WWE Fast Lane 2015: Handicapping Most Likely Swerves at Marquee PPV
With WrestleMania 31 fast approaching, time is swiftly running out for WWE to execute some major swerves in the buildup the event.
The storylines for the biggest pay-per-view of the year are already starting to be crafted following what was a pretty indifferent Royal Rumble.
The first "proper" edition of Raw—excluding last Monday's taping, which was snowed off—started the ball rolling toward WrestleMania good and proper. But before that, WWE has to negotiate a new pay-per-view show: Fast Lane.
Given how it's the final pay-per-view before WrestleMania 31, it's important for WWE to use Fast Lane to whet the appetite ahead of the big one.
So what sort of swerves could WWE pull off at the show?
5. Stardust Turns His Back on Goldust
1 of 5
Given how WrestleMania is the biggest show of the year—in both importance and length—it's vital for WWE to stack the card out with valid, worthwhile rivalries.
One of those could come in a traditional family feud, as two brothers play a part in bringing an end to one of the most distinguished WWE careers of the past 20 years.
Goldust seems to be slowly winding down in the ring after a stellar career—and with The Rhodes Brothers fading away from the tag team spotlight, the time is right for a Brother vs. Brother match at WrestleMania.
We saw a glimpse of Stardust becoming frustrated with his older brother on Raw this past week, and should a full turn happen at Fast Lane—with Stardust perhaps once again becoming Cody Rhodes—we'd get another good addition to the card at WrestleMania 31.
4. The Undertaker Returns to Confront Bray Wyatt
2 of 5
WWE would have you believe that nobody really knows who Bray Wyatt is referring to in his latest spell of mysterious promos.
However, anyone who has glanced at a wrestling website over the last few weeks would know that Wyatt's latest target is believed to be The Undertaker, with a match between the two in the offing for WrestleMania 31.
So for some sort of buildup to a potential match, The Undertaker will need to show up at some point.
Fast Lane seems like a smart place for that to actually happen—not least because we'd get a good solid month of promo from there on out.
How WWE bring Undertaker back as a legitimate swerve, though, is anyone's guess.
3. Randy Orton Returns
3 of 5
Among the madness and confusion—and frankly, the anger—surrounding the Royal Rumble, it was particularly surprising to see WWE hold back on Randy Orton's return.
With so much going on in that marquee match, perhaps the company felt like it would be more beneficial to hold Orton back and give him a defining moment in the spotlight.
A match between Orton and Rollins is now looking more certain than ever before—especially after Rollins lost out to Daniel Bryan in the bid to face Roman Reigns at Fast Lane.
So booking Rollins in a match—or even just giving him a segment of his own in the ring—at Fast Lane would provide the perfect opportunity for Orton to return.
Orton's return as a babyface would be exciting for WWE—not least because it's a role he has not performed while The Authority have been in power.
If that opens the door for Orton and Triple H to reignite their lively rivalry, then Orton's return at Fast Lane really would be best for business.
2. Damien Mizdow Finally Turns on The Miz
4 of 5
Another thing many people expected to happen at the Royal Rumble was that Damien Mizdow would at long last turn his back on The Miz.
Mizdow's role as The Miz's stunt double was one of the biggest success stories of 2014, not least because it helped the former find a place in many WWE fans' hearts.
Pulling the trigger on their relationship has to be done at the right time, and with a WrestleMania match between the two still looking possible, Fast Lane looks like the time for Mizdow to turn babyface.
There's still a fairly grave sense of injustice surrounding how Sandow was devoid of a proper run at the top end of the company, in truth. WWE dismissed him back down the card after failing to win the World Heavyweight Championship against John Cena, and his days looked seriously numbered as a relevant character with the company.
This potential turn could be the making of Damien Sandow/Mizdow at WWE. When he does turn on The Miz, it promises to be a very intriguing few weeks leading up to WrestleMania 31.
1. Dolph Ziggler Costs Daniel Bryan Against Roman Reigns
5 of 5
After the way Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler were both unceremoniously dumped out of the Royal Rumble, fans of both men wondered what on earth was in store for them at WrestleMania 31.
Of course, neither man was fancied to win the event, but Bryan's exit midway through the match—followed by Ziggler's being tossed over the top rope like a rag doll—just didn't sit right.
However, WWE seems to be setting us up for a hugely anticipated clash between the two at WrestleMania, with the company even going public on speculation linking the two men with a bout.
Any match would naturally require their paths to cross at some point in the near future—and if anyone is going to light the fuse, you would suspect it would be Ziggler.
Constantly frustrated at a lack of opportunities at the top of the card, will Ziggler strike out against Bryan after he was thrust back into the main event scene? There is a logical storyline for WWE to work with here, and having Ziggler screw Bryan at Fast Lane would be a great move.
After all, it's locked in that Roman Reigns will be facing Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31, so Bryan has to lose somehow. Having a likely foe like Ziggler cost Bryan the match would be the smartest booking all round, one would suspect.
.jpg?w=600 "WWE Raw Results & Grades 🔠")
