Fastlane 2021 - 5 Things we learned
WWE Fastlane provided several different types of matches and outcomes. While most had clean finishes, some like Alexa Bliss vs. Randy Orton were more driven by storyline. Bliss picked up the win without much of a match really taking place thanks to the return of The Fiend.
Riddle retained his United States Championship at Fastlane while Seth Rollins took down Shinsuke Nakamura in a back-and-forth contest. The insanity and miscommunication surrounding the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships ended one partnership. Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler retained but still seem destined for a split since Reginald is still looming.
Sheamus and Drew McIntyre beat the tar out of each other, proving that sometimes all a bout needs is two savages willing to tear each other to shreds. Neither the RAW nor SmackDown tag team titles were defended at Fastlane.
The New Day is set to defend their RAW Tag Team titles against Omos and AJ Styles at WrestleMania 37. Dolph Ziggler and Bobby Roode are likely headed to a multi-team defense at the Show of Shows.
Elias also tried to get an appearance booked for WrestleMania 37 but Shane McMahon instead put Elias in a match against Braun Strowman. With the last pay-per-view before the Granddaddy of Them All in the books, here are five things we learned from Fastlane.
#5 RETRIBUTION imploded at Fastlane
For weeks and even months, Mustafa Ali has been trying to show the members of RETRIBUTION "how to get things done" in the ring. His match with Riddle at Fastlane was the culmination of a quick angle where he pinned the Original Bro on RAW.
Ali lost one match recently on RAW and he blamed T-Bar for interfering. He has continued to admonish members of his group week after week. After falling to beat Riddle on the Fastlane pre-show, things came to a heated conclusion.
During the duration of the match, members of RETRIBUTION like Reckoning and T-Bar both looked on with indifference. When Ali would yell at them ringside, Reckoning would put her hands up and say "show us."
After Ali lost his title match, the members came into the ring and helped him to his feet. Ali continued to berate everyone, causing an exodus of members one by one. It all came to a head when he yelled at Mace and T-Bar. The two giants retaliated in kind by chokeslamming their former leader.
Each member of the group seems destined to become their own person following Fastlane. T-Bar and Mace may remain allies while Reckoning can finally just be Mia Yim. Slapjack may have the hardest time to stand out on RAW after the dissolution of the group.
For now, it appears the group is over. While it had some potential, it was mismanaged from the beginning. After Fastlane, it seems like that experiment is over.