WWE Fastlane 2018 Results: AJ Styles the Right Choice and Top Takeaways

Hope became expectation and ultimate reality at WWE Fastlane on Sunday night.

Fans have been willing the company to keep the WWE Championship on AJ Styles through to the biggest pay-per-view of the year, with it leading to a dream match against Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleMania 34.

Those dreams have now become reality following Styles' success in the main event at Fastlane—and that wasn't the only major takeaway from the show.

The blue brand's women's division received a major boost just in time for WrestleMania, while several other title pictures became much clearer.

But could the same be said for the rest of the card? Here are the biggest takeaways from WWE Fastlane.

WWE Swerves Us All with Asuka, but Where Does Carmella Fit In?

Asuka's surprise arrival at Fastlane was arguably the best moment of the entire night.

For weeks, it had been expected The Empress of Tomorrow would stay on Raw and fight Alexa Bliss at WrestleMania—but instead, WWE appears to have traded her to the blue brand to face Charlotte Flair.

That was seemingly confirmed by Asuka herself after the show, when she confirmed she had picked Flair as her opponent for Mania.

This creates several exciting avenues for the company. The first is a dream match between arguably the two best in-ring female performers on the roster in Asuka and Flair.

There is also the question of what happens to Raw's women's division given the hole Asuka has just created—and there is the prospect of Carmella lingering in the background to consider, too.

She still has her Money in the Bank briefcase, and time is running out for her to cash it in.

Will the company have her do it at WrestleMania? If so, it could spell trouble for Asuka's undefeated streak.

A Triple Threat Tag Title Feud for WrestleMania

Credit: WWE.com

There's good news for fans of The Usos vs. The New Day—that rivalry is continuing for at least another few weeks.

Only there's a bit of a twist this time as, judging by the way Sunday's tag title match between the duo was booked at Fastlane, they're going to be joined by The Bludgeon Brothers at WrestleMania.

Luke Harper and Erick Rowan have been hanging around The Usos and The New Day for a while now, and it's been obvious WWE has been building up to putting them into the tag title picture.

Doing so for WrestleMania is a big move, though, and it indicates how serious the company is about the duo.

Whether they win the titles at Mania remains to be seen, but right now it looks like we're getting three teams competing for the belts in New Orleans on April 8, rather than two.

The Phenomenal One vs. the Artist Was Only Option for WWE Championship

Not even WWE could have dropped the ball with its booking of the Fastlane main event on Sunday night.

Despite there being some stellar talent squaring off against AJ Styles for the WWE Championship, The Phenomenal One really was the only choice for the company in the show's main event.

Three years ago, the prospect of Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in any kind of match would have been mouthwatering.

Instead, fans will get to see two of the most popular wrestlers on the planet battle for WWE's most prestigious prize at WrestleMania.

It should be the main event of Mania—not least because it's an impossible task for any other bout to follow Styles vs. Nakamura.

But no matter where it is placed, it will be the match fans want to see the most. Thankfully, WWE got its most important booking decision at Fastlane correct.

SmackDown's Major Plans for WrestleMania Remain Largely Unclear

The WWE Championship match between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura may now be locked in for WrestleMania—but beyond that, what's happening with the rest of SmackDown's plans for the show?

Fastlane could, and perhaps should, have been the opportunity to start to put some serious plans in place for a number of top stars.

Instead, the company left fans in the dark about what they can expect for the likes of Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler and Kevin Owens.

SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon will almost certainly compete, but who will he face? Returning down the route of him taking on either Zayn and/or Owens would be a mistake right now.

Similarly, Ziggler looks to be in real limbo once again—just as he has been for the past year at least.

Throw in other big names such as Baron Corbin, Rusev and more, and it's clear there's still plenty of work to do in terms of the blue brand's WrestleMania plans.