WWE Fastlane was held in Memphis last night at the FedEx Forum. It was a fitting venue, seeing as they pretty much mailed it in for most of the night. After a night of action, we now have a pretty clear idea of what WrestleMania will look like in five weeks. Here are the pros and cons from last night’s WWE Fastlane pay-per-view.
Pros
After a night of non-finishes and botched endings, the main event between Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns was an absolute treat. These two guys started off a bit slow, but once they got going, they really gelled well. Bryan’s wrestling style went so well with the brawling style of Reigns, and it was nice to see both guys getting support from the crowd.
A few of the highlights included Reigns countering Bryan’s dive to the floor into an overhead belly to belly suplex, Bryan countering the spear into a beautiful small package, and also Reigns turning a potential hurricanrana into a brutal powerbomb from the top rope. These two also employed some solid in-ring psychology due to Reigns selling Bryan’s kick to the liver as he tried to hit a Superman punch. Overall, it was an exciting match, both guys looked great, it ended clean, and it’s always nice to see a main event end in a handshake.
The tag team match was a close second for match of the night. These two teams have so much chemistry and it’s really a pleasure to watch them do their thing. Cesaro’s half crab Cesaro swing was cool, as was the combination of Cesaro’s suplex from the apron into a springboard from Kidd.
The Usos looked good as well, teaming up for a double team Samoan drop that I don’t recall seeing them bust out before. In the end, new champions were crowned after Kidd picked up the victory with a swinging fisherman suplex. After their victory, it was nice to find out that they are “still the new WWE Tag Team Champions” (perhaps suggesting the outcome was changed last minute, as the odds shifted after the “smart money” was in).
The Bray Wyatt segment was enjoyable. He had the crowd going nuts in anticipation of the Phenom, only to shatter their dreams by popping out of the coffin. Wyatt called himself “the new face of fear,” and said: “At WrestleMania, I will claim the soul of the Undertaker.” This feud should be entertaining, but it would have been nice to see Wyatt play up the fact that fans weren’t getting ‘Taker, as the company needs more dislikable heels right now.
I’m not totally sure how I feel about the Sting and Triple H segment, so I’ll go ahead and put it in the pros section. Triple H of course continued to bury a long dead company, stating: “My legacy is putting your legacy out of business.” He also threatened Sting with the Benoit treatment, saying he would wipe him from the history books if he didn’t cooperate. It was cool to see Sting use his signature black bat though, and Hunter was very intense throughout the segment. Overall, it could have been better, but it was a decent setup for their match at WrestleMania.
Finally, the Rusev and John Cena match was far from perfect, but it worked out well. There was some hard-hitting action throughout, including a big spinning side slam from Rusev. The action was slow-paced and methodical, but it was entertaining for the most part. It of course ended in another non-clean finish, but it worked well in this case. I have to say, seeing Cena stagger out of the arena was pretty satisfying, even though it means he will definitely get redemption at WrestleMania.
After months on the sidelines, Randy Orton made his return at the WWE Fastlane pay-per-view on Sunday night, which took place at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee.
During the opening match of the evening, which saw Seth Rollins, Kane and Big Show defeat Dolph Ziggler, Ryback and Erick Rowan, the heels continued to beat up the babyfaces after their victory until Orton’s theme hit.
Orton made the save, RKO’ing several people and going for the kill on Rollins, who was ultimately saved by the Big Show.
As we have been reporting for several months, Orton and Rollins are expected to work a program heading into WrestleMania 31.
– Randy Orton is expected back on WWE television in the next week or so. He returned to action at a live event earlier this month (Photos) and is being factored in to creative plans for WrestleMania. He last appeared on television back in November, when he was laid out by The Authority. He originally took time off to film The Condemned 2.
It’s worth noting that WWEShop.com just released a new RKO t-shirt based on the “RKO Out of Nowhere” meme that went viral late last year.
– WWE has responded to reports that Big Daddy V’s widow Cassandra Frazier has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the company. WWE claims they haven’t been served:
“WWE has not been served with a lawsuit by Cassandra Frazier. If served, we will vigorously contest this lawsuit brought by the same lawyers who have been soliciting people to sue WWE without merit.”
– There has been talk in WWE of Kevin Nash being part of the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015.
– WWE Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin interviews hip-hop DJ Peter Rosenberg in the latest edition of his “Steve Austin Show” podcast. The official description for the show reads as follows:
SASc – EP193 – DJ Peter Rosenberg
“NYC Hot 97 DJ Peter Rosenberg joins Steve to talk pro-wrestling, football, hip hop and pop music! They discuss the Washington Redskins name, RG3’s future, the evolution of pro football, Hulk Hogan, Vince McMahon as a commentator, Vince McMahon on Tuesday Night Titans, Guerilla Monsoon, Bobby The Brain Heenan, and the current WWE product and commentators.”
– Veteran pro wrestling journalist Bill Apter recently caught up with part-time WWE performer Chris Jericho. Check out the video below to watch Jericho talk about booking WrestleMania, his band Fozzy and more in the latest “Apter Chat.”
– As noted over the weekend, “The Viper” Randy Orton made his return to in-ring action at the WWE live event. Below are some photos of Orton’s return.
– Randy Orton and Bo Dallas returned to action at last night’s WWE live event from Salt Lake City, Utah.
Orton defeated Kane with an RKO. A correspondent at the show said Orton showed no signs of ring rust and got a big reaction from the crowd.
Bo Dallas cut a promo before his match and asked for a ‘moment of silence’ from the audience. He said he was out of action for 102 days due to a toe injury. He lost to Sin Cara.
– Hideo Itami revealed on Twitter that he’ll be facing Tyler Breeze at Wednesday’s NXT TakeOver: Rival live special on the WWE Network.
– As noted recently, Randy Orton has been advertised locally to return at several of the past WWE television tapings, but was held back due to creative decisions made by the company. Orton is being advertised for the February 16th edition of RAW in Orlando, which is the Fast Lane “go-home” edition of the show. With Orton scheduled to return in time for a program at WrestleMania 31, one would assume that if he doesn’t return on the 2/16 RAW show, he will be returning either at the pay-per-view itself, or at RAW the following night.
– The following matches were taped at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida for tonight’s edition of NXT on the WWE Network:
– Emma vs. Carmella
– Adrian Neville vs. Baron Corbin (Semifinals of the No. 1 Contender’s Tournament)
– Bayley vs. Becky Lynch
– Hideo Itami vs. Finn Bálor (Semifinals of the No. 1 Contender Tournament)
– Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville vs. Kevin Owens and Tyson Kidd
Check out the official video promo for tonight’s NXT show below.
Last night during RAW, fans began tweeting that there was a mysterious masked man sitting at ringside, with many of them speculating that it was Randy Orton getting ready to make a surprise return. It turns out that the masked man was none of than The Boogeyman, who most recently made an appearance in the Royal Rumble match.
Former WWE Diva Kristal Marshall was also at the show with her kids.
– Randy Orton is advertised to appear on Monday’s edition of WWE RAW in Denver, Colorado. Despite the fact that he’s advertised, his status for the show remains a question mark, as he has been advertised for several shows lately, including RAW, SmackDown and pay-per-view shows, but has been pulled to delay his return for creative reasons.
– WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry Lawler will be working a wrestling match on Saturday night in Memphis, Tennessee. Legendary wrestling announcing duo Lance Russell and Dave Brown will be reuniting to call the match, which is scheduled to take place during halftime of the Memphis Grizzlies vs. Oklahoma City Thunder NBA game for Memphis Wrestling Night.
– The post-WrestleMania 31 edition of WWE SmackDown will be taped on March 31st at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. Advertised locally for the show are Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton and Seth Rollins. There is a pre-sale going on for tickets to the show right now with the code “WWEFAN.”
– Former WWE writer and MLW Radio host Court Bauer is the guest on the latest edition of the “Steve Austin Show” podcast, the final edition of his show before he returns live to the WWE Network on Monday night following WWE RAW, where he will be joined by WWE executive/performer Triple H.
The official description for the latest Austin podcast with Bauer reads as follows:
SASu – EP189 – Court Bauer of MLW Radio
“The Royal Rumble is still on Steve’s mind… and so is the NXT REvolution PPV! And he’s discussing both with MLW Radio’s Court Bauer. Topics covered: Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Sting, Paul Heyman, Dean Ambrose, Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville. You’ll also find out why the Triple Threat match at the Rumble was the best match Steve’s seen in years… pay close attention because the Word Of The Day is back too! “
– Below is a new video interview with WWE Hall Of Famer Superstar Billy Graham where he talks about playing football in the Canadian Football League prior to his pro wrestling days, which led to him being trained to wrestle in the Calgary area.
As of this weekend, the feeling within WWE is that The Undertaker will be wrestling at WrestleMania 31. Top WWE officials likely already know for sure if he’ll be there and we should get some sort of official word in the next several weeks.
His opponent is likely to be Bray Wyatt, which is one of the main reasons Wyatt had such a strong showing in the Royal Rumble match.
Mr. Money In The Bank Seth Rollins is expected to wrestle Randy Orton, which leaves Daniel Bryan out in the cold. Wrestling Observer Radio host Bryan Alvarez thinks WWE will be going to the Bryan vs. Sheamus match that was originally scheduled to last year, before those plans got hijacked by the WWE Universe.
Of course, with the unprecedented fan backlash coming out of the Royal Rumble, this card is subject to change. But as of Monday morning, the tentative WrestleMania card will feature:
Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar
Sting vs. Triple H
John Cena vs. Rusev
Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton
Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan
(Information from Wrestling Observer Radio was used in this report. Visit f4wonline.com for subscription information)
A lot can change over the course of a year, especially in the WWE. At last year’s Royal Rumble, Batista earned the opportunity to headline WrestleMania, going from fan favorite to Bootista in a matter of moments.
It will be Daniel Bryan, Roman Reigns, and a whole slew of others hoping to earn that opportunity this time around, as the card for this Sunday’s Royal Rumble appears to be officially set. Here is a look at the superstars who have taken a leap forward over the past year, as well as those who have taken a step backward.
Progression
1. The Shield
Nobody has progressed over the past year more than the three men who formerly comprised The Shield. Roman Reigns set the record for the most eliminations at last year’s Rumble, although he was never really seen as a serious threat to win it all. This time around, he’s the odds-on favorite to win the Rumble and headline WrestleMania.
Reigns eliminated his former partners at last year’s event as a means to tease tension between the former Hounds of Justice. Both of those men have moved onto better things. Seth Rollins will be challenging for the title this time around, and Ambrose is seen as one of the most credible entrants in the Royal Rumble match. Believe that.
2. Brock Lesnar
Lesnar destroyed Big Show’s back at last year’s Rumble, walloping him with a chair about 50 times in a match that lasted two minutes. His character’s direction was unclear at the time, having engaged in various feuds in 2013 that didn’t really go anywhere, largely due to Lesnar’s limited schedule.
A few accomplishments have been added to his resume since last time around. Most importantly, he apparently broke some sort of WrestleMania undefeated streak that fans held dear to their hearts. Cena and Rollins will attempt to slay the Beast this year, as he comes in as WWE World Heavyweight Champion and undisputed top dog in the company.
– The advertised dark match main event for next week’s WWE SmackDown television taping, which takes place in Boston, is John Cena, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose vs. Kane, Seth Rollins, Big Show and Bray Wyatt.
– WWE returns to Austin, Texas, which was the site of this past Tuesday night’s SmackDown taping, on April 6th for a live RAW show. The pre-sale code for tickets to the event is WWEAUSTIN.
– Philly.com is reporting that the city of Philadelphia is still interested in hosting a future WrestleMania event. Philadelphia was unable to make a bid for WrestleMania 31 or WrestleMania 32 due to scheduling conflicts with local venues, but claims they will be bidding on future events.
– WWE has pulled Randy Orton from the advertisements for the live events this coming weekend, however he is still listed, including in new ads, for the 30-man Royal Rumble match on Sunday in Philadelphia, as well as next week’s RAW in Hartford and SmackDown in Boston.
– WWE Diva AJ Lee was backstage at the RAW Reunion show in Dallas on Monday, despite not being used on the show. It’s been reported for a while that AJ will make her return at the live events this coming weekend in her home state of New Jersey.
It was reported a while back that WWE officials were contemplating doing a John Cena vs. Rusev feud for WrestleMania 31. The idea at that time was to have Rusev cost Cena his chance at recapturing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
As of right now, WWE is advertising a tag-team main event of John Cena and Randy Orton vs. Rusev and Seth Rollins for the live event in Madison Square Garden on February 27th. Some view this as a possible sign that WWE is going forward with their original plans for Cena vs. Rusev at WrestleMania.
Thus far, there has been no interaction between Cena and Rusev that would indicate that match being booked. Some are of the opinion that Cena and Rusev is simply a live event program for WrestleMania season, possibly because Brock Lesnar doesn’t work non-televised events.
In related news, other matches advertised for the aforementioned 2/27 live event at MSG include Daniel Bryan vs. Kane, Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose vs. Cesaro and an appearance by Chris Jericho.
The most exciting sixty-plus minutes of wrestling action is only a few weeks away, where bodies will assuredly be flying over the top rope, Kofi Kingston will likely avoid defeat in dramatic fashion at least once, and one superstar will walk away with a spot in the main event at WrestleMania.
However, although thirty men ostensibly have a chance to headline the biggest event of the year, even the most delusional fan realizes there are only a handful of competitors who are legitimate contenders to walk away victorious. Here are those men.
Odds-On Favorite: Roman Reigns
After his record-breaking performance last year, the Powerhouse is easily the favorite to win it all in 2015. Even though there are still questions regarding Reigns’ ability to headline a major pay-per-view such as WrestleMania, it appears the company is ready to pull the trigger on what they apparently believe to be their next big thing.
Assuming the company goes this route, they need to be careful, because the crowd could easily turn on Reigns in a situation similar to last year’s Rumble. If fans think the Pittsburgh crowd was harsh toward Batista last year, try putting Reigns over Bryan in the city whose fans at one point pelted Santa Claus with snowballs. Trust me, it won’t be pretty.
As things stand right now, Randy Orton is scheduled to make his in-ring return at the WWE live event on January 17th in Abilene, Texas.
If Orton does return on the 1/17 date in Abilene, it is likely that he underwent the operation for his deviated septum this past week, since he was supposed to be out for just a few short weeks after surgery.
It’s said that WWE timed Orton’s operation so that he would have time to recover and be able to return in time for the Royal Rumble pay-per-view on January 25th.
– As noted last week, Randy Orton needs to undergo a minor surgical operation for a deviated septum. As a result, Orton has been pulled from tonight’s edition of RAW and is not scheduled to attend any WWE live events until the Royal Rumble.
– Daniel Bryan has been officially added to the advertising for next week’s WWE RAW in New Orleans, Louisiana, as well as next week’s WWE SmackDown television taping in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The reason why Randy Orton only worked short matches on the non-televised live events he did work this past weekend, and the reason why he didn’t wrestle on the Long Island card was because he has a deviated septum.
Orton is scheduled to undergo surgery to repair the issues, however the recovery time after such an operation is only a few weeks. It’s expected that Orton will miss some live events as a result.
When Orton does fully return, he is expected to initially work with Seth Rollins, even though he’s advertised to work with Kane on live events.
– As seen on Monday’s RAW, the final edition of the show for 2014, Tony Chimel handled the introductions for Edge and Christian. He thanked the two on Twitter for the opportunity after the show, posting the following on his official Twitter account.
– Speaking of Monday’s RAW, we noted that while Randy Orton didn’t appear on the television portion of the show, he did appear before the crowd in Washington, D.C. after the cameras stopped rolling. Below is a video of Orton’s appearance after Monday’s RAW.
It was believed going into Monday’s RAW show in Washington, D.C., the final episode of the program for 2014, that Randy Orton would be making his return. Obviously that did not happen, however he did make an appearance in the building after the cameras went off.
Once RAW went off the air officially, Orton came out for a dark match main event, defeating Seth Rollins with a RKO. Orton then celebrated with John Cena at the top of the stage.
– WWE.com has published a feature looking at 2014’s most unexpected breakout stars, including Damien Mizdow, Stardust, Jack Swagger and The Bunny.
– Shawn Michaels noted on Twitter that he is working on finalizing a book signing tour for early 2015. “Wrestling For My Life: The Legend, the Reality, and the Faith of a WWE Superstar” is scheduled to be released on February 10th.
– Saturday night’s WWE’s Tribute to The Troops special on drew 1.55 million viewers. By comparison, the USA Network Troops special that aired last Wednesday night drew 2,230,000 viewers.
– Randy Orton defeated Kane via pinfall at Sunday night’s WWE Live Event from Hershey, PA. After being pulled from the previous night’s live event (yet doing a run-in during the main event), Orton wrestled an 8-minute match and did not seem to be injured last night.
Randy Orton did not wrestle at Saturday night’s WWE live event from Long Island’s Nassau Coliseum as advertised, but did a run-in at the conclusion of the show, gave RKO’s to Seth Rollins and Kane and helped John Cena win his match.
WWE announced that Orton wouldn’t be competing at the start of the show. There has been some speculation that he was injured on Friday night, which is why he did appear but didn’t work a full match.
He returned to the ring the previous night at Madison Square Garden (photos) after taking several weeks off to film the WWE Studios movie The Condemned 2.
– Randy Orton made his in-ring return at the WWE live event in Madison Square Garden this past Friday night. Orton, who has been away shooting the WWE Studios film “The Condemned 2,” defeated Kane in singles action.
– Also back in action on Friday night was Bad News Barrett, who appeared at the live event in Chicago, Illinois. Barrett cut a promo and said he wouldn’t be wrestling on the show because Chicago is a “second-class city.” Barrett has been on the sidelines since June with a shoulder injury.
As promised, here are the top pay-per-view events from 2014.
8. NXT Takeover
This event started off sluggish but certainly ended with a string of entertaining matches. In particular, the match between Tyler Breeze and Sami Zayn featured solid in-ring work and highlighted why both of these guys could succeed if given the opportunity.
The real treat during this pay-per-view, however, was the final two matches of the evening. The match between Charlotte and Natalya for the vacant NXT Women’s Championship was probably the most technically sound women’s match I’ve ever seen, and the main event between Neville and Tyson Kidd was the perfect way to end the show. In my opinion, this was the event that made fans realize NXT is more than simply a developmental league for the main roster.
Worst Match: Adam Rose vs. Camacho
Best Match: Charlotte vs. Natalya
7. Payback
There was some worry heading into this one, largely due to the absence of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The event would carry on just fine without the title, however. It started off strong with a bruising contest between Sheamus and Cesaro.
From there, the Last Man Standing match was entertaining, even if it would have been nice to see Wyatt pick up the victory. With that said, this pay-per-view is all about the main event. It was an awesome 30-minute affair that featured memorable spots, brutal action, and a decisive Shield victory. This was also important because it would set up Seth Rollins’ heel turn the next night on Raw.
