Fastlane 2017: WWE Burned Too Much Just to Reach WrestleMania

Samoa Joe and Sami Zayn are capable of a much bigger match than the one Fastlane gives them, but the shorter structure serves Joe's presentation. Zayn gets enough movement and comeback offense to avoid becoming a pure enhancement opponent, while Joe keeps cutting him off with strikes, power, and the uranage. The best choice is the finish: Zayn tries for the Helluva Kick, Joe counters, and the Coquina Clutch ends the match without a fluke or distraction. That makes Joe look dangerous on his first main-roster pay-per-view singles appearance. The match lacks the time to become dramatic, yet it accomplishes its booking goal cleanly and efficiently.

The Raw Tag Team Championship match feels like television because almost every beat is familiar and the crowd is more invested in Enzo Amore's personality than the wrestling. Gallows and Anderson isolate Enzo, Big Cass gets the predictable hot tag, and the champions rely on efficient but unremarkable control work. The finish at least gives the heels something to do: Enzo gets his foot on the rope, Gallows knocks it away before the referee notices, and Anderson keeps the pin. That preserves the titles without requiring a clean challenger defeat. Nothing is badly executed, but eight minutes of standard formula on a pay-per-view card needs either stronger heat or a more memorable closing sequence.

Sasha Banks spends most of the match being overwhelmed, which is the right physical story against Nia Jax. Jax uses backbreakers, power holds, and the Samoan Drop setup to keep Sasha defensive, while Banks survives by finding brief submissions and counters rather than winning exchanges. The bridging pin is a clever escape and gives Sasha a technically believable victory. The larger problem is consequence. Jax had been protected as an undefeated powerhouse, and losing here does not create a major new direction for either wrestler. The match is better than their Royal Rumble meeting, but the booking choice lowers its value because the result spends momentum without producing a payoff.

Cesaro versus Jinder Mahal exists because the Rusev-Mahal team breaks apart on the Kickoff show and Mick Foley assigns each man a surprise opponent. That is not much of a pay-per-view reason, and the crowd reacts accordingly. Mahal slows the match with basic control work while Cesaro's bursts of athletic offense briefly wake the building. Rusev eventually returns to distract Mahal, giving Cesaro the opening for the pop-up European uppercut and the pin. The sequence moves the former partners' breakup forward, but the actual match never develops stakes beyond waiting for Rusev to reappear. Eight minutes feel longer because the outcome and purpose are obvious well before the finish.

Big Show and Rusev follow immediately, which makes the segment feel like a second chapter of the same filler block. Rusev attacks the knee and briefly creates a sensible path to the Accolade, while Big Show uses his size and crowd connection to turn the match back toward power offense. The problem is the finish and what it communicates. Rusev survives long enough to land repeated superkicks, then Big Show responds with three Chokeslams and a knockout punch for a decisive victory. There is no protected escape, no meaningful future consequence, and little reason a younger regular needed to be flattened this thoroughly. The wrestling is acceptable; the presentation is needlessly damaging.

Neville and Jack Gallagher provide the night's best complete wrestling match because they understand both the division's speed and the need for escalation. Gallagher's headbutts and technical counters give him credible answers to the champion, while Neville repeatedly changes pace rather than relying only on aerial offense. The top-rope back suplex is the biggest challenger moment, and the crowd grows louder as Gallagher survives enough punishment to make an upset plausible. Neville eventually creates separation, climbs, and uses the Red Arrow to retain cleanly. That finish matters because the champion does not need interference or a loophole. The match strengthens Neville, protects Gallagher through effort, and gives Fastlane one title bout with a satisfying beginning, middle, and end.

Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman produce a strong power match because both men are willing to make the other look dangerous. Strowman dominates stretches with size and throws Reigns through the announce table, while Reigns keeps his comebacks short enough that the monster never stops feeling overwhelming. The near falls improve as the match grows, especially after the first spear fails to finish Strowman. The decisive mistake is clear: Strowman attempts a top-rope splash he does not normally use, misses, and Reigns capitalizes with another spear. The wrestling works. The deduction comes from timing, because ending Strowman's undefeated run here feels more valuable to WrestleMania planning than to this rivalry.

Bayley and Charlotte Flair receive enough time to build a real championship match, and the bell-to-bell work is mostly solid. Charlotte controls with sharper offense, Bayley survives and gradually finds larger comebacks, and the top-rope exchanges create the kind of scale expected from a pay-per-view title defense. The problem arrives when Sasha Banks runs to ringside despite Bayley previously framing the match around proving herself against Charlotte. Sasha's involvement helps prevent a Charlotte pin and creates the opening for Bayley to win. That ends Charlotte's long singles pay-per-view streak, but it does so in a way that weakens Bayley's babyface achievement. A decent match is remembered more for the contradictory finish.

Kevin Owens versus Goldberg is not really a match; it is the final mechanism for moving the Universal Championship into Goldberg versus Brock Lesnar. Owens stalls before the bell, trying to control when the match begins, and Chris Jericho's music finally interrupts that strategy. Owens turns toward the stage, Goldberg hits a spear, the Jackhammer follows, and the championship changes hands in twenty-two seconds. The angle makes sense inside the Owens-Jericho feud, and Goldberg's WrestleMania direction is obvious. That does not make this satisfying pay-per-view wrestling. A months-long title reign disappears without meaningful resistance, and the audience receives almost no competitive main event after waiting through the entire show.