Bayley vs. Charlotte Flair: WWE Fastlane 2017 Match Preview and Pick

Among the several title matches set to occur at WWE Fastlane 2017 will be Bayley vs. Charlotte Flair for the Raw Women's Championship, a rematch from a recent encounter in the main event of Monday Night Raw.

Their upcoming championship clash will mark their third major matchup in the past month, initially going to war with the gold up for grabs at the Royal Rumble last month. There, Charlotte successfully defended her title against Bayley, as well as her impressive undefeated streak on pay-per-view.

On the Feb. 13 edition of Raw, Sasha Banks prevented Dana Brooke from interfering and ultimately aided Bayley to victory. For the first time since arriving on Raw, WWE's resident hugger earned the right to call herself a champion, though it didn't take long for Charlotte to invoke her rematch clause at Fastlane. 

This time around, the roles will be reversed, with Bayley walking into the event with the title in tow and Charlotte in chase mode. Despite reigning as the NXT Women's champion for a whopping eight months, Bayley doesn't have nearly as much experience in big-time matches as Charlotte.

As previously mentioned, Charlotte has yet to lose in a one-on-one match on the grand stage, and she doesn't plan on falling short when it matters most any time soon. Regardless of the result, the latest instalment in their epic rivalry should surely be one of the more anticipated matchups on the entire card.

For months, Charlotte, Bayley and Sasha Banks have traded the title back and forth with none of them holding the strap for more than a few weeks. That said, it's high time one of them embarked on a long reign with the championship and built a steady stream of momentum.

Lurking in the background has been Nia Jax, who has beaten both Banks and Bayley in singles competition this year. While she has yet to challenge for the title since debuting on the main roster, it's only inevitable that she enters the championship picture.

Elsewhere on the card at Fastlane, Jax and Banks will rekindle their rivalry and do battle one-on-one. That should ensure that they won't factor into the finish of Charlotte vs. Bayley, not to mention Brooke's involvement in Charlotte's matches has been fairly inconsistent over the last year.

Charlotte proved at the Royal Rumble that she is fully capable of defeating Bayley in clean fashion, but Bayley has yet to achieve that same feat. Although Fastlane will provide her with that chance, she remains the underdog against the Flair family scion given her adversary's winning ways on pay-per-view.

With that mind, fans should expect to see Charlotte reign supreme versus Bayley at Fastlane and become a five-time Raw Women's champion in the process.

Credit: WWE.com

WrestleMania 33 takes place one month after Fastlane, so it's safe to assume WWE won't waste time in building toward the event with the women. In fact, the seeds have already been planted for what the Raw Women's Championship match will likely be at the Show of Shows.

This past Monday night on Raw, Charlotte teamed with Jax in a winning effort against Bayley and Banks. This is in line with the Fatal 4-Way women's title match WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton hinted at for WrestleMania in early February.

There isn't a more fitting stage for Charlotte and her storied streak to finally be conquered than WrestleMania, which would mean a win for her at Fastlane is virtually guaranteed. Bayley's first run with the title being cut short so soon may seem premature, but it should lead to a more monumental moment come WrestleMania.

As for the type of match Charlotte and Bayley will have on Sunday, all of their encounters from NXT and the main roster have been nothing short of excellent. Unfortunately, their next match against each other won't carry a stipulation, but it should be one of the better bouts of the night, nevertheless.

With WrestleMania 33 looming large, both Bayley and Charlotte are intent on walking into Orlando with the gold in their grasp, and we'll see Sunday following their heated confrontation who will have the esteemed opportunity of doing so.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a Digital Journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.