out, I believe at least twice by my count. So, to translate…me thinks this one is far from over.

In the grand scheme of things…that’s probably the right call.

I think Bryan helps that match in April be better. I think putting the belt on Bryan makes some sense.

Or, something there does go down, and perhaps we get the Bryan-Edge Iron Man match?

Point being, the ending of the main event actually created more questions, as opposed to providing answers.

All in all, I’d say a satisfying Fastlane. Even if I do think the show is a bad idea, it did give us some hits and misses.