Monday, 1 February 2016

WWE Fastlane 2015 Review

Image result for wwe fastlane 2015
Can't decide whether this is a worse PPV name than Battleground


         Yes ladies and gentleman, it is time for another installment of Sean's Wrestling Reviews with Fastlane 2015 being my choice of poison this time. As we edge closer to Wrestlemania, fans were disappointed as Roman Reigns aka the chosen one won the Royal Rumble when everyone else and their mother wanted Daniel Bryan to win. The event is built around the two with the winner headlining Wrestlemania against the champion, Brock Lesnar. Will it be another Cinderella story for Daniel Bryan or shall Roman reign supreme? Let's waste no more time, so sit back and watch as I review Fastlane 2015.


(6 Man Tag Match) Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan&Ryback vs Big Show, Kane& Seth Rollins

         This makes me miss the curb stomp so much. Alas, we have this match because Rollins is a prick(simple story to follow). Rowan is worked on for the majority of the match with his leg being the target of the heel team. Rowan does a really good job of selling the leg, Big Show pulls out a Haas of Pain which was awesome to see I must admit I was surprised. Ryback runs wild before it boils down to Kane and Ziggler, Ziggler is all over Kane in the corner as he punches Kane's giant forehead before Big Show from the outside hits a knockout punch and Kane slams Ziggler with the Chokeslam for the win. A good match, nothing that really stood out to me. Afterwards, Curb Stomps for everyone as Rollins and The Authority make Ziggler, Rowan and Ryback like complete geeks. Randy Orton makes the save and RKOs J&J security and Kane.


Stardust vs Goldust

          Brother vs Brother, the match that we all wanted to see so does it live up to our expectations? Stardust enters without his full body suit. Goldust has been on fire in the ring ever since he returned in 2013 to try and win back Cody's job. He looks healthy and wrestles better than half of the roster. Goldust has the upper hand on Stardust, being the most experienced wrestler and knowing his brother inside out. Stardust zeroes in on Goldust's ribs after a top rope dive goes wrong for the bizarre one leaving him open to Stardust's attacks. Stardust maintains control before we get a messed up finish as Stardust kicks out at 2 with the referee not counting the three before signalling for a three count and the match ends with Stardust exclaims "What?". It is unfortunate but that's how it goes sometimes, Goldust extends his arm to Stardust who shakes his hand before leaving the ring.





The Usos vs Cesaro & Tyson Kidd (Tag Team Title Match)

           I know this is going to be a good match because of the wrestlers involved so I will take time to rant for a moment. My god do I hate the tag team title design, I mean seriously it looks awful from the colouring to the design, I hate it and they need to change it(deep breathe nerd calm your tits). Ok after following my own advice and taking a deep breathe , let's call the action. Kidd hits a rope assisted dragon screw as they work the leg of Jimmy. One-legged swing and a half crab by Cesaro as they wear down Jimmy Uso who is in dire straits, Nice combination moves by Cesaro and Kidd before The Usos dive over the rope on their opponents. Sharpshooter by Kidd on Jimmy which makes all the leg work come together but Jey makes the save before Cesaro takes him out of the ring. Cesaro tries to help Kidd but gets a superkick for his troubles before Kidd catches Jimmy with a spinning fisherman suplex for the win. This was a fun match with the right team going over in a clean fashion. Cesaro and Kidd were such a great team and while Cesaro could have made the most of Kidd's injury before his own injury, I would still  like these two to team up once more when they have both recovered.



Nikki Bella vs Paige (Divas' Title Match)

          I do not know what annoys me more, the fact that Nikki and Brie were feuding throughout the summer and late into the year and were now back together for no reason , the fact that Brie Bella must be the most annoying woman in the world with her constant "come on Nikki" chants which are like a woodpecker drilling against my skull, the fact that Paige's character from NXT was all but forgotten when she moved up to the main roster and seems her career is going nowhere after her disappointing feud with Charlotte or the fact that I have to sit through Nikki Bella dominating the Diva's division. This match went five minutes, it felt like they were going through the motions and Nikki wins with a poor looking roll up and she is supposed to be holding the tights but she doesn't even grab the tights until the referee is counting three. I wish I could do piss breaks for reviews but sadly , I do not have this luxury(Perhaps I should hire some mindless servants, yes I will call the WWE creative team).




Dean Ambrose vs Bad News Barrett

          They are talking about Manchester United and England for half of this match because Rooney dived and had a twitter confrontation with Barrett. Ah commentary never seems to amaze me from this company. It is your basic raw match with both men hitting their respective moves like the wasteland and the diving elbow etc. Barrett tries to avoid Ambrose as he knows he will tear his head off if he gets the opportunity. The referee ends up disqualifying Ambrose for his relentless attacks on Barrett. Dirty Deeds by Dean as he takes the intercontinental championship foreshadowing his reign with the title by a whole year.




Rusev vs John Cena(United States Title Match)

             The undefeated Rusev vs the unbeatable John Cena, someone must lose and someone is walking away champion. Rusev dominates early on in the match with spinning heel kicks and submission holds. What annoys me most about John Cena matches is that the commentators seem to only stay focus and tell the story and moves of his matches. They are not great announcers by any chance especially Lawler who might just be finally turning things around on Smackdown but at least they seem to be interested in this match compared to other matches on this show. This is before Cena's reign as United States champion(say what you want about the man but he put on some good matches during his reign) so his moveset is more restricted and limited here. Cena puts on the STF and hits an AA but it is simply not enough to take down the Bulgarian Brute. Cena tries for the leg drop from the top but Rusev reverses into a powerbomb, locking in the Accolade. Cena tries to escape, eventually powering out before Lana distracts the referee, allowing Rusev to hit the low blow and a kick to the face before Rusev applies the accolade once more for the victory. A good match from these two. However, the future would be brighter for Cena as Rusev lost all of his momentum in his losses to Cena following this match while Cena continued to be pushed as strong as ever. Hell, he didn't even pass out to The Accolade, he was hit with a low blow and kick to the face, knocking him out before being locked in Rusev's finisher. Would it have hurt Cena to lose cleanly to the new unstoppable monster? No but we all knew it wouldn't happen didn't we? 



Daniel Bryan vs Roman Reigns(Winner to headline 
Wrestlemania)


         Let me start off by saying I hate the concept of the winner of the rumble having to put the opportunity that he already won on the line at the pay per view following the rumble. What was the point of winning the rumble if you could just get a title shot at the next event if you asked for a title shot. It really devalues the Royal Rumble and renders the whole concept pointless. Moving on, the fans wanted Bryan to win the Rumble, he had returned from injury, he had never lost the title, we wanted a feel good moment to start 2015. WWE had other plans, they wanted Roman, they had Bryan eliminated early in the Rumble and everything went to shit. When The Rock can't save you from the boos, something is seriously wrong so here we have Daniel Bryan against Roman Reigns for a shot at the title at the biggest event of the year. Bryan challenged Roman because the fans like him and not Roman and Roman accepted because he is confident he can whip Bryan's ass. So we are supposed to be divided on opinion of the two yet you have Roman come off like a cocky heel because he thinks he can beat Bryan no problem. Hmmm.... I really think the creative team and Vince might be insane but let's cover the match. With Bryan you will get a good match regardless of who he is in the ring with and that is no exception here as Bryan ducks and dodges Reigns using kicks to wear Reigns down while also showing the strength of Reigns by bumping big for him and allowing Reigns to toss him around like he was as light as a feather. Bryan catches Reigns with a kick to the midsection as Reigns goes for The Superman Punch, the announcers bring up Reigns recent hernia operation. A trifecta of dropkicks in the corner leave Reigns in a heap before he hits a powerbomb from the second rope. Suicide dives from Daniel to further Reigns' injuries, Reigns goes for a spear but hits the steel steps before both men are nearly counted out. Reigns goes for the spear again but small package by Bryan 1..2.. kickout. Bryan hits the running knee 1...2... KICKOUT again by Reigns! A Yes Lock is still not enough to put away Reigns. Repeated kicks by Bryan before he signals one last time for the running knee strike. Bryan leads the crowd in yes chants before running towards Reigns who greets with a spear for the 1...2...3. Great match between these two with Reigns showing he could hang with the best WWE has to offer even though you could argue Bryan planned much of the match and carried Reigns but I don't care you have to give credit where credit is due and Reigns earned it on this night. It is amazing to think that this is almost one year ago and Reigns has not progressed since this night. Yes he is a two time champion but he did not have that special moment like Bryan. Night after night, Reigns enters buildings where he is mostly booed instead of being cheered. WWE have done everything within their power to make Reigns beloved by the fans and they have failed as of this moment. Coming into this month's Fastlane, the fans know Reigns will be most likely pinning Ambrose like they knew he would beat Bryan on this night and I honestly feel bad for the guy as I feel it is not going to be welcomed with loud cheers and once again, the fans won't want Roman, they will want Bryan.






         Well that's my review of Fastlane, it was an enjoyable pay per view, I don't feel like I wasted my time and it was nice to see so many superstars wrestle that are now on the injured list. Will this year's Fastlane be more exciting? It is possible but for Roman's sake, I hope that everything works out the way WWE wants it to work out. This has been another installment of Sean's Wrestling Reviews, until next time see you later!

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