Examining Ways to Add Fan Interest in WWE Fast Lane

Fast Lane steps onto the WWE calendar for the first time with no history, no identity and minimal expectations.

The brand-new pay-per-view got a boost when WWE announced that John Cena would face Rusev at the event, a bout expected to be saved for WrestleMania. A Triple H and Sting confrontation is presumably on tap too after The COO called out The Icon. 

Still, Fast Lane doesn't have a wealth of buzz yet. Its position between the heavily criticized Royal Rumble and WrestleMania makes it feel like a transitional show. 

The WWE needs to compensate for that and Fast Lane's lack of prestige with high-stake matches, turning up the animosity in the tag team division and incorporating NXT. These additions up the pay-per-view's depth and gives it its own distinct flavor.

Tournament Finals

Fast Lane's status as a precursor to WrestleMania should be embraced. No feuds are going to climax here. Marquee matches are going to get pushed to March.

The WWE would be smart then to have Fast Lane feed directly into The Show of Shows. Let the pay-per-view host the finals of a tournament that awards the victor a prize at WrestleMania.

One option is to allow the winner the prestigious spot of taking on Undertaker at the event where he was won 21 times. That is, of course, if The Deadman is healthy enough to compete. 

The tourney winner could also have the right to select anyone on the roster not named Roman Reigns or Brock Lesnar as their WrestleMania foe. Should Bray Wyatt win, he might choose Undertaker. If Dolph Ziggler wins, maybe he opts for a showdown with Daniel Bryan. 

Credit: WWE.com

Raw and SmackDown gets the bonus of hosting the early rounds of the tournament. The finals at Fast Lane feel like a conclusion in one sense and the lead-up to WrestleMania in another.

Plus, if WWE has a big name like The Rock locked down for a deal, this is a hell of a way to announce that he is wrestling at the big event. If Bryan wins the tournament, he would stun fans by naming The Rock as his opponent of choice.

Give The Usos an Actual Feud

At the Royal Rumble, the tag team title match featured good action but lacked bite. There has been far too little narrative in The Usos' rivalry with The Miz and Damien Mizdow. It's felt like WWE has just trotted out those teams against each other with no forethought.

For Fast Lane, the company should work to make The Usos' next title defense feel like a must-watch collision.

Have Cesaro and Tyson Kidd attack the champs' father, Rikishi, when he shows up for an episode of Raw. Build a story around the champions seeking revenge and the heels looking to rattle Jimmy and Jey.

The tag team division has lacked spark for a long time now. Focusing on that portion of the roster will feel fresh at this point.

Plus The Usos showed off an ability to produce engaging, memorable matches during a stretch against The Wyatt Family last summer. Giving them an emotionally charged story and talented opponents like Cesaro and Kidd are sure to result in excellence.

Should the WWE craft the most anticipated tag title match in months, more fans will be anxious to see how Fast Lane turns out.

A Gimmick Here or There

The audience now expects a final showdown between Big Show and Roman Reigns. Those two have clashed too many times to not get a proper conclusion to their feud. And Reigns could use a momentum-booster after the poor reaction to his Rumble win.

Credit: WWE.com

Making that bout a steel cage match helps it stand out and gives it that feeling that the story has reached its end. In theory, it would keep the rest of The Authority out as well, but that never goes as planned.

The Intercontinental Championship could use some help from the world of gimmicks as well. Bad News Barrett should face his next opponent in a ladder match.

That type of bout has produced some of the best IC title matches of all time from Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit at the 2001 Royal Rumble to Dolph Ziggler vs. Luke Harper at TLC. Carrying on that tradition adds a fun element, helping to make up for not having a ton of time to build toward Barrett's next title defense.

There is certainly a danger of overdoing these type of matches, but they make the card better on paper, aiding them in being different from the fare fans see on Raw every week.

A Chance For a Contract

Rather than just have Adrian Neville pop in on Raw one day and stick around on the main roster, why not milk the drama out of him earning his way there?

In the weeks leading up to Fast Lane, the former NXT champ can approach Triple H backstage. He asks The Game if he believes he is ready to go from developmental to WWE proper. Triple H isn't sure. 

He pits him against Bad News Barrett one night. Neville fights hard and impresses but ultimately loses.

Neville begs for another shot. Triple H says he can earn a main roster contract by knocking off Kane at Fast Lane. 

The pay-per-view gets a classic "David versus Goliath" story, a fresh face in Neville and Kane gets someone to fight other than Bryan. It's a match with high stakes and one that WWE hasn't run into the ground.

This could eventually morph into a tradition for the event. Money in the Bank has its titular ladder match, the Royal Rumble has the 30-man contest and Fast Lane could be where one NXT prospect has the chance of a lifetime.

If WWE instead goes with familiar pairings and standard matches or else the kind of story-less battles that we saw on the Royal Rumble midcard, Cena vs. Rusev isn't going to be enough to get fans to tune in to Fast Lane. The newborn pay-per-view needs a personality and elements to look forward to that the rest of the calendar doesn't offer.