WWE Fastlane 2017 Predictions
Here are my predictions for tomorrow night's RAW exclusive event:
Kickoff show: Akira Tozawa and Rich Swann vs. Brian Kendrick and Noam Dar: In a meaningless tag team match with the sole purpose of filling time, always pick the babyfaces. Tozawa and Swann will win this match.
1. Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax: WWE is planting the seeds for Sasha Banks to turn heel, so to further that story, there is no reason for her to win this match. WWE has been pushing Nia Jax, despite her lack of charisma or any ring ability whatsoever, so she will beat Banks.
2. Cruiserweight Champion Neville vs. Jack Galagher: I'm optimistic that WWE is planning Austin Aries vs. Neville for WrestleMania, so I'm confident that Neville will retain his title. I think Galagher is a great talent, but he's more of a sideshow act than championship material. Look for Neville to win convincingly.
3. RAW Tag Team Champions Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows vs. Enzo Amore and Big Cass: Of all the matches on the card, I am least looking forward to this one. Amore and Cass have jumped the shark as a pair, and WWE has delegitimatized Anderson and Gallows by feeding them to Roman Reigns in recent weeks. If I had to flip a coin, I'll predict that Anderson and Gallows retain their titles.
4. RAW Women's Champion Bayley vs. Charlotte: It is still a mystery to me why WWE gave Bayley the title on a meaningless episode of RAW rather than waiting until WrestleMania to give her a worthwhile moment. WWE has been hyping up Charlotte's monumental PPV winning streak of 16-0, and I have no inclination to assume that they will end the streak on a B-show such as Fastlane. Look for Charlotte to regain her championship with shenanigans.
5. Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe: WWE has done a great job in recent weeks building up Samoa Joe as a destroyer. Sami Zayn feels like placeholder since Seth Rollins was injured last month, and chances of him beating Joe are slim to none. Joe will win his PPV debut against Zayn.
6. Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns: I am most looking forward to this match, as WWE has done a tremendous job building up Braun Strowman in recent months. I am hopeful that WWE won't feed Strowman to Reigns in a transition match such as this, and I'm optimistic that they won't. Assuming that either Goldberg or Brock Lesnar exit WrestleMania as Universal Champion, WWE needs a strong challenger to dethrone them soon after due to their part time statuses. Strowman is just that guy, and I expect him to defeat Reigns after an assist from The Undertaker.
7. WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens vs. Goldberg: The finish of this match was already given away on RAW, so there's not much to predict here. When a strong babyface challenger "promises" or "guarantees" a title victory, it's set in stone that he will win the title. It's WWE's strategy to draw interest in a show by telling fans, "tune in to see a monumental title change." A notable example is The Rock guaranteeing a win against CM Punk at the Royal Rumble, and then doing just that. There is not much doubt that Goldberg wins the Universal Championship, but the question is how. Is it a quick victory resembling his match at Survivor Series? Does Owens put up a decent fight? Does Chris Jericho interfere and cost Owens the title? If I had to guess, I think Owens will get a bit of offense on Goldberg, only for Goldberg to pull out a clean victory in maybe a seven or eight minute match. Either way, Goldberg will defend the title against Lesnar at WrestleMania, and Owens will challenge Jericho for the U.S. title.