WWE Fastlane 2021: Ranking and grading every match
Despite its placement so close to WrestleMania, Fastlane was an exciting show. WWE's streak of impressive pay-per-view events inside the ThunderDome continues. There hasn't been a bad one yet.
Fastlane did well to build to various angles for WrestleMania 37, with some great matches on display. The matches got bigger and better as the night progressed. It peaked at the right moment too. All seven of them contributed to shaping up the WrestleMania card, in one way or another.
Some of these matches delivered in the ring, while others were simply elaborate angles that served towards bigger payoffs on The Grandest Stage of Them All. That is all one could ask from a pay-per-view this close to 'Mania. Anyway, there were a few great offerings at Fastlane. A couple of them stood out as the best.
Here is every match at WWE Fastlane 2021 graded and ranked, from worst to best.
#7 Randy Orton vs. Alexa Bliss at WWE Fastlane
The only reason why this match is last on this list is that it was more of an angle. There is no way to judge the Fastlane match based on the in-ring action. There was none. But we did get some mighty storyline advancement on the Road to WrestleMania, with the much-awaited return of The Fiend.
Bray Wyatt's monstrous alter-ego was set on fire by Randy Orton at TLC and after months away from WWE, he emerged from under the ring. Before that, however, The Viper had been tormented by Alexa Bliss for a few minutes. She shot a number of fireballs at him.
A piece of lighting equipment almost fell on Orton too, increasing the jeopardy before The Fiend's return. He returned as a deformed entity and hit the 14-time world champion with Sister Abigail. Bliss then pinned Orton to win the "match", if we can even call it that.
While this did well to advance the feud between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt, such a match always has a ceiling on the grade it can receive. It was essentially a mini-chase with dim lights and traps before The Fiend returned. Hopefully, WWE delivers something spectacular at WrestleMania to end this feud.
Grade: C-