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Fastlane 2023: Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso Change the Road While Seth Rollins Refuses to Stay Down

The factual record, historical context, match-by-match analysis, and WrestleFile verdict.

WWEOctober 7, 2023Gainbridge Fieldhouse
THE WRESTLEGRADEB-7.4 / 10FINAL EVENT SCOREMASTER FILE RANK#641OF 1030
PROMOTION
World Wrestling Entertainment
DATE
October 7, 2023
VENUE
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
LOCATION
Indianapolis, Indiana
ATTENDANCE
14,529
EVENT TYPE
PLE
THE FILE

Fastlane 2023 is a five-match card with two clear peaks and several useful consequences around them. Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso score a surprising tag-title win, Carlito returns, Jade Cargill appears for WWE for the first time, and LA Knight takes another step toward the main event. The show has enough happening to matter even when the wrestling between those moments feels more transitional than essential.

Read the Full FileContinue the event-level analysis

The opener gives the event its first major jolt. Cody and Jey beat Finn Bálor and Damian Priest for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship after Judgment Day interference finally works against the champions. The upset gives Jey immediate proof that his post-Bloodline life can create something new.

The middle is more uneven. Carlito's entrance matters far more than the six-man tag around it, while IYO SKY, Asuka and Charlotte Flair produce good championship wrestling before Bayley's interference complicates another IYO defense. John Cena and LA Knight then beat Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa in a match designed around waiting for Knight's hot tag.

Seth "Freakin" Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura close with the strongest match on the card. Their Last Man Standing rematch gives Nakamura's attack on Rollins' injured back a more physical setting, and the Falcon Arrow through a table of equipment is a suitably large ending. Rollins survives so much that Nakamura's threat occasionally loses force, but the match still gives Fastlane the closing statement it needs.

The verdict is B- / 7.4. Fastlane is better than disposable connective tissue and weaker than WWE's best premium events of 2023. The opener and main event carry most of the grade, with the title change, Carlito, Jade Cargill and LA Knight adding the historical weight.

Event ContextBackground, stakes & historical setting

Fastlane 2023 took place on October 7, 2023, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. WWE reported 14,529 in attendance, while WrestleTix estimated 13,022 tickets distributed for the sold-out configuration. Five matches aired on the premium event, and the Kickoff show did not include a match.

This was the seventh and final Fastlane under that name and the first since 2021. The event moved away from its old February position on the road to WrestleMania and instead arrived in October. It was also WWE's first major main-roster event after the Endeavor transaction placed WWE and UFC under TKO Group Holdings.

Seth "Freakin" Rollins defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura in a Last Man Standing rematch from Payback. Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso challenged Finn Bálor and Damian Priest for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship, while IYO SKY defended the WWE Women's Championship against Asuka and Charlotte Flair. John Cena teamed with LA Knight against Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa, and the Latino World Order faced Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits.

Jade Cargill appeared on the Kickoff show in her first WWE appearance after signing with the company. Carlito later returned as the Latino World Order's mystery partner and began his full-time WWE return.

VIEWING GUIDE

Watch, Skim or Skip?

WATCH
  • Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso vs. Finn Bálor & Damian Priest — Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship
  • IYO SKY vs. Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair — WWE Women's Championship
  • Seth "Freakin" Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura — World Heavyweight Championship Last Man Standing Match
SKIM
  • John Cena & LA Knight vs. Jimmy Uso & Solo Sikoa
  • Carlito's return during LWO vs. Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits
  • Jade Cargill's first WWE appearance on the Kickoff show
SKIP
  • LWO vs. Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits after Carlito's entrance if only following the essential card
MATCH-BY-MATCH ANALYSIS

The Card, On the Record

01Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso def. Finn Bálor & Damian Priest — Undisputed WWE Tag Team ChampionshipB+

The opener benefits from an audience that expects Judgment Day chaos but does not necessarily expect a title change. Cody and Jey wrestle like a newly assembled team rather than pretending years of chemistry appeared overnight, while Bálor and Priest carry the cleaner tandem structure. That difference gives the challengers something credible to overcome.

Rhea Ripley, "Dirty" Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh create the familiar interference cloud, but the match keeps the actual teams central. McDonagh's attempted briefcase involvement eventually backfires on Priest, turning Judgment Day's numbers advantage against itself. The mistake creates the opening the challengers need.

Jey's 1-D Cutter and Cody's Cross Rhodes finish Bálor and produce a genuine surprise. The new champions celebrate like two men who did not quite expect the plan to work either. It is a very good opener with a result that gives the match lasting value.

VERDICT

A very good opening title match elevated by an unexpected Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso victory and Judgment Day's own interference backfiring.

02LWO def. Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits — Six-Man Tag Team MatchC-

The match is organized around one question: who did Rey Mysterio call? Rey and Santos Escobar begin shorthanded, which turns the opening stretch into waiting for an entrance instead of investing in the handicap structure. Lashley and The Street Profits control without gaining much from the advantage.

Carlito finally arrives to the reaction the match has been saving for. He runs through the comeback, lands the Backstabber on Montez Ford and wins almost immediately. The reveal succeeds, but the wrestling feels like scaffolding around it.

That makes the bout historically useful and competitively thin. Carlito's full-time return is the memory; the ten minutes around it are mostly setup.

VERDICT

An uneven six-man tag whose value is concentrated in Carlito's return and immediate winning fall.

03IYO SKY def. Asuka & Charlotte Flair — WWE Women's ChampionshipB

The triple threat has enough speed and variety to avoid one wrestler disappearing for long stretches. IYO SKY supplies movement, Asuka brings sudden striking and submissions, and Charlotte Flair adds the power offense that can interrupt either style. The match stays active without becoming shapeless.

The strongest sequences come when all three overlap rather than rotate. IYO's aerial counters create openings, Charlotte's strength changes positions quickly and Asuka can turn almost any exchange into a submission threat. The athletic quality is comfortably above the middle of the card.

The finish lowers the ceiling. Charlotte traps Asuka in the Figure Eight while Bayley distracts the referee, and IYO lands Over the Moonsault on Charlotte to retain. It is a good title match that again asks outside help to protect everyone at the champion's expense.

VERDICT

A good, athletic triple threat held back by another Damage CTRL-assisted finish around IYO SKY's championship reign.

04John Cena & LA Knight def. Jimmy Uso & Solo SikoaC+

The match is less about whether Cena and Knight can win than about how long the audience must wait for Knight to become the center of it. Cena spends most of the middle isolated by Jimmy and Solo, selling the danger while Knight stands on the apron growing more valuable by the minute. The structure is simple and the crowd understands it completely.

When the tag finally comes, Knight receives the release the match has been engineering. He runs through the Bloodline offense, Cena recovers enough to help neutralize Solo, and Knight pins Jimmy after Blunt Force Trauma. The result places the rising star directly beside one of WWE's biggest names without giving the spotlight back to Cena.

The match is solid rather than special. Its real success is presentation: LA Knight leaves feeling closer to the main event than when he entered.

VERDICT

A solid star-driven tag match that sacrifices pace to maximize LA Knight's hot tag and winning fall.

05Seth "Freakin" Rollins def. Shinsuke Nakamura — World Heavyweight Championship Last Man Standing MatchA-

The rematch improves on Payback because the stipulation gives Nakamura's obsession with Rollins' back somewhere physical to go. Every table, ladder and hard landing can become another attack on the champion's weakness, and Nakamura wrestles with more cruelty than he had shown in years. The match finally makes the feud feel dangerous.

Rollins survives almost too much. Nakamura uses nunchucks, red mist and repeated crashes through tables, yet the champion keeps answering the count. That endurance creates drama and occasionally works against the injured-back story.

The closing stretch earns its scale. They fight onto an elevated platform, where Rollins hits a Falcon Arrow through a table of equipment and drags himself upright before ten. Nakamura cannot. The finish is visually strong enough to end the match without another layer of interference.

It is an excellent main event and the best match on Fastlane. The result leaves Nakamura's revived title challenge with little momentum, but the performance gives the feud a worthy final chapter.

VERDICT

An excellent Last Man Standing main event that gives Shinsuke Nakamura real menace and Seth Rollins another extreme survival test.

BOOKING VERDICTB-

The tag-title change is the strongest booking choice because it is surprising without being random. Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso have enough shared history with The Bloodline and The Judgment Day to make the partnership useful, while Priest and Bálor can lose after their own allies create the decisive mistake. The result gives Jey immediate momentum outside his family story.

IYO SKY retaining is correct, but the method is less satisfying. Charlotte Flair traps Asuka in the Figure Eight while Bayley distracts the referee, and IYO capitalizes with Over the Moonsault. The championship remains with the right wrestler while the finish again makes Damage CTRL more important than IYO's own victory.

LA Knight pinning Jimmy Uso is exactly the result his rise needs. Cena absorbs most of the punishment, leaving Knight to enter as the decisive star rather than merely the veteran's partner. That win moves Knight naturally into Roman Reigns' orbit on the following SmackDown.

Carlito's return succeeds as a crowd moment but creates an awkward match shape. The Latino World Order begins shorthanded and the match ends soon after Carlito appears. The entrance is the point, and the competition around it feels secondary.

Rollins retaining against Nakamura is defensible, but the second straight loss ends Nakamura's revived title challenge with little payoff. The match proves Rollins can survive almost anything. It does less to preserve Nakamura as a lasting top-level threat.

CROWD & PRESENTATIONB

Indianapolis reacts strongest to Cody Rhodes, Jey Uso, John Cena, LA Knight and the major returns. The opener immediately feels important, the middle loses some urgency, and the main event restores the sense that the audience is watching a premium event rather than an extended television special. The atmosphere is good without being consistently great.

The tag-title change is allowed to breathe. Cody and Jey celebrate with the championships, the audience understands the upset, and the pairing suddenly feels more substantial than an improvised alliance. That presentation gives the opener a larger afterlife than another routine retention would have created.

Carlito's return gives the six-man tag its one major burst of energy. Jade Cargill's Kickoff appearance is even simpler: seeing her arrive and meet Triple H is enough to establish that WWE views the signing as important. Both moments rely on recognition more than elaborate staging.

Cena and Knight use a classic hot-tag structure. Cena sells for a long stretch, Knight waits while the crowd gets louder, and the eventual tag creates the exact reaction the match has promised. The simplicity helps Knight look like the star WWE needs him to be.

The Last Man Standing match is the visual peak. Tables, ladders, nunchucks, red mist and elevated platforms give Nakamura and Rollins a larger canvas than their Payback match. The final crash through the equipment table is a fitting image for the show to end on.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCEB-

Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso winning the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship is the most durable result. Their reign is brief, but the pairing pushes Jey further into his post-Bloodline identity and keeps Cody tied to Judgment Day stories heading toward Crown Jewel and Survivor Series. The title change gives both men new connective material without erasing their larger goals.

LA Knight's win with John Cena is another important waypoint. Knight pins Jimmy Uso and moves directly into a confrontation with Roman Reigns on the next SmackDown. Within weeks, he is challenging for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Crown Jewel.

Jade Cargill's first WWE appearance is historically significant despite taking place outside the match card. The image of Cargill arriving and being greeted by Triple H begins a long introductory period before her in-ring debut. The appearance immediately presents her as a major acquisition.

Carlito's return also matters beyond the reaction. He had appeared at Backlash earlier in the year, but Fastlane begins his full-time return and his addition to SmackDown. The run eventually carries him from the Latino World Order into Judgment Day-related stories.

Fastlane is additionally the first major WWE main-roster event after the TKO merger became official. The wrestling product does not suddenly change on this night, but the corporate milestone gives the show a fixed place in company history.

WHAT AGED WELL
  • The opener has aged well because the Cody-Jey pairing became more useful than it first appeared. The title win gives Jey credibility away from Jimmy and gives Cody another relationship that matters during the larger Bloodline story. The match itself remains lively and the surprise still lands.
  • LA Knight's placement also looks smart with distance. Cena spends the bulk of the match underneath so Knight can receive the closing spotlight. That choice helps explain why Knight can move directly into a world-title program without feeling artificially promoted.
  • IYO SKY's retention gains value from the longer Damage CTRL story. Bayley's help is frustrating on the night, but the tension between supporting IYO and undermining her independence becomes increasingly important over the following months. The athletic work in the triple threat also remains strong.
  • The main event still works as a physical spectacle. Nakamura's focus on Rollins' back, the red mist and the table crashes give the rematch more personality than their Payback bout. The elevated Falcon Arrow remains a memorable final image.
  • The five-match card is also easy to revisit selectively. Important moments are clearly separated from the material that can be shortened or skipped.
WHAT AGED POORLY
  • Shinsuke Nakamura's position after the main event is the largest long-term disappointment. He receives a serious presentation, attacks Rollins' known weakness and still loses another championship match after using nearly everything available. The feud ultimately does more for Rollins' endurance than Nakamura's standing.
  • The six-man tag has aged into little more than a Carlito delivery mechanism. Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits are still establishing their new alliance, yet they lose the group's first premium-event match almost immediately after Carlito appears. The comeback gets its reaction at the expense of the newer act's momentum.
  • Cena and Knight versus The Bloodline is slower on replay because its structure is transparent. Cena sells, Knight waits and everyone knows the hot tag is the central attraction. The audience reaction makes the formula work live, but the middle feels longer once the suspense is gone.
  • The women's title match still suffers from another interference finish around IYO SKY. Bayley's distraction protects Charlotte and Asuka while preserving IYO, yet repeated help makes the champion's strongest performances feel less decisive than they should. The wrestlers are better than the finish.
  • The TKO milestone is also more historical marker than creative turning point. A viewer watching only the show would not see an obvious new era begin in the ring.
RESEARCH VERDICTWhere the Evidence Lands

Cagematch lists Fastlane 2023 at 6.36 from 257 valid votes. The match guide places Seth Rollins versus Shinsuke Nakamura at 7.50 from 426 votes, Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso versus The Judgment Day at 7.46 from 363, IYO SKY versus Asuka versus Charlotte Flair at 7.16 from 369, John Cena and LA Knight versus The Bloodline at 6.03 from 327, and the six-man tag at 4.82 from 317. The opener and main event lead clearly, while the Carlito return match trails the card.

John Canton describes the show as solid but below WWE's better premium events of 2023, placing it in the seven-out-of-ten range and naming Rollins-Nakamura the best match. He also praises the surprise tag-title change and the women's triple threat. His assessment fits a show that is enjoyable without being essential.

Reported Wrestling Observer ratings are stronger on the top matches. Rollins-Nakamura received four-and-a-half stars and the opening tag four-and-a-quarter, while the six-man tag fell to two-and-three-quarter stars. That distribution closely matches the event's reputation as a card with two clear peaks and a softer middle.

The B- / 7.4 verdict gives meaningful credit to the title change, the Last Man Standing main event and the event's storyline consequences. It stops short of a full-card recommendation because the middle never matches the opener or closer. Fastlane has enough value to revisit selectively.

RESEARCH SOURCESSources & Methodology
20 sources

These sources support the event record, historical context, critical reception, and streaming information used throughout this Event File.

  1. WWE — Fastlane 2023 event pageOfficial results, title change, Carlito return and main-event summary.
  2. WWE — Full Fastlane resultsOfficial five-match results summary.
  3. TKO — Fastlane records announcementSold-out status, viewership, gate and sponsorship records.
  4. WWE Corporate — Indianapolis to host FastlaneDate, venue and event announcement.
  5. TJR Wrestling — Fastlane 2023 ReviewComplete event assessment and final rating.
  6. TJR Wrestling — Fastlane 2023 Observer ratingsReported Wrestling Observer match ratings.
  7. 411Mania — Hall's Fastlane 2023 ReviewIndependent complete-event assessment.
  8. 411Mania — Slimmer's Fastlane 2023 ReviewIndependent match-by-match assessment.
  9. 411Mania — Pantoja's Fastlane 2023 ReviewAdditional complete-event assessment.
  10. Bleacher Report — Fastlane 2023 ResultsContemporary live grades and reactions.
  11. Pro Wrestling Dot Net — Fastlane 2023 poll resultsReader overall grade and best-match voting.
  12. WhatCulture — Fastlane 2023 Ups & DownsContemporary critique of event strengths and weaknesses.
  13. WrestleTix — Fastlane ticket reportEstimated tickets distributed for the sold-out configuration.
  14. Cagematch — WWE Fastlane 2023Event identity, attendance, event rating and match-guide ratings.
  15. Cagematch — Fastlane 2023 cardFive-match card and bout-order cross-check.
  16. The SmackDown Hotel — Fastlane 2023Card, reported attendance and results.
  17. ProFightDB — Fastlane 2023Event card and attendance record.
  18. CBS Sports — Fastlane 2023 resultsContemporary recap of the Last Man Standing main event and card.
  19. Wikipedia — Fastlane (2023)Date, venue, attendance, card, TKO milestone and aftermath.
  20. Netflix — WWE FastlaneRegional Fastlane listing with a 2023 season.
WHERE TO WATCH

Stream This Event

Checked August 16, 20261 OPTION
Regional availability varies

Netflix - WWE Fastlane archive

Watch on NetflixNetflix identifies a 2023 Fastlane season. The public U.S. listing says the title is unavailable in the country, while other regional listings expose the 2023 episode.

Availability varies by country and account.

WrestleFile lists only streaming options we have specifically confirmed. Availability varies by country and can change.