WWE Fastlane 2019 Results: Reviewing Top Highlights and Low Points
The final stop on The Road to WrestleMania 35 was WWE Fastlane 2019, which had a card that promised much more potential than previous years in this event's history.
This time around, five titles were on the line, Becky Lynch had to scratch and claw to earn her way back into her rightful main event, and The Shield were set to reunite once more to fight the good fight.
That was a rather stacked deck for what is normally a throwaway pay-per-view, but did that potential pan out or fizzle away?
What were the positives and negatives of the event that will have people talking heading into Raw and SmackDown and the final push toward WrestleMania?
Presented in order of appearance, here are the standout highlights and low points from WWE Fastlane 2019.
Full Match Results
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WWE Fastlane 2019 results
- The New Day defeated Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura by pinfall
- The Usos defeated Shane McMahon and The Miz by pinfall to retain the SmackDown Tag Team Championship
- Asuka defeated Mandy Rose by pinfall to retain the SmackDown Women's Championship
- The Bar defeated Kofi Kingston by pinfall
- The Revival defeated Aleister Black and Ricochet and Bobby Roode and Chad Gable by pinfall to retain the Raw Tag Team Championship
- Samoa Joe defeated Andrade, Rey Mysterio and R-Truth in a Fatal 4-Way match to retain the United States Championship
- The Boss 'n' Hug Connection defeated Nia Jax and Tamina by pinfall/submission to retain the Women's Tag Team Championship
- Daniel Bryan defeated Kevin Owens and Mustafa Ali in a Triple Threat match by pinfall to retain the WWE Championship
- Becky Lynch defeated Charlotte Flair by disqualification
- The Shield defeated Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley by pinfall
Highlight: Kickoff Pre-Show
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Nine times out of 10, kickoffs are a total waste of time and offer almost nothing of value beyond background noise, but Fastlane's pre-show wasn't actually all that bad.
The featured match between The New Day and Rusev and Shinsuke Nakamura was a solid contest from bell to bell, despite having zero build and absolutely nothing on the line. It was just a fun match to warm up the audience.
The use of the panelists, backstage segments and supplemental material was also tighter than normal and had some worthwhile contributions, instead of merely eating up time for the sake of it.
For example, AJ Styles—who wasn't scheduled for the card—made an appearance to endorse Kofi Kingston for a WWE Championship match to further that storyline. Also, a tease was made for Kingston possibly getting into the WWE title match later in the night, giving fans an intriguing mystery to wonder about.
The other kickoff match was upgraded, too. Originally, Andrade and Rey Mysterio were set to battle it out in a regular singles match, which was changed to a Fatal 4-Way for the United States Championship including Samoa Joe and R-Truth.
Even EC3 somehow had a chance to speak, which is rare, as well as start a possible romance angle with Mandy Rose.
While none of this was essential to watch live, those who tuned in to the kickoff actually got something out of watching it.
Highlight: The Usos vs. Shane McMahon and the Miz
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The match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship was already a good enough segment on its own, since the crowd was heavily invested and all the Superstars put enough passion and zest in it to keep the energy high.
But the true highlight for this portion of the night was seeing Shane McMahon turn heel by attacking The Miz after the match.
Cleveland was the perfect place to do this, as The Miz's hometown ate it up and sold an intense distaste to McMahon's actions. This was the right call to make, as The Miz is too fresh and working too well right now as a babyface to revert him back to the status quo.
As WWE intended, this will set the stage for a confrontation between the two come WrestleMania, and that feud has started with enough heat to make it worth the while.
Low Point: SmackDown Women's Championship Match
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The SmackDown Women's Championship match between Asuka and Mandy Rose certainly wasn't the worst match ever or anything that horrible, but in comparison to the rest of the card, it didn't measure up.
Be it chemistry or timing, something was off, and the match felt awkward for pretty much its entirety.
Thankfully, there were no major botches like what happened at a recent live event when Asuka was dropped on her head and narrowly avoided a serious injury. Everything that failed to be executed well here was much less significant.
Rose is slowly but surely progressing in her wrestling skills, but this was a step back. It was also not up to the caliber The Empress of Tomorrow has been able to deliver in the past, meaning her lackluster title reign has taken another hit.
At least the ending of this match was purposely cumbersome and will put more tension between Rose and Sonya Deville, which may lead to an interesting story to play out over the coming weeks, so it wasn't all for naught.
Highlight: Interstitial Elias Segments
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It took a while, but WWE finally seems to be putting into action the promise to change how the product is presented to us, and one of the fun ways that was exhibited at Fastlane was with the use of Elias in a series of bumper segments.
They were short and to the point: Elias came out to sing a quick song berating a popular babyface, just to rile the crowd up.
At first, he made fun of The Miz. Then, it was Kingston and The New Day, followed by Becky Lynch.
Not only was this a smart way to utilize Elias' strengths and get him on the card, but it also acted as a fun breather between matches and helped drive home the feelings WWE wanted the audience to feel.
Lacey Evans had her moment during one of these segments to come out and do her shtick of walking down the ramp, which would have been an underwhelming end to it all, but there was an ace in the hole with Randy Orton hitting Elias with an RKO out of nowhere, followed by AJ Styles nailing Orton with a Phenomenal Forearm.
Little touches like this, when done well, can make a huge difference in the overall feel of the product, and whoever suggested this deserves major kudos for spicing things up.
Highlight: Raw Tag Team Championship Match
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It's amazing how putting six talented performers in the ring together and letting them do their thing manages to work out more often than not, isn't it?
That's exactly what happened in the Raw Tag Team Championship match, with The Revival retaining their titles against Aleister Black and Ricochet as well as Bobby Roode and Chad Gable.
Perhaps the confidence boost of actually being on the main card and not the pre-show or being ignored altogether made it extra special. Maybe all the Superstars involved had chips on their shoulders and wanted to prove themselves. Or, it might have been great just because of the pure skill of those involved, but whatever the reasoning, the match was a lot of fun.
Its placement on the card was optimal, too, as the previous few segments were bummers and less energetic, whereas this one turned Fastlane's momentum back in a more positive direction.
The Revival needed the win, so the right call was made there, as well as on who should take the pin. Roode and Gable were the sacrificial lambs, and it was smart for them to lose to keep Ricochet and Black from taking a loss.
To further drive home the point that these NXT stars are going to be big deals, the post-match fight illustrated how they probably could have won if this were a straight-up competition instead of a Triple Threat match.
Highlight: Fatal 4-Way United States Championship Match
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Andrade and Rey Mysterio could have had a great match on the kickoff as originally advertised, but it was an upgrade to see R-Truth and Samoa Joe added into the mix to put the United States Championship on the line in this Fatal 4-Way match.
Not only was it refreshing to see the United States title not immediately relegated to the sidelines as it has been for the past year and for two more people to get on the card, but it meant there was a wider variety of styles that could mix it up.
Mysterio did his thing as the high-flyer, pulling out some sensational hurricanranas to prove yet again that he is the greatest mask of all time.
R-Truth put up a fight for keeping his name in the title hunt, even while being a more comedic character by channeling John Cena for a Five Knuckle Shuffle, keeping The Franchise Player in the minds of the fans in preparation for whatever he's set to do at WrestleMania.
Andrade also continued to impress, to no surprise. Even while not being the most featured player, he held his own, and if he doesn't win that title or an equivalent in 2019, it will be a travesty.
Once again, the right call was made in booking Samoa Joe to retain the title, so all is well in the United States title scene.
Mixed Bag: Women's Tag Team Championship Match
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The segment revolving around the Women's Tag Team Championship wasn't a total failure, nor was it a total success.
The match between The Boss 'n' Hug Connection against Nia Jax and Tamina was nothing to write home about. It wasn't as cumbersome as Asuka vs. Rose, but it had its share of awkwardness by the sheer size difference between the two teams.
Every time Superstars as small as Bayley and Sasha Banks face much larger opponents, the level of suspension of disbelief goes through the roof. It should be a one-sided affair, but everyone has to play along and pretend that Bayley and Banks continually land punches that rock the women who are significantly greater physical threats.
But while the match itself was just OK, what followed was the real story that will be tracked going forward, as Beth Phoenix took the fight to Jax and Tamina in an attempt to stop them from destroying Banks and Bayley.
This prompted Natalya to try to help Phoenix, but all four babyfaces wound up worse for wear with the heels standing tall.
Mixed Bag: WWE Championship Triple Threat Match
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The decision to tease Kingston for the WWE Championship match, only to replace him with Mustafa Ali had its benefits and its downsides.
The good in this was that it accomplished the goal WWE intended, which was to upset the audience into chanting "we want Kofi" and further push the agenda that he deserves a match for the belt, which he will assuredly receive at WrestleMania.
However, inserting Ali as his replacement wasn't done with enough of a delicate touch.
The crowd started the segment with boos, which derailed the match in a way that it was never fully able to recover from.
Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens and Ali did their best to put on what was a great performance under any other circumstances, but the fans definitely weren't as into it as they normally would have been since there was disappointment about Kingston still lingering in the air.
It's also tricky to put Ali in a position to be considered the underwhelming option, as this may hurt his standing in the eyes of the WWE Universe going forward.
Similar to what WWE already did with Owens acting as a replacement, both men aren't such firm, untouchable babyfaces that they are immune to losing momentum by being in the position to be booked specifically as underwhelming alternatives.
That forces fans to pick and choose, ranking Kingston above both Owens and Ali, putting those two further down the pecking order. It forces WWE to do damage control to make sure under any other situation they should be treated with a much better reception.
It would have helped mitigate any potential problems had WWE driven home the point of reference how Ali was originally scheduled to be in the Elimination Chamber match before he was replaced by Kingston.
That would have justified his spot in the match much more, rather than bringing him out knowing the fans would boo him not as Ali, but as "not Kingston" in their eyes.
Here's hoping those negatives don't come out of this and fans hold no grudges against Owens or Ali going forward, as Owens and Ali are super talented, well-deserving of top spots and all three Superstars in this match put on a great show at Fastlane.
Highlight: Becky Lynch Wins Her Spot at WrestleMania
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The match between Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch was never meant to be a five-star classic. The entire purpose of this was to add to the drama of this feud and to act as the catalyst for making it a Triple Threat at WrestleMania.
In that regard, WWE hit the nail on the head by having Ronda Rousey interfere, attack Lynch to give her a win by disqualification and leave it at that.
Logically, Lynch should have never been able to beat Flair on one leg, no matter how popular she is. If she had forced The Queen to tap out or suffer a pinfall loss, it would have felt fake.
This outcome not only got Rousey to make an appearance when she was otherwise not officially advertised to show up, it gave Lynch a reasonable win. It also created an issue between Rousey and Flair, who could use more animosity between the two since they're so frequently overshadowed by The Man.
Highlight: The Shield vs. Drew McIntyre, Baron Corbin and Bobby Lashley
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Whatever the future may hold for Dean Ambrose, it was fun to see him team up with Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns at least one more time, even if The Shield was up against three somewhat randomized heels in what was reminiscent of Super Show-Down several months back.
Knowing that it could be the final time this stable can do this sort of act gave it a boost and made it feel more special.
WWE could have played it safe here by keeping Rollins and Reigns less involved in the match to preserve their health, but that ended up not being a factor. Instead, the rules were thrown out, and this became a standard Shield affair with a big brawl outside the ring and lots of destruction.
Hearing the crowd chant "this is awesome" instead of "this is boring," and "Corbin sucks" rather than booing Reigns, is so refreshing.
While some people might be upset that there was no heel turn or any major angle to finish the night, others can rejoice that this was a feel-good moment that didn't need to be overbooked or end the event with some negativity just to get people talking about Fastlane heading into Monday Night Raw.
Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.
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