WWE Fastlane 2017 Results: Worst Booking Decisions from PPV

With WrestleMania 33 just under one month away, the primary purpose of WWE Fastlane 2017 was to set the stage for the spring spectacle. The pay-per-view certainly had potential on paper, but it ultimately suffered from a slew of questionable outcomes.

The event wasn't entirely terrible, however, as there was some solid wrestling during the show like Samoa Joe vs. Sami Zayn and the WWE Cruiserweight Championship match. Sadly, these entertaining matchups will be forever overshadowed by the criticism that clouded the pay-per-view.

Needless to say, Fastlane was a weak effort from the Raw brand heading into WrestleMania 33, and the following bad booking decisions are to blame. 

Roman Reigns Conquers Braun Strowman

Credit: WWE.com

It was evident from the moment Roman Reigns eliminated The Undertaker from the Royal Rumble match that those two were on a collision course toward WrestleMania. Henceforth, there was no real reason why Reigns vs. Braun Strowman needed to happen at Fastlane in the first place.

For months, Strowman has been built as a dominant threat on Raw and has actually shown signs of immense improvement as a performer. To cut that hot momentum short in favor of Reigns picking up a win was foolish regardless of who Reigns faces at the upcoming event.

Granted, Reigns is coming off three straight losses on pay-per-view, but he needed a win at Fastlane far less than Strowman. The Mountain of a Man should have remained undefeated for a while longer, at least until WrestleMania.

Strowman was by no means "buried" by Reigns at Fastlane, and he can still be a big star, but the follow-up is key. He did not need to be beaten in clean fashion via pinfall when it would have been significantly easier to go with a non-finish.

The most obvious route to take would have been Undertaker costing Reigns the match and allowing Strowman to score the victory. They saved the 'Taker and Reigns faceoff for Raw the next night but missed a golden opportunity Sunday.

Charlotte Flair's Storied Streak Prematurely Comes to an End

Credit: WWE.com

Before Fastlane 2017, Charlotte won every title match she had on pay-per-view since debuting on the main roster. Not many fans took notice of it until WWE themselves began to acknowledge it on-air late last year.

Once she beat Sasha Banks for the Raw Women's Championship as many times as she did on the grand stage, WWE might as well have gone all the way with it. She extended her streak with another victory at the Royal Rumble before dropping the title to Bayley on a random Raw show in February.

Most fans weren't ecstatic over the idea of Bayley losing the title so soon at Fastlane, but it was what should have happened so Charlotte could go into WrestleMania with her streak intact. If nothing else, a count-out or disqualification win would have ensured the best of both worlds.

Oddly enough, the match wasn't thrown out even after Banks made physical contact with Charlotte at ringside. Bayley then went on to hand Charlotte her first defeat on pay-per-view, shocking the wrestling world in the process.

It would have meant more had Bayley won the championship at Fastlane or WrestleMania, where the end of Charlotte's streak would have come with the most fanfare.

Goldberg Captures Universal Championship in Predictable Fashion

Credit: WWE.com

No one should have been surprised by Goldberg's Universal Championship victory at Fastlane. The writing was on the wall for Kevin Owens and his title reign once it was announced Goldberg would receive his shot at the strap before facing Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania.

As I discussed one month ago, Lesnar vs. Goldberg is an attraction on its own and does not need the world title attached to it. Nevertheless, WWE felt it was fit to give Goldberg the title, so at Fastlane, it was merely a matter of how he would win it.

Goldberg capturing the championship wasn't the issue as much as it was how it happened. Firstly, killing time over the course of the night with meaningless matches and segments so the show could end right at three hours made it painfully apparent how long the title match would last.

WWE also booked themselves into a corner because Owens should not have survived longer than Lesnar at Survivor Series. Having Chris Jericho return and distract Owens was the only outcome that made sense, yet it didn't do Owens any favors whatsoever.

Monday's Raw aside, Goldberg hasn't taken a single bump since WrestleMania 20, so it would have been a breath of fresh air to see him sell just for a few moves. Unfortunately, WWE went with the most predictable path possible, and it resulted in an underwhelming conclusion to the event.

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.