WWE Fastlane 2015: Early Predictions for Matches on the Card

On Sunday, February 22, World Wrestling Entertainment presents Fastlane, a brand new stop on the road to WrestleMania.

The show takes the place of the previously annual Elimination Chamber pay-per-view and will be headlined by a match with major 'Mania implications.

Daniel Bryan will have the opportunity to earn a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, a title he never rightfully lost, when he meets 2015 Royal Rumble match winner Roman Reigns. The winner of their battle will go on to the Showcase of the Immortals to challenge Brock Lesnar for the top prize in the sport.

But that is not the only huge contest that the company has in store for subscribers of the WWE Network.

John Cena will attempt to become the first Superstar to pin or make submit the current United States champion, Rusev.

Cena's significant other, Nikki Bella, will look to successfully defend her Divas Championship against Paige, who is easily the toughest challenge the champion will have faced to this point in her reign.

These three matches have helped form the foundation for a pay-per-view that will set the stage for WWE's most prestigious and important event of the year.

Who should fans expect to see emerge victorious?

Enjoy these early predictions.

Credit: WWE.com

No. 1 Contender's Match: Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan's place in the championship picture is a direct result of the fan reaction to his elimination in the Royal Rumble and the backlash that Roman Reigns faced upon his victory in the same bout.

Over the last few weeks, WWE Creative has portrayed Bryan and Reigns as competitive rivals who have a common enemy in The Authority. Despite the fact that Triple H and Stephanie McMahon have openly acknowledged that they are manipulating the competitors, playing them against each other, that has not stopped Reigns or Bryan from doing exactly what the heels wanted.

Questionable booking, to say the least.

While the story may not make the most sense, Bryan and Reigns have done a solid job of telling it. More importantly, the crowd has been split. Whereas Reigns had previously been booed by the majority, he and Bryan now have their own portions of the audience supporting them as they prepare for the huge main event at Fastlane.

Some may look at Bryan's involvement in the story and suggest that the top-billed match on the WrestleMania card will be a Triple Threat match for the second consecutive year. They might expect to see Reigns overcome another obstacle in his path to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, defeating Bryan and cashing his ticket to the biggest show of the year, and the most important match of his young career.

Prediction: Roman Reigns pins Daniel Bryan

Credit: WWE.com

United States Championship Match: John Cena vs. Rusev

For the last year, Rusev has been built up as an unstoppable force, specifically for the purpose of facing John Cena in a high-profile match somewhere down the line. With WrestleMania right around the corner, most expected that the long-awaited clash between WWE's resident superhero and the Bulgarian Brute would be one of the featured matches on that show's card.

Instead, it was booked for Fastlane, a pay-per-view that is likely to be forgotten in short order, barring some sort of instant classic match.

Whether the timing of the match is right or not, the most important thing will be booking a finish that does not result in a pinfall or submission loss for the current United States champion before WrestleMania. Otherwise, WWE risks ruining a year's worth of build for a secondary event that will prove unmemorable six months down the road.

With all signs pointing to a return match between the two Superstars occurring weeks later at the Showcase of the Immortals, a finish that sees a desperate Rusev intentionally getting himself disqualified or counted out to avoid defeat makes the most sense.

Especially since there is no way Cena takes a clean loss.

Prediction: John Cena defeats Rusev by disqualification

Credit: WWE.com

Divas Championship Match: Paige vs. Nikki Bella

The Bella Twins have channeled their inner Mean Girls as of late, poking fun at No. 1 contender Paige's looks, going as far as to spray her with tanner on a recent episode of Monday Night Raw.

But the second-generation British competitor has not allowed the scrutiny and criticisms to derail her momentum. Instead, she is riding a wave of it into Fastlane, where she will look to become a three-time Divas champion by knocking off Nikki Bella.

At this point, it feels too early to take the title off of Nikki. She has been an effective heel champion and, considering the Bella Twins are the faces of the Divas division in today's WWE, they figure to play a role at WrestleMania.

Paige, at the same time, has recovered nicely from a disappointing end to 2014 and is picking up more and more crowd support as each week passes. A clean defeat would almost assuredly put an end to that and send her tumbling back down the ranks.

Thus, look for Brie Bella to get involved, perhaps physically, as Nikki successfully defends her title, all the while creating questions among fans regarding Paige and her rightful spot as the top contender to the championship.

Prediction: Nikki Bella defeats Paige following interference from Brie Bella