WWE Fastlane 2016: Titles Most Likely to Change Hands at Event

With the Royal Rumble behind us, Fastlane 2016 is the last major stop on the Road to WrestleMania—and as such, it's the last opportunity for WWE to shuffle its deck in relation to championship reigns.

If there are no title switches ahead of April 3, the champions going into WrestleMania will each have reigned for longer than 100 days with the exception of Triple H and Kalisto, who both won their championships, the world heavyweight and United States titles respectively, at the Rumble. That makes it likely we'll see a switch at Fastlane on Feb. 21.

Championship	Holder	Duration
WWE World Heavyweight Championship	Triple H	71 days
Divas Championship	Charlotte	197 days
Intercontinental Championship	Dean Ambrose	113 days
United States Championship	Kalisto	71 days
Tag Team Championship	The New Day	225 days

The question is which champion will almost reach the Showcase of the Immortal with their gold intact, only to fall at the final hurdle? Here are the most likely candidates as it stands.

The New Day

It's interesting to look back at this time last year and see The New Day as an afterthought in the build to WrestleMania. Despite the talent involved, the faction simply hadn't found its feet—of course, a lot has changed in the 12 months since.

However, it's clear the trio stands at an impasse. They're the longest-reigning champions on the main roster, and they've seen off challenges from The Usos on more than one occasion. It's difficult to say what more New Day can achieve with the titles in tow, which suggests the group might be better off returning to the chase.

Credit: WWE.com

The tag division seems to be without any real direction, simply ticking over thanks to the popularity of its champions. That's fine for the moment, but audiences will expect something to sink their teeth into as WrestleMania draws closer.

A title change at Fastlane would at least reset the division as a whole, giving WWE the opportunity to start building to a compelling WrestleMania bout from scratch.

Of course, there's always the chance we'll see this holding pattern continue until a multi-team bout springs up out of nowhere at the eleventh hour.

Kalisto

Given Kalisto only won his United States Championship on Sunday, it might seem unlikely he'll drop the gold at the next pay-per-view. However, it's worth remembering the title has already changed hands three times in 2016—compared to four times over the course of last year.

Based on the excellent bout between Kalisto and Neville from the most recent edition of SmackDown, it may well be the United States Championship is set to undergo a change of identity. It might not be the Cruiserweight Championship in name, but it could easily fulfil a similar purpose if required.

There's a clear logic to maintaining lengthy title reigns for the likes of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. However, the drawbacks to your world title being passed around like a hot potato don't apply to the United States Championship.

Kalisto shouldn't lose the gold without a string of solid defences—but it may well be the title is being put before the individual in this case. At the end of the day, the length of his reign won't matter too much so long as it's filled with defences as enjoyable as his match against Neville.

Dean Ambrose

At present, Dean Ambrose is only confirmed for the No. 1 contender main event at Fastlane—but there's nothing to say he couldn't do double duty and make a title defence earlier in the night.

In fact, such a scenario would help raise the stakes for the all-important Triple Threat. The Lunatic Fringe can commiserate himself for his heavyweight title near-misses with the Intercontinental Championship as it stands, but without the gold around his waist, the prospect of a world title match at WrestleMania would seem all the more appealing.

Credit: WWE.com

With no clear Intercontinental Championship program in the works for WrestleMania, it could well be a multi-man ladder match similar to last year is being considered. The likes of Kevin Owens and AJ Styles could do a great deal to differentiate this year's bout to its predecessor.

However, Ambrose is likely to have a singles feud ahead of the biggest event of the year given he's among the most popular wrestlers on the roster. He's earned a marquee match—and even if he hadn't, the injury crisis might have forced management's hand regardless.

Ambrose has had a fine reign as champion, but the belt could be put to better use for WrestleMania season. Whether he loses the gold at Fastlane or even sooner, an Intercontinental Championship shake-up offers far more positives than negatives.

Which titles do you see changing hands at Fastlane 2016? Let us know in the comments section below.