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Seth Rollins Defeats Shinsuke Nakamura at WWE Fastlane 2021
March 22, 2021
Seth Rollins defeated Shinsuke Nakamura at WWE Fastlane on Sunday ahead of what figures to be a Rollins vs. Cesaro match at WrestleMania 37.
Rollins put Nakamura away with The Stomp to prevail in a hard-fought match.
Rollins and Cesaro have been at odds for several weeks dating back to The Swiss Cyborg walking out during Rollins' speech to the SmackDown roster. Ever since then, the former universal champion has been out for revenge in any way possible.
A couple of weeks ago, Rollins interfered in a singles match between Cesaro and Murphy, laying his rival out with a Stomp. He did so in retaliation for Cesaro swinging him rather than agreeing to join forces with him.
After Rollins stomped Cesaro, he walked past Nakamura backstage. The King of Strong Style previously held the SmackDown Tag Team Championships with The Swiss Cyborg and didn't appear particularly impressed by Rollins' actions.
On the go-home episode of SmackDown prior to Fastlane, Rollins cut a disparaging promo against Cesaro before Nakamura interrupted and made his way to the ring.
Rollins talked up the Japanese Superstar and tried to get him to join him just as he did with Cesaro, but The King of Strong Style instead decided to lay him out with a Kinshasa.
The Fastlane match between Rollins and Nakamura was announced shortly thereafter, setting the stage for just the third-ever televised singles match between them.
Rollins beat Nakamura back at Survivor Series 2018 in an intercontinental champion vs. United States champion match, and they later fought to a no-contest on a 2019 episode of SmackDown after "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt interfered.
Fastlane presented two of the best in-ring workers in the world with the opportunity to showcase their talent, and they did precisely that.
Rollins winning came as little surprise since a WrestleMania match against Cesaro is almost certainly on the horizon, but Nakamura acquitted himself well and may have put himself in position for a bigger push moving forward.
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