WWE Fastlane 2018 Matches: Dream and Nightmare Scenarios for Top Stars
The last stop before WrestleMania is WWE Fastlane 2018, and that means Sunday's results will be vital to determining the futures of many top stars on WWE SmackDown Live on the Road to WrestleMania. A win or a loss could be career-defining.
Not everyone will get their best-case scenario at Fastlane, but some may get their worst. Based on how this show goes down, the biggest stars in WWE could be left with barely a spot at 'Mania in New Orleans on April 8. It all hinges on what happens in their important matches.
Could AJ Styles lose his WWE Championship just before heading to The Grandest Stage of Them All for the second year in a row? Is it possible John Cena might miss the big event entirely? Would WWE leave The Usos off the 'Mania main card again?
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These are the dream and nightmare scenarios for all of SmackDown's biggest stars—results that could define their futures and determine where they stand at The Showcase of the Immortals.
AJ Styles
Dream: He survives the Six-Pack Challenge and gets his match with Shinsuke Nakamura.
Few scenarios are more likely than this, with Styles vs. Nakamura too good a match for WWE to pass up. These two arrived in WWE around the same time after both spending years dominating New Japan Pro-Wrestling, including putting on a classic together at Wrestle Kingdom 10 in 2016.
The two were destined to clash again in WWE when the time was right, and the time is absolutely right. Styles has made clear this is the match he wants, and Nakamura was quick to choose Styles as his opponent for 'Mania. These two are a perfect pair.
With Monday Night Raw's main event match a battle of hard-hitting heavyweights, SmackDown needs its own main event to feel unique. Styles vs. Nakamura has the potential to be a true showstopper.
Nightmare: Anyone besides Cena wins and leaves Styles out of the title match.
There are a host of potential matches that can come from Fastlane because six men are all fighting for one title. While Cena has made clear if he wins that he wants to face both Styles and Nakamura, the rest of the field may not be as excited to let Styles into their title match.
Last year, around this time, The Phenomenal One lost the WWE Championship, and he ended up being thrown into a feud with Shane McMahon. While the two arguably stole the show, it was a step down from where Styles would have liked to be.
It would be crushing if he lost his championship at Fastlane and was not included in the title match. Who would be left to face Styles?
Most of the roster has already fallen to Styles at some point, so it would take a surprise star appearing to make any match for Styles that remotely rivals the expected title bout.
Charlotte Flair
Dream: Charlotte takes down The Riott Squad, and Asuka appears to challenge her.
Any ideal scenario for Charlotte would include her leaving with her SmackDown Women's Championship, especially against a star like Ruby Riott, who has repeatedly talked down the legacy of the current champion. The real crowning moment, though, would be an appearance from Asuka.
The Queen has always been up for a challenge, and there is no greater challenge right now in all of WWE than the undefeated Asuka. Not only would this match be a potential showstealer, it would also be a fresh bout between arguably the biggest female stars on their respective brands.
WWE has been careful to make clear that Asuka has not picked the champion she wants to face on The Grandest Stage of Them All, and the reason for that may be because she is waiting to make sure Charlotte is still champion after Fastlane.
Nightmare: Riott proves Charlotte is not the top woman on SmackDown and takes her title.
On this week's edition of WWE SmackDown, Riott made her mission statement clear as she stated her entire purpose on the main roster was to take the title from Charlotte and prove The Queen is not as great as everyone thinks she is.
With a huge spot at WrestleMania on the line, Charlotte losing now would be crippling, showing that Riott may just be right. This would likely extend the feud and force the two to fight again at 'Mania, but it would not be the spotlight Charlotte was after.
Flair is one of the best female athletes in wrestling. Anything less than working at the top of the card would be a huge disappointment, with The Show of Shows shaping up to be the best showcase of the women's division in WWE's history.
John Cena
Dream: Cena wins his 17th world championship and defends it on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
Cena has been clear about his goals for months now. He will do anything to get a spot at WrestleMania, and a win at Fastlane would do more than that. Confident, even cocky going into Sunday, Cena seems certain he will meet his dream scenario and win the WWE Championship once again.
Having already tied Ric Flair's record of 16 world championships, Cena would become the only man in history to win 17 WWE-recognized world championships in his career. It would solidify an incredible career for The Champ and give him his WrestleMania match.
Cena laid out this entire dream on Raw, and it is not too far-fetched. Cena vs. Styles vs. Nakamura would be a great match to headline The Showcase of the Immortals. It just seems more likely Cena is headed to a different match.
Nightmare: Cena loses and nothing else comes up, leaving him without a spot at 'Mania.
The story being told with Cena has been defined by this balancing act of the best- and worst-case scenarios. If Cena loses, he might just miss WrestleMania, which would be a shocking turn of events. While it is unlikely, the situation has been set up.
What would the leader of the Cenation do if he fails? Logically, many stars would love to face Cena on The Grandest Stage of Them All, and there's always the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. However, those are smaller roles that Cena may just not want to take on.
Perhaps the biggest star WWE has produced in a decade, Cena is on a dangerous path and growing more desperate with each failure. If he loses at Fastlane, that could cause him to do something he is not proud of just to get his spot at WrestleMania.
The Usos
Dream: They defeat The New Day once more and choose their opponents at WrestleMania.
The feud between The New Day and The Usos has been the driving force in the SmackDown tag team division for almost a year now, and this could well be their last match together for a while. If Jimmy and Jey Uso emerge victorious, it would solidify their status as the top team on the brand.
What better way would there be to top off that victory than The Usos being allowed to choose their opponents for WrestleMania? They have beaten most of the division, and those left standing all come off as not fully ready for the next step.
However, if the tag team champions choose their opponents, it would immediately make clear who they see as worthy rivals on the most important night of their careers. The best bet would be The Bludgeon Brothers, but fans likely wouldn't mind Breezango or Rusev and Aiden English getting that chance.
Nightmare: New Day take their titles, and they miss the main card for The Show of Shows again.
It is shocking to look back on The Usos' careers at WrestleMania. Two of the best tag team wrestlers in the modern era, Jimmy and Jey have never been on the main card of the most important show of the WWE year.
Even last year, when they were SmackDown tag team champions, they were only included in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. They have consistently worked the Kickoff show throughout their careers and rarely in the most exciting of matches.
If The Usos lose at Fastlane, they would likely be relegated to the Kickoff again, and they deserve far better than that. New Day also deserve a spot at WrestleMania, but no one needs that spotlight more this year than the consistently snubbed veterans at the top of their game.
Dream: He wins the United States Championship and earns a singles match at WrestleMania.
Last year at this time, The Viper was preparing to win the WWE Championship in a match against a rival he had been working against and with for months. This year, it feels like Orton is on the outside looking in as The Show of Shows approaches.
One way to change that perception would be for Orton to capture the one championship he has never held in his career: the United States Championship. Whoever holds that championship is much more likely to make the main card at 'Mania, with Bobby Roode hoping for the same.
A longtime WWE veteran, The Apex Predator has almost done it all in WWE, and this would complete his championship collection. He would be in the driver's seat and back near the top of SmackDown.
Nightmare: Jinder Mahal injures Orton backstage and takes his place in the title match.
Mahal has been a constant presence in this championship feud, but he has not yet been added to the U.S. title match. With his constant mind games, it is easy to assume that he will play some part in the match at Fastlane with his own sights set on gold.
Orton could likely handle being cheated of the championship if he got to wrestle, setting up a rematch at WrestleMania, but Mahal could also attack him backstage and force his way into the title match instead of Orton. Few would be happy about that result, especially Orton.
With little time left to guarantee a spot at The Showcase of the Immortals, every match is vital. The Modern Day Maharaja could be the X-factor who ends up costing Orton a match, a championship and perhaps his spot on The Grandest Stage of Them All.
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