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Bonus Episode! WWE's Fastlane Reactions
47 Plays8 years ago
Garrett and Derrick discuss the final pay per view before Wrestlemania!
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Transcript
Humorous Betrayal & Show Introduction
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey everybody, welcome to another episode of Predetermined, a pro wrestling hangout. I'm your host, Garrett Callender, and with me as always, a man who I'm pretty confident would actually betray me and be best friends with Kevin Owens instead, given the opportunity. Maybe come back later and we'd be best friends in the end, but he would betray me. Derek Halpin. Is that something that you would actually blame me for? No, and the thing is, like I'm saying now, I'm already expecting it.
00:00:26
Speaker
It's just good storytelling, man. It gives us a nice arc. Yeah, when I come out to save you because he betrays you and it turns out I was really your friend the whole time. And then we hug? Yeah, we'll hug. And then we'll probably beat the shit out of him or something.
00:00:41
Speaker
Yeah, that's a good story. We got a good show today. Oh yeah, hey everybody, we're here to give you a, we're going into bonus zone, remember last time? Bonus zone, dark match. Whatever you wanna call it, bonus zone. Either way, we just finished watching the Fastlane pay-per-view. We're gonna give you a quick little, not necessarily a recap, just kinda give our thoughts on it. You ready to do this, Derek? We're gonna review this show. Yeah, let's do this shit, man. Alright, hit our goddamn music.
Recap & Analysis of Fastlane and SmackDown
00:01:38
Speaker
So that was, I think a lot of people are gonna be surprised by what they saw tonight. I think a lot of people will anyway. But yeah, that was a fun show. That really was, that really caught me off guard.
00:01:52
Speaker
Well, here's the thing. I'd seen some interaction earlier. I think a lot of people are kind of in agreement that some of the writing on SmackDown hasn't been great the last couple months, and that's completely justified thinking. But I was arguing that the card itself I thought for tonight was fine, because a lot of the matchups were going to be matchups that produced a good show.
00:02:18
Speaker
You know, we typically record this show on Tuesday right after Smackdown and I don't get a chance to see it. So I haven't really been watching. But what I had seen, you know, just from the YouTube clips and everything, nothing was really grabbing me. But I feel like that wasn't the case tonight.
00:02:37
Speaker
I feel like, you know, we got really good in ring work and just showing what they had shown, you know, the video packages before it. It kind of sucked me in. I thought there was some good storytelling tonight, too, especially setting up in the mania. And there was a bombshell drop tonight, which we'll get to here in a little bit. But let's start with the opening match. Let's we started with Rusev versus Nakamura. Good match. I had no idea. Like, I know we had been talking quite a bit about Rusev Day.
00:03:07
Speaker
and I knew that Rusev Day was over, I had no clue that it was the way it is. That place was cheering for him like he should be in the main event of WrestleMania.
Rusev vs. Nakamura: Popularity & Performance
00:03:18
Speaker
Yeah, he's been getting that kind of reaction for a while. I mean, he's been getting Rusev Day chants at Raw shows.
00:03:23
Speaker
So I mean, no, here's what was fun about this match to me. Nakamura wins the Royal Rumble. He's pretty over with the crowd. He's going on the main event at WrestleMania. So he's gonna get a strong reaction from the audience in attendance. And Rusev is over.
00:03:39
Speaker
And Aiden English comes out to start the match, and he cuts this amazing promo where he sings, calls Columbus a crappy town to be in, and Rusev comes out. He rapped. He did rap and sing. He wasn't all opera tonight. No. So this was a great opening match. This was a great way to kick off the pay-per-view. And I don't know, man, it was cool seeing two guys
00:04:05
Speaker
who are going to complete two completely different directions still getting really strong reactions on both sides like both guys were over and the fans were really into it yeah and i feel like i don't know would you say that there's been like a while where naka mora hasn't been having the best matches or the most exciting matches
00:04:24
Speaker
I don't know. I've seen Nakamura have some matches with like a bunch of different guys that I thought he had actually decent chemistry with and Corbin was one of those guys was surprised with how good a chemistry he had with Rusev. That's what I'm saying. I really thought I liked the match a lot. I thought there was a lot of good work in it.
00:04:43
Speaker
Um, did you like the Kinshasa to the back of the head to set up the finish? Oh my god, yes. No, the, uh- Oh, fucking Rusev about kicked his head off! That was my favorite- I'm opening up my notes right now, because I was just- I was trying to remember what the best part of that was. It was that- What's Rusev's kit called? The- I don't know.
00:05:03
Speaker
The Bulgarian something. I feel like I'm just going to say a Bulgarian word wrong. But either way, he kicked. He fucking kicked Nakamura's head off and he just pretty much landed right on top of his head, right?
00:05:18
Speaker
Yeah, they had me in a couple spots in that match making me wonder if in a match that really didn't mean anything, if they would just randomly put Rusev over. Well, there was part of me that was like, well, maybe it's going to happen. And I think that was kind of the fun part of tonight's show is there were definitely moments where I went into this pay-per-view thinking I knew how every match was going to end. And they did a good job of making me not, you know, second guess myself.
00:05:46
Speaker
Right. So Nakamura hits the Kinshasa at the back of head, sets up the other Kinshasa from the front side and pins Rusev. And that's how the pay-per-view kicks off with a great match.
Orton vs. Roode: Match & Outcomes
00:06:00
Speaker
And then we followed it up with United States champion Bobby Roode against RKO. What'd you think of this one, man?
00:06:09
Speaker
Honestly, it's two guys who I don't think normally have very exciting matches. And they had a match that I would have expected those two to have. Yeah? That is... I don't know. I'm not a huge fan of either of these guys. Well, here's the thing. Neither am I.
00:06:29
Speaker
Well, here's the thing, I like some of Bobby Roode's work. This match I thought started off kind of slow. I did think it picked up about halfway through, which I think is what they were going for. And I think I popped a little bit because I honestly wasn't expecting them to give the United States Championship to Orton, at least in this match. And there was part of me that was like, well, it is Randy Orton. He doesn't have anything to do at WrestleMania. He's probably walking in there with that title.
00:06:57
Speaker
possibly because they had gender looming in the back and he's been kind of like a weird element to this from the beginning and clearly it looks like they're gonna go with the triple threat at WrestleMania which is fine. I guess if Orton was gonna win it, I guess my mindset was that he was gonna do it at Mania.
00:07:18
Speaker
and turns out, no, he ended up hitting the RKO out of nowhere and he wins the belt tonight, so. I don't know, wouldn't you rather have Bobby Roode get it back at WrestleMania so you can have the entire stadium singing his theme song? Possibly. Because I feel like a bit, I mean his whole thing is his theme song. Kind of like Ty Dillinger is the number 10, he is that song.
00:07:43
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, I don't know, there were times where I was watching, I know, again, we shouldn't have to stress the fact that neither of us have ever worked before. But there were moments in the match where I did get frustrated because I felt like they needed to pick up the pace because they lost the crowd a couple times early when they were just exchanging holds. It ended up paying off a little bit because like I said, I thought it picked up and then I thought that the finish was cool. Everyone popped for it, everyone was pretty excited and Orton's never held the US title before.
00:08:09
Speaker
Maybe they are setting up for Bobby Roode getting him back at WrestleMania, but either way, I was a fan of the match. You, not so much, I guess. I mean, you know, eventually I'll have to come back and say something nice about Randy Orton. Maybe this week. Yeah.
Women's Tag Match & Crowd Reaction
00:08:27
Speaker
There are a lot of new listeners. Just so you know, at the end of every episode, we say something nice about somebody we've been harsh to. And I've definitely been harsh on Randy Orton in the past here.
00:08:38
Speaker
So you're previewing a future compliment? I'm saying on Thursday you're probably going to hear me say something nice about Randy Orton. And it's going to be hard. You better be sure to listen. Dude vapes like a champ.
00:08:52
Speaker
You've seen the video. Have you seen the video footage of Orton outside of outside of shows bumming cigarettes off of fans. Yes I love that. He seems like a parliament man. So yeah so Orton hits the RKO out of nowhere wins the US title and then we move on to the third match of the night which was a tag team match between the women. What do you think of this one.
00:09:14
Speaker
tag match but oh my god I forgot about this match this was okay yeah it was good fine Becky Lynch Naomi took on Natalia and Carmella actually I thought this was the worst match of the night
00:09:31
Speaker
I didn't really, I don't feel like they ever really had the crowd. I don't know, I think people were just kind of like, yeah, whatever. If you're wondering where my head was at during this match, there was a stray cat outside my door and I let it in. And I spent a good deal of that match chasing that cat around my apartment. Why did you let a stray cat inside of your home? You know, it wanted in, man, and the match just wasn't grabbing me.
00:09:58
Speaker
I'll just have some chaos in here. I thought Becky looked pretty cool in her flame clothes. Yeah, I pointed this out when she was wearing something different. So yeah. I like when everybody tries something different for the first time, or at least just Becky and Seth Rollins. You go with flames. Just see how it goes. See how the fire affects the crowd. But I mean, do you even remember who won?
00:10:26
Speaker
Yeah, it was Natalia and Miss Money in the Bank, Carmella. Carmella, yeah. See, that was like a match that that was kind of what I thought the whole pay-per-view was gonna be like. Was just blah. Because they just didn't have a lot going on, I thought. But then we came to the next match, New Day versus Usos.
Tag Team Rivalries and Interferences
00:10:49
Speaker
I really, like, because I did watch last week the promo that they cut on each other.
00:10:54
Speaker
Is it time for Big E to get a title run yet? Do you think so? I mean, I got to watch Big E have some singles titles runs. That was like when he was doing the US champ thing, right? I think he was Intercontinental champ too. Well, I mean, I don't know. I don't know where you would put him right now, but I feel like he's ready to come back. Like he can still be part of New Day, but have them do the tag belts and him have a different belt.
00:11:18
Speaker
You think that they could start acting like an actual stable to where they could have the tag belts and a single title? I don't know. When they were talking tough, I really believe Big E seemed badass in that moment. That was the first time that I was like, let's get it. Let's come on. I'm ready to see him start like fighting gender Mahal or something. That's the crazy thing. All three members of New Day are actually pretty decent on the mic.
00:11:41
Speaker
No, they're all great. I mean, obviously, this is one of the reasons that their charisma is a huge reason they're so popular, but yeah. No, I mean, it's possible. But here's the thing. Okay, so when a lot of people were kind of bitching about not being excited for Fastlane, I looked at a match like this and I was like, why?
00:11:59
Speaker
Because these guys have been wrestling a lot over the last year. They had that really long rivalry. What was that over this past summer? And they've been definitely two teams that are just go-tos for good matches against each other. Sure. Sure. So it's fun to watch. And I mean, I guess some of the finish, I kind of saw coming, if you want to call it the finish. Xavier Woods, goddamn head falling off.
00:12:25
Speaker
That was a nasty bump, or at least it felt like it to me. Maybe I got super worked, but where he hit just looked so painful to me. Well, I had a lot of fun watching the guys. They were doing each other's finishers and signature moves and whatnot to each other. Oh, and we kind of had a super kick party there for a minute? Yeah, we did. From the New Day.
00:12:46
Speaker
I had fun with this one. And then out of nowhere, you got the up and coming bludgeon brothers getting involved. Which Rowan hit Big E so hard that I almost forgot about his WrestleMania defeat for just a second. Oh, is that all you think of when you see Rowan? Yeah. Is The Rock beating him in three seconds? Yeah, because he's a loser.
00:13:12
Speaker
Losers lead in three seconds. Oh, now he's a bludgeon brother. And okay, can you explain to me their story? No, I know you can't. Like, what are these guys like? Why do they like wrestling? Because it seemed like what they came in and did was illegal.
00:13:31
Speaker
Well, let's, let's be fair to this, which is that they're still using the same names they were using when they were in the Wyatt family. So presumably they're the same guys. They just went off on their own and found a couple of hammers. We need a new thing and, and wrestling and wrestling gear.
00:13:47
Speaker
Which they had previously not been wearing. There's just a moment in that when one of them was going to legit squish Jimmy Uso's head with a mallet. But he moved just in time and they got to just walk out of the arena like they didn't commit a crime.
00:14:04
Speaker
It's pro wrestling, man. It's predetermined. I understand that, but you can't tell me it's predetermined that two madmen came down there with hammers. You don't hit people with hammers. Yeah, you do. Triple H made a career out of it. Yeah, but he never overhanded it. It never succeeded. You sure? Have you scoured the bowels of the WWE Network and proven that that's not the case?
00:14:29
Speaker
No, somebody's gonna send me a clip and prove that I'm wrong. Here's a clip of Triple H doing things with a hammer that you wouldn't believe. Thanks, asshole. I feel sad now.
00:14:43
Speaker
So yeah I guess bludgeon brothers come out they create chaos they attack both teams lay them out with the steps and man I mean they have the cool thing is even though this was a DQ finish and there wasn't like a like a winner or loser here there were some cool spots here when they were messing everybody up.
00:15:00
Speaker
Oh, yeah, they were like I said, they were hitting very hard. This was a new version of them that got me, you know, more excited to see them have a big match because so far, what have they just kind of been moving through jobbers and then like maybe the hype bros at some point, you know? Well, yeah, that's kind of the thing that I here's OK. So quick tangent, because this is what we do on this show.
00:15:24
Speaker
Um, there's a lot of fans who like, they prefer the slow build, um, for a feud or for stuff in wrestling and they like it to drag out over some time and really work towards something. But the bludgeon brothers have been squashing jobbers and not really doing anything else. I mean, that's been their whole thing on the show for like months. We, yeah, this was the first time we had seen them even hit anyone that mattered. Right. Correct. And so,
00:15:53
Speaker
I think people have been ready for it for a while. So I don't know. There was some impact tonight and then finally getting involved in the scene. And do you, I mean, just like the gender Mahal, Bobby, Randy Orton situation, it looks like this is setting up for a potential triple threat tag team match at WrestleMania. This is just going to be a triple threat WrestleMania. Yeah. There's going to have to be like, well, we have all these fucking people.
00:16:18
Speaker
I saw a tweet from somebody online, they were like, there's gonna be so many triple threats at WrestleMania, they might as well call it menage a mania. I know the last time I was in New Orleans, I walked by and somebody was like, do you wanna come into this room and watch people have sex?
00:16:37
Speaker
Wow, I didn't go you didn't go yeah because whoever was in that room having sex. I promise you I didn't want to see it You don't know that there's a guy out there with a like a sandwich board trying to get me to go watch it You can't tell me that there's really a good show in there
00:16:53
Speaker
Is Papa Shengo from New Orleans? I mean, you would be led to believe that. Is he going to make an appearance? Is Bray Wyatt from the New Orleans area or is he from Florida? I mean, I'm not talking to the guy who plays Bray Wyatt. I mean, you're talking about the son of the IRS, man. Yes. No. I'm saying what kind of wrestlers could you run into in New Orleans that would proposition you for sex in a hotel room? That's what I'm asking you on the current roster.
00:17:22
Speaker
Well, all time. Oh, just like, oh. That's why I brought up Papa Shango, because that's some old school stuff. Well, I mean, I saw somebody with a sign in the crowd tonight that said, sad Virgil. So maybe Virgil? Maybe. Have you ever, do you know what they're talking about? Like all those, you ever see the pictures of just Virgil sitting alone at his merch table? Oh, yeah. It's a meme. It is a heap. Virgil got memed. What's funny is he's hilarious on social media.
00:17:52
Speaker
Oh, what I see him write tonight. I think he said, fuck, Iron Sheik retweeted it. It was something, I don't know, just keep talking.
Women's Championship & WrestleMania Setup
00:18:07
Speaker
Okay, so after the Bludgeon Brothers kind of mess everything up, then they aired a couple video packages for something, and then they cut into the Women's Championship match between Charlotte and Ruby Riot. I really like Ruby Riot.
00:18:26
Speaker
Do you? You a Ruby Riot fan? I am. I really liked, I don't know, I've been going back and watching a lot of intergender wrestling lately, and she's somebody that you see pop up in there a lot. So when I see Ruby Riot in the ring, it gives me hope for somebody like Candace to be able to make it all the way up there.
00:18:43
Speaker
Yeah, I don't think Canis is going to have an issue getting there. But as I was watching this match, I was really enjoying this. I don't know. I feel like I hadn't fully enjoyed the Riot squad yet. But I think between following them all on Instagram makes them so much more likable.
00:18:58
Speaker
I thought that tonight was kind of like their best moment since they've been on the main roster, right? Like it kind of built, I mean, I know this is fast lane, WrestleMania is, you know, what a month away or whatever, but I don't know, the Riot squad kind of peaked tonight. Oh, I think so too. I think it actually made them look like a threat.
00:19:19
Speaker
Yeah, like it was a very hard-hitting match. It was just, you know, it was a really good Charlotte match. They found somebody who could, you know, work well with Charlotte again. They did the fun spot in the match where they take each person's allies outside the ring and the ref tosses both of them out and then they go into the finish and Charlotte Flair locks in the figure eight on Ruby Wright and she immediately taps out and Charlotte retains, but that's not the best part. What's the best part?
00:19:48
Speaker
Oh, the best part was the, uh, the ref. And the ref? Yeah, he was fucking mad at everybody. Dude was beat red, had that crew cut, he looked like, uh, he looked like a PE teacher. Quit teasing the people, tell them the best part. You know the best part.
00:20:04
Speaker
Oh, not the ref? Oh, you mean when Asuka came out? Yes. I was setting you up for the reveal. I thought you were watching too, like, goddamn this ref is just yelling at everybody. When Ruby was trying to get Charlotte to tap out, she had her by the throat. Was it Keota? Which ref was it? Mike Keota? Was it Mike Keota? Yeah, I think yeah it was. He was just like,
00:20:28
Speaker
Charlotte, are you done? Are you done? I'm like, Jesus, why are you screaming at her, man? You're not supposed to yell at a woman like that. He yelled at every lady there. He was just that he's like, there's too many ladies out here. I'm not having it. Get them all out. Get them out. Everyone's gone. So Charlotte wins, and then boom.
00:20:47
Speaker
The bombshell of the night for the pay-per-view is you hear Asuka's music and Asuka comes out of the ring and has her moment with Charlotte Flair in the middle of the ring. She points up at the WrestleMania sign and I think Charlotte yells or something and that looks like what we're gonna get. That really is a dream match. This is something I really, really want and something that actually feels like a huge WrestleMania match.
00:21:13
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, here's the thing. They've had me convinced for a couple weeks that they're actually going to stick with Asuka versus Alexa Bliss. I was so sad about it too, but just trying to be like, all right, well, Charlotte's going to do something good.
00:21:27
Speaker
Yeah, no, there was a void there for the longest time about what Charlotte was gonna do at WrestleMania. And then the moment she beats Ruby Riot, you think that even more. And then when Asuka comes down, you're like, fuck, we're getting that dream match. Which actually, it makes you wonder what's gonna open up for Alexa, if they're gonna do Alexa Bliss versus Nia Jax or something.
00:21:48
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, that would make the most sense, right? Because they've had this whole, I'm your friend, but I'm not really your friend story going on for what, months? Like a year almost? And hopefully they get their own singles match. But I would also like Bailey and Sasha to have. There's just too many matches this year, man. Yeah. But again, like we were having this conversation through text messages the other day. They've got six freaking hours. They can, if they really wanted to, they could give you everything you wanted.
00:22:17
Speaker
As long as The Rock isn't here this year, we got time. If they couldn't get The Rock for the Rousey stuff, I doubt he'll be there. He's like, I couldn't make it for the match, man, but I'm going to walk down this ramp for 45 minutes and just really milk the crowd. He's like, is Eric Rowan going to be there? No. And Rowan just like, oh, man, I just took Biggie's head off. Come on, man. Get out there. Rowan, get out there.
00:22:47
Speaker
I don't want to lose to Dwayne. Put the mask on. It'll look hilarious when he rock bottoms you and the mask flies off. I don't want to lose to Dwayne again. Damn it, Rowan. Give me the hammer. Is this Vince? Give me the hammer. Vince is just shoving Eric Rowan out the curtain at WrestleMania. And he just sulks down the ramp to get his ass kicked.
00:23:08
Speaker
So, no, I'm 100% with you, man. I'm really looking forward to Charlotte Asuka because they are awesome. Little known fact, this is the first time since WrestleMania 20 where the winner of the Royal Rumble has used the Royal Rumble victory to hop shows. Oh shit.
00:23:34
Speaker
And that was Chris Benoit was the last guy to do that. He jumped from SmackDown to Raw to challenge Triple H and Shawn Michaels. So always breaking barriers that guy. So I mean let's just talk about for a minute. This was a great surprise. I hadn't heard anything about this. I know people had been hoping for it but I didn't hear any spoilers or rumors. Honestly it had just gotten to be something that I kind of let go in my head. Like it's almost like they let me forget about it.
00:24:00
Speaker
Well, they did a good job of covering it up, and so. They really did, because I'm trying to think back to the last few manias that I've been to, and if there were actually any single matches, like, there were matches I was excited for, but like, a match in my head that I'm like, this is a match I really, really wanna see. And I feel like this is maybe one of the first matches at a WrestleMania that I'll have been at, that I'm like, that's what I'm there for.
Nakamura vs. Styles: Anticipation & Setup
00:24:28
Speaker
So is it fair to say this is like a dream women's match that's happening at WrestleMania? I think so. I think they both have the best stories. They've built Charlotte up as this unstoppable force, but Asuka is actually an unstoppable force. Finally meeting, see what happens.
00:24:48
Speaker
I still, I'm gonna maintain my conspiracy theory that I think that Asuka Streak's gonna come to end at WrestleMania. You really think that Charlotte's gonna put her down? No, I don't.
00:25:02
Speaker
I think Asuka is going to beat Charlotte and I think Carmella is going to cash in immediately. Yeah, that'd be pretty good because that's the, in my opinion, that is the best way to end that streak in a dramatic way because it protects Asuka. It doesn't make it look like she just got straight up. It's a total heel move.
00:25:24
Speaker
for Carmella to come down and whack her across the back of the head with the briefcase right after she wins the title. This is her version of Bill Goldberg getting tasered. Yep. I think, yeah, that would be pretty good. And the crowd would be bummed. And it's like, it's a thing where the streak is gone, but you never feel like it actually ended. Right. Well, plus it's a story. Because you could argue that out of, if you take away Lana,
00:25:51
Speaker
Carmella's probably, out of all the women on the main roster, she's booked the weakest, wouldn't you say? Absolutely. She's one that is just in my head the first rematch she has with Asuka. She's getting her head kicked off. Right. But maybe I'm wrong, you know? I mean, to me, it's just a situation here where it would be really interesting to see someone who's been booked the weakest, somebody who's clearly like a sniveling heel character, come and steal the streak and the title.
00:26:20
Speaker
in that spot Africa's because essentially obstacle and Charlotte are going to tear it down and everyone's going to be insane. So I mean, and that's another match on that card that you could argue has a shot at being match of the night. Oh, easily. And I hope they get it. I hope they actually give it a good spot.
00:26:37
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, honestly, it should be in the final three. Oh, for sure. For sure. When do you think we'll actually see the women main event of WrestleMania? I don't know. Do you think that's in the future? Maybe one day, but I can't imagine. If it's not this one, it's hard to imagine unless Ronda Rousey rises through the ranks. And the next year we end up with Charlotte Ronda.
00:27:02
Speaker
that or Charlotte Asuka. Or sorry, Rhonda Asuka. My bad. Yeah. Yeah. Either of those.
00:27:10
Speaker
Yeah, I don't know. We'll wait and see, guys. So speaking of dream matches, the next thing we get some clarity on the WWE Championship match because AJ Styles ends up retaining. And we're gonna get Shinsuke Nakamura against AJ Styles. I mean, I really thought there was a little bit where they might take this away from us. Oh, me too. And they still could. That's the scary thing. What do we have, like three more Smackdowns?
00:27:40
Speaker
We got a few Smackdowns, but here's the thing, I don't know, man. I think they, to me, everyone was predicting Styles to win, but just like you said, they did a good job tonight in the moment of making you wonder, because they do have three weeks of stuff to mess with you on. It does not have to be a clean cut path to WrestleMania. There can be some speed bumps for Styles and the belt along the way, so they could have done a lot of things tonight, but they had a lot of good moments. This is the thing.
00:28:09
Speaker
A lot of people thought that this was just a jumbo cluster. And on paper, sure it was. But the match was a lot of fun. Everyone treated it a lot better than they because when you see that lineup, you're like, this is a SmackDown main event, but for a title.
00:28:25
Speaker
but they actually made it feel like a big title match. Yeah. It felt more important than it seemed like it would. They had moments for every person in that match where they gave them a spot where you thought, oh my god. Because here's the thing, they could in theory have anybody win that match tonight and then do something on SmackDown either this Tuesday or the next one.
00:28:48
Speaker
to get the belt back to styles. Oh, I know.
Fastlane Highlights & Storyline Development
00:28:51
Speaker
And there were moments where there was a part where I was just like, if I have to go goddamn watch Dolph Ziggler headline WrestleMania after all these years. You don't understand when Nakamura made his debut on Smackdown and had that feud with Ziggler to start off, it was just to set up his WrestleMania match, man. It was all it was in their plans from the get go. No, I mean,
00:29:14
Speaker
Well we found, they made Bear and Corbin look like a monster. Did you see how far he threw Ziggler in the air? Oh my god. Tonight was the first night he has shined in a while. When he did his Deep Six, I feel like he spun for four years.
00:29:29
Speaker
Yeah, he did that on Stiles, didn't he? Yeah. I think he spun like eight times. Well, he either did it to Stiles or Ziegler, but yeah, Ziegler came in and he threw him like 16 feet into the air. Like, he's like Braun Strowman now, where he's just going to be manhandling everybody, but look less impressive. So I thought that they... How'd you feel about Dolph Ziegler's new haircut?
00:29:59
Speaker
wait don't oh my god did I really for real not notice he got a haircut yeah you have to go back and watch that before you go to bed well I'm opening up I'll open it up now and look at his hair like what what is it like cuz he usually has that ramen hair he's got he cut he's it's short hair now how the fuck he's got like short I don't know how you went through the whole match without noticing that
00:30:20
Speaker
I'm embarrassed. Everybody's going to be like, why should I, why should I listen to this? He didn't even notice Dolph's haircut, but he noticed Becky Lynch's fire pants. That is a good point. Um, so no. And then I thought that, uh, they did a, I loved how the match started with that cool spot with Cena giving the AA to everyone, butt styles. And they had their moment in the middle of the ring.
00:30:43
Speaker
I thought they did a good job, like really, they did an amazing job. Let me recorrect myself, but they set up the Sami Zane, Kevin Owens stuff going forward. They're full on, like Shane stirring the pot between those two. It'll just be a matter of they need to give those two a match.
00:31:02
Speaker
because I think they found a way to make people want to see it again. Do you think, though, if we got it at WrestleMania, they would just, like, do a street fight and just give us, you know, let them just kill each other? They should. They should give them a street fight and give them at least 20 to 25 minutes. Oh, and just, like, really give, like, one of those ROH, like, Adam Steen versus El Generico matches. Because here's the thing. If you look at the WrestleMania card, there isn't that match on the card yet.
00:31:31
Speaker
no there's no don't have any gimmick match yet right they don't have like a hardcore match on the card let these two do it and then you can make Shane or make Brian the referee or something make it a loser leaves town match do something with them but
00:31:47
Speaker
No, I thought that I love the dynamic tonight with with Zane trying to lay down for Owens and Owens not believing it and then Zane trying to roll them up and then super kicking Shane in the face and then Shane. He robbed both Owens and Zane of the title and Daniel Bryan up to right now.
00:32:06
Speaker
He left SmackDown two episodes ago, not this past one, but the one before it, right in the middle of the episode, saying, I'm going to go home and I'm going to see Bree. And, uh, what's the name of his melody or whatever? What's the name of his kid? I don't know. Birdie. There we go. That makes sense.
00:32:29
Speaker
Yeah. So he just left in the middle of the episode. He was, he was annoyed with what Shane was doing and he just bailed and he has not been back since he wasn't back tonight. He wasn't back this past week. Um, so maybe something will happen this way. I mean, I don't know. I'm curious to see what they do, but they did, they did basically let you know that you're getting styles, Nakamura. So talk about
Build-up to WrestleMania: Speculations & Promos
00:32:49
Speaker
that, man. You now have seen that stuff in Japan and you're about to see it in a championship match at WrestleMania. You pretty well know that.
00:32:56
Speaker
Just know that they have fought each other at the Tokyo Dome and now they're gonna do it at WrestleMania. That's really wild. And it's even more crazy that Vince McMahon's allowing two New Japan guys to main event WrestleMania. We don't know that they're going on last. I think us asking for that is almost asking too much of Vince McMahon.
00:33:19
Speaker
Well, it probably is. I've heard some stuff in the last week or two that makes me wonder about that because I've heard that they're trying to downplay Lesnar's role because they really don't think he's gonna sign a new deal. And at this point, I think it's okay if he doesn't. I think they're doing a really good job of making him be shitty on the way out to where people are starting to respect Roman Reigns because of it.
00:33:45
Speaker
they may have found the right way to put him in a better position. But yeah, as far as Styles and Nakamura, we're getting it. You know it's gonna be an awesome match. It's just gonna be a matter of how they promote it, what kind of promos Nakamura and Styles cut on each other in the next few weeks. Which could be, I know some people have issues with Nakamura's promos. I do. You have problems with it? I do. What do you think they should do in the build?
00:34:14
Speaker
I don't know his entire history, going back to New Japan, I think...
00:34:21
Speaker
I don't think it kills him. I'll say that. I don't think that his promos completely ruined him, but I, I think it's noticeable to the crowd and it's noticeable to me when they do get him involved in a segment where he interacts with other people on the roster. And then he says like four words and then makes a funny face. And this kind of walks off screen. It's hard to take him like as like seriously as a threat when he can't engage in a war of words with his opponent.
00:34:48
Speaker
Well, I think them not letting him have the type of match he's capable of having lately has hurt him as well. Because I just went back today and rewatched from takeover Dallas, his debut against Sami Zayn.
00:35:05
Speaker
They had such a good hard-hitting match. They really told like a New Japan style story where, you know, it started off slow and just gradually built into this harder hitting thing. And everybody was so into it. I mean, obviously it was a mania crowd of people who were there excited to see him. But I feel like they need to give the main show audience that experience. Let them know why he's so good. Maybe even, you know, talk about his experience, like his stuff in Japan.
00:35:49
Speaker
the game.
00:35:50
Speaker
Styles is the perfect opponent for them in this sense because they already have history. They already have something to work with. So, they, I don't know. I, I... Do you think it's a problem going into a, a Mania main event with a baby face, baby face match? No.
00:36:06
Speaker
I don't think that's an issue because, again, it's a match people want to see. And we're going to see if the crowd's 50-50, if they lean a certain way, or they could do a swerve. They went into WrestleMania 17 with Rock and Austin, and they ended up doing a swerve where Austin turned heel.
00:36:24
Speaker
Who knows? They may just let him go. And I talked about this on our Twitter account the other day. To me, the reason this should be the match that closes the night is because unless there's something coming that I don't know, this will be a feel-good match. Like, it doesn't matter who wins, I'm pretty sure Nakamura will win, but it's gonna be the note you wanna end the show on.
00:36:51
Speaker
Oh, I agree completely. Especially if they go with if they go with Reigns and Lesnar, man, like there's a chance that crowd is going to turn on both of them. Yeah, unless they do some really incredible stuff in the next few weeks, like if Roman Reigns keeps cutting that promo that he did the other night or two weeks ago, whatever.
00:37:11
Speaker
This, you know, to his face. Who knows? Maybe it could act. Yeah. This week, tomorrow, whatever. He cuts that same promo to Lesnar's face and they just, you know, have a brawl. Maybe we're into it. I don't know. We'll see.
00:37:23
Speaker
We'll see. We know what way we think they'll end up leaning, but you never know, man. I mean, again, go back to what we were talking about. We didn't ever think we would see this in the WWE. So who knows? Yeah, not at the WWE, let alone the main event of WrestleMania. Sure. So I think right now, as far as the matches are starting to set up, it seems like it's going to be a pretty good show, especially because do you think we're still setting up Taker versus Cena or do you think that is actually done?
00:37:54
Speaker
I just don't know. And that's a good thing. They haven't resolved everything yet. So in other words, it's not like all the matches are locked in and there's no reason to watch between now and Mania. There's still some stuff to get figured out and that's not a bad thing. Yeah, I mean, honestly, we don't really know that many of the matches. There's still a lot of people without them right now.
00:38:15
Speaker
But, I mean, there's at least a few people that there's still no clarity. Like, Braun Strowman, no clarity. Is Samoa Joe gonna be back? There's no clarity there. What's gonna happen with Cena? What's gonna happen with Rusev? There's a lot of guys who, like, have connections with the crowd that don't have any things set in stone for Mania, so... I don't know. So we're gonna watch these coming weeks and see who ends up in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Yeah, I'm hoping that's not what it is. That's where Undertaker's gonna be.
00:38:44
Speaker
He's gonna be in that battle royal. Yep, he's gonna win it. And that'll be their publicity for the documentary on Andre the Giant. Oh, that would be way better than Goldberg. So would you, I guess overall you were a big fan of Fastlane 2018.
Fastlane Review & Show Conclusion
00:39:00
Speaker
Overall, as far as just matches, thumbs up. Good pay-per-view. Especially one that I went into not very excited to watch. They, you know, they surprised me. Had a good time.
00:39:11
Speaker
me too and there was some stuff in there I was iffy on and really only a couple matches I really had any kind of issues with and everything else was a lot of fun so I don't know like I think a lot of people were surprised tonight and hey this is the last pay-per-view heading into WrestleMania man so it's officially we are on the road to WrestleMania we are on the straightaway we're there we're on the outskirts of WrestleMania brother 28 days
00:39:38
Speaker
you're going I'll be there I'll be there so we're gonna be hanging out with the Australians we're gonna be hanging out with our new friends from Chicago we got you know we're making some new friends make some new friends make some new friends let's tell them about the podcast hey you do the same listeners I would appreciate that
00:39:55
Speaker
Do the rate, review, subscribe. If you want to follow us on Instagram, at Predetermined Podcast, on Twitter, at WrestleHangout. Follow the Facebook page. We're having some fun on there. Yeah, thanks for coming. Thanks for listening. Tune in next time, which is Thursday. We'll be back in a couple days, yeah. All right, see you guys on Thursday. Hit our goddamn music.