Credit: WWE.com
The pay-per-view will be SmackDown's last single-brand event as WWE will revert to dual-brand shows following WrestleMania starting with Backlash in May. That decision was made in large part because of the poor quality of SmackDown, which has been plagued by dwindling attendance, struggling TV viewership and an overall dip in quality since WrestleMania 33 last year. The blame for SmackDown's lackluster product cannot be put on the shoulders of its talent, but rather, comes down to pedestrian booking that has overlooked or badly booked many of the show's best stars.
Fastlane is a chance for WWE to right the ship in time for WrestleMania 34, and the good news is that the pay-per-view's card actually looks very good on paper and could potentially help SmackDown regain the momentum it badly needs. Bouts like The New Day vs. The Usos and the Six Pack Challenge match for the WWE Championship could be fantastic in-ring encounters, but ultimately, what's more important is that those matches create intriguing twists and turns that will up the excitement with WrestleMania less than a month away.
As always, it will be up to the creative team, which has, at best, done a mediocre job of late, to deliver a quality show that lays the foundation for SmackDown's biggest WrestleMania matches. WWE officials reportedly realize that the SmackDown product has been bad in recent months, so if there was ever a time for SmackDown to improve it and regain the momentum it had early last year, Fastlane is it.
Here are five smart booking decisions WWE must make at Fastlane 2018.
Randy Orton Or Bobby Roode Turns Heel
Credit: WWE.com
One of the biggest issues with the blue brand is its lack of a legitimate No. 1 heel, and even though Owens and Zayn have been pushed as just that, their overexposure has really halted any momentum they had when they first joined forces last October.
It's not all doom and gloom for SmackDown, though, because the United States title match features two babyfaces who are tailor made to be villains and are long overdue for a heel turn. The first is Randy Orton, who is arguably the most recognizable star on the blue brand, one who generates strong YouTube viewership and search interest and appears to be a top merchandise seller as well. Orton, of course, is widely considered to be a more natural heel and is a prime candidate to turn heel in the near future to give SmackDown some more options in that category at the top of the card.
Likewise, Bobby Roode also demonstrated in NXT that he's best suited as an antagonist, which explains why he was essentially the face of NXT for much of his time there. Roode was given the task of headlining multiple NXT TakeOver events and played a key role in NXT becoming the success it is today, but WWE made the baffling decision to push him as a babyface on the main roster, which hasn't exactly worked out for him.
Roode has seemed uncomfortable working as a babyface, and the widespread belief is that he'd benefit tremendously from a heel turn that would bring him back to his roots. That's what makes Fastlane the ideal opportunity for WWE to pull the trigger on moving either Orton or Roode to the dark side, which would benefit not just Orton or Roode but the entire SmackDown roster by breaking up the monotony of Owens and Zayn dominating the blue brand's heel side.
Charlotte Flair Retains The SmackDown Women's Title
Credit: WWE.com
The biggest star in SmackDown's women's division is Charlotte Flair, who should hold the title until at least WrestleMania 34.
WWE's female audience is bigger than ever before, and Flair has played a big role in the growing popularity of women's wrestling. WWE executive Michelle Wilson noted during the Q3 2017 earnings conference call (h/t WrestlingInc) that WWE sees "success for the female superstars with digital & social followers, ratings when female matches are on TV and viewership when they have female matches on pay-per-view."
It's a safe bet that Flair is one of WWE's most popular female performers, especially given that Google Trends data indicates she's generating far more interest than any of SmackDown's other female stars, including her Fastlane opponent Ruby Riott. Flair is someone who should always be a featured performer in the women's division of whatever show she is on, and with the prospects of a WrestleMania 34 dream match against Asuka looming, now is certainly not the time for her to drop the SmackDown Women's Championship.
Flair should continue to be the focal point of SmackDown's women's division and a cornerstone of the blue brand, which lacks the overall star power that Raw's women's division has.
">WWE Fastlane 2018 features AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, John Cena and Baron Corbin fighting for a spot in the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania 34.
Credit: WWE.com
The pay-per-view will be SmackDown's last single-brand event as WWE will revert to dual-brand shows following WrestleMania starting with Backlash in May. That decision was made in large part because of the poor quality of SmackDown, which has been plagued by dwindling attendance, struggling TV viewership and an overall dip in quality since WrestleMania 33 last year. The blame for SmackDown's lackluster product cannot be put on the shoulders of its talent, but rather, comes down to pedestrian booking that has overlooked or badly booked many of the show's best stars.
Fastlane is a chance for WWE to right the ship in time for WrestleMania 34, and the good news is that the pay-per-view's card actually looks very good on paper and could potentially help SmackDown regain the momentum it badly needs. Bouts like The New Day vs. The Usos and the Six Pack Challenge match for the WWE Championship could be fantastic in-ring encounters, but ultimately, what's more important is that those matches create intriguing twists and turns that will up the excitement with WrestleMania less than a month away.
As always, it will be up to the creative team, which has, at best, done a mediocre job of late, to deliver a quality show that lays the foundation for SmackDown's biggest WrestleMania matches. WWE officials reportedly realize that the SmackDown product has been bad in recent months, so if there was ever a time for SmackDown to improve it and regain the momentum it had early last year, Fastlane is it.
Here are five smart booking decisions WWE must make at Fastlane 2018.
Randy Orton Or Bobby Roode Turns Heel
Credit: WWE.com
One of the biggest issues with the blue brand is its lack of a legitimate No. 1 heel, and even though Owens and Zayn have been pushed as just that, their overexposure has really halted any momentum they had when they first joined forces last October.
It's not all doom and gloom for SmackDown, though, because the United States title match features two babyfaces who are tailor made to be villains and are long overdue for a heel turn. The first is Randy Orton, who is arguably the most recognizable star on the blue brand, one who generates strong YouTube viewership and search interest and appears to be a top merchandise seller as well. Orton, of course, is widely considered to be a more natural heel and is a prime candidate to turn heel in the near future to give SmackDown some more options in that category at the top of the card.
Likewise, Bobby Roode also demonstrated in NXT that he's best suited as an antagonist, which explains why he was essentially the face of NXT for much of his time there. Roode was given the task of headlining multiple NXT TakeOver events and played a key role in NXT becoming the success it is today, but WWE made the baffling decision to push him as a babyface on the main roster, which hasn't exactly worked out for him.
Roode has seemed uncomfortable working as a babyface, and the widespread belief is that he'd benefit tremendously from a heel turn that would bring him back to his roots. That's what makes Fastlane the ideal opportunity for WWE to pull the trigger on moving either Orton or Roode to the dark side, which would benefit not just Orton or Roode but the entire SmackDown roster by breaking up the monotony of Owens and Zayn dominating the blue brand's heel side.
Charlotte Flair Retains The SmackDown Women's Title
Credit: WWE.com
The biggest star in SmackDown's women's division is Charlotte Flair, who should hold the title until at least WrestleMania 34.
WWE's female audience is bigger than ever before, and Flair has played a big role in the growing popularity of women's wrestling. WWE executive Michelle Wilson noted during the Q3 2017 earnings conference call (h/t WrestlingInc) that WWE sees "success for the female superstars with digital & social followers, ratings when female matches are on TV and viewership when they have female matches on pay-per-view."
It's a safe bet that Flair is one of WWE's most popular female performers, especially given that Google Trends data indicates she's generating far more interest than any of SmackDown's other female stars, including her Fastlane opponent Ruby Riott. Flair is someone who should always be a featured performer in the women's division of whatever show she is on, and with the prospects of a WrestleMania 34 dream match against Asuka looming, now is certainly not the time for her to drop the SmackDown Women's Championship.
Flair should continue to be the focal point of SmackDown's women's division and a cornerstone of the blue brand, which lacks the overall star power that Raw's women's division has.
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