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WWE returns to pay-per-view (PPV) — if your cable provider is carrying the event, of course — tomorrow night (Sun., Mar. 21, 2021) from the ThunderDome at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, with its Fastlane event starting at 6:00 pm ET with the Kickoff show leading right on into the main course at 7 pm ET on Peacock and the WWE Network.
Luckily for you Cagesiders, our staff of learned wrestling blowhards is here to help figure out just how the event is going to play out with predictions for each match on the card.
Let’s get to it.
Fastlane predictions
Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan
Geno Mrosko: I haven’t talked to the man personally but I promise you Vince McMahon does not think Edge vs. Daniel Bryan is a better main event for the biggest show of the year than Edge vs. Roman Reigns. You know what’s going to happen here. Pick: Roman Reigns
Sean Rueter: While I’m not as bullish on the Reigns reign as I was a couple months back, I wouldn’t want it to end on the last stop on the road to WrestleMania. Give us a nice long kick ass match, and a not too complicated story that sets the stage for whatever DB will do in Raymond James (and Edge vs. Bryan after ‘Mania). Pick: Roman Reigns
Kyle Decker: I can see some outcome where Bryan wins by DQ or this goes to a no contest to add DB to the world title picture. But I don’t see a scenario where he actually wins the title. Given that, the safest bet is to pick the Tribal Chief. Pick: Roman Reigns
Rev. Claire Elizabeth: I would love for the outcome here to be Bryan vs. Edge or the three-way at Mania, but I don’t think we’re going that way. Jimmy Uso returns, costs Bryan the match, and then Dan and his choice of partner (likely Kevin Owens but I’d love to see him remember that he’s friends with Drew Gulak) fight the Usos at Mania. Pick: Roman Reigns
Cain A. Knight: Daniel Bryan is the most interesting part of the Reigns/Edge story, but unfortunately this is where he makes his exit from it. Pick: Roman Reigns
Stella Cheeks: Daniel Bryan has done a great job of giving the Reigns/Edge story longevity on the winding road to WrestleMania, but Sunday feels like the natural way for him to exit. Reigns and Edge are the main event while Daniel Bryan and Jey Uso take a back seat. Pick: Roman Reigns
Big E vs. Apollo Crews
Geno Mrosko: I’m going to say they go ahead with the switch here and do it in such a way that it feels so cheap you don’t mind E taking the loss, especially because it will simply be a set up to get it back on the bigger stage in front of actual paying fans at WrestleMania. Pick: Apollo Crews
Sean Rueter: The man said he ain’t losing, and when Large Epsilon speaks, I listen. Pick: Big E
Kyle Decker: They’ve done a lot of work with Apollo in this feud, but I think Big E is going to hold the Intercontinental title until they’re ready to take him to the next level. Pick: Big E
Rev. Claire Elizabeth: Crews reconnecting with his Nigerian heritage is more cool than not, even if maybe the spear is a little too far, but this match is about Big E getting his revenge for Apollo putting him on the shelf. Pick: Big E
Cain A. Knight: Apollo shouldn’t lose clean right after the big gimmick change. So either he wins the title, or this one ends in a disqualification. Yeah, it’s going to be a disqualification. Pick: Big E
Stella Cheeks: I want good things for Apollo but this gimmick is offensive and frankly a mess. I’m fine with Apollo being a heel, but him reconnecting with his heritage should not be the tipping point into that. Big E has worked hard for this title and to be taken seriously. Apollo has a lot of work left to do. Pick: Big E
Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax vs. Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair
Geno Mrosko: I have a legitimate fear they go ahead with the idea of Banks and Belair going into WrestleMania as tag team champions and that scares me because I think it would take away from what is a great singles program waiting to happen. Let’s put the focus where it should be. Pick: Baszler & Jax
Sean Rueter: My head tells me they won’t stop overbooking the SmackDown Women’s title feud until a McMahon shows up to try and screw over The EST in some form or fashion and Charlotte Flair is somehow inserted in the match. But I’m gonna try to manifest what I want to see happen instead, and that’s a couple Reginald-free weeks of a legit singles feud before what should be a WrestleMania show-stealer. Pick: Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax
Kyle Decker: This is an odd one because both teams are having communication issues. Both could be on the verge of imploding. However, Banks & Belair have to because they have a date at WrestleMania and that program needs some more heat. Pick: Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax
Rev. Claire Elizabeth: Honestly I was dead set on no change happening here this time but then folks started slinging around the statistic about John Cena and Shawn Michaels being tag team champions together headed into WrestleMania 23 and given all the talk about double champs I think that’s a sign. Pick: Bianca Belair & Sasha Banks
Cain A. Knight: Booking the Royal Rumble winner to lose multiple pay-per-view matches leading into her title match at WrestleMania sounds about right. Pick: Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler
Stella Cheeks: This storyline has been messy, has focused way too much on Reginald...and I’ve been loving it. They actually have written themselves into a win/win in regards to the Sasha Banks/Bianca Belair match. They win and they have the tension of being tag champs together, but battling for a singles belt. They lose, they each blame each other for the loss and they want to take it out on each other on the big stage. It’s accidentally brilliant. I do think it’s more fun if they win though. Pick: Bianca Belair & Sasha Banks
Randy Orton vs. Alexa Bliss
Geno Mrosko: I don’t really think this match will get an actual finish. Pick: Alexa Bliss
Sean Rueter: There will be black vomit, and probably a Twitter back-and-forth with Soulja Boy afterwards. Other than that? Don’t know, don’t really care. Pick: Randy Orton
Kyle Decker: :shrug emoji: Pick: Alexa Bliss
Rev. Claire Elizabeth: Who would have thought Orton vs. Bliss would be the first proper intergender match on WWE PPV in the 2020s? Certainly not me. Anyway I assume this will be cinematic and have a lot of Bray Wyatt in it, and that means either a non-finish or Alexa’s going over. I find a Bliss win to be the funnier option, so... Pick: Alexa Bliss
Cain A. Knight: Orton will counter Twisted Bliss into an RKO at about the 22 minute mark of this back-and-forth classic to pick up the win. But that’s when the vomiting begins, and then he’s screwed. Pick: Randy Orton
Stella Cheeks: LET HER WIN YOU COWARDS. Pick: Alexa Bliss
Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus
Geno Mrosko: You don’t beat the guy challenging for the WWE championship at WrestleMania the show before he does so. Pick: Drew McIntyre
Sean Rueter: Even with the No Holds Barred stip, some sort of cluster**** that gets us to a ‘Mania Triple Threat is definitely possible. But it should still happen after the guy already booked for WWE title match wins. Pick: Drew McIntyre
Kyle Decker: Normally I’d say “At least this should be a great hoss fight” but they just did this match on Raw. So I don’t see any reason to run it again. Pick: Drew McIntyre
Rev. Claire Elizabeth: 3... 2... 1... Claymore! No other way this one ends, folks. Pick: Drew McIntyre
Cain A. Knight: They should have at least put McIntyre’s flame-generating sword on the line to add some stakes to this one. Pick: Drew McIntyre
Stella Cheeks: LMAO Pick: Drew McIntyre
Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Geno Mrosko: Cesaro does all the leg work and Nakamura gets the match? What’s that about? Pick: Seth Rollins
Sean Rueter: THE DRIP. Pick: Seth Rollins
Kyle Decker: Wow, they may actually be going to Rollins/Cesaro at WrestleMania. Isn’t that something? Even if they don’t, that’s the larger feud so the villain needs to win here. Sorry Shinsuke. But you heard the speech. Pick: Seth Rollins
Rev. Claire Elizabeth: Good ol’ Speedbump Shinsuke, nice to see you get a feature, you ain’t winning here. Sorry man. Pick: Seth Rollins
Cain A. Knight: Nakamura is the jabroni, Cesaro is the star. Pick: Seth Rollins
Stella Cheeks: :( Shinsuke deserves better. When Cesaro beats Seth’s ass Cesaro needs to give some love to Shinsuke. Pick: Seth Rollins
Riddle vs. Mustafa Ali
Geno Mrosko: It seems more likely RETRIBUTION will break up off another failure here than actually get something right for once. Pick: Riddle
Sean Rueter: Just hoping for the old double turn where Riddle gets his first name back and RETRIBUTION’s leader goes back to just being Ali. Pick: Riddle
Kyle Decker: I’m kind of bummed that it looks like we’re not getting that Kofi/Ali feud. As for this match, it’s pretty clear that Mustafa Ali doesn’t win anything at this point. Pick: Riddle
Rev. Claire Elizabeth: It’s time we had a United States Champion we can all get behind. Ali is that guy, Retribution cruft or no Retribution cruft. Let’s do the damn thing! Pick: Mustafa Ali
Cain A. Knight: I think RETRIBUTION is breaking up? Pick: Riddle
Stella Cheeks: Matt Riddle is a boring idiot alleged sex offender on a scooter. Mustafa Ali is the living embodiment of the American Dream. You do the math. Pick: Mustafa Ali
That’s how we see the card playing out.
You?