Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.

This week, Ben Guest, Jordan Chaffiotte, and Greg Coleman will be giving their thoughts on what may happen at WWE Fastlane 2019!

We're rapidly approaching our destination on the Road to WrestleMania! At Fastlane, we will get one more Shield match, Kevin Owens challenging Daniel Bryan, and the latest in the Raw Women's Championship Saga. So, what do we think will happen? Let's discuss...


COLEMAN: The Shield didn’t get back together to lose. They win in convincing fashion and Ambrose and Reigns probably move on to a tag team match with Corbin and McIntyre or Elias at WrestleMania.

GUEST: I think we see The Shield get the win and possibly even have Roman and Dean in the Raw Tag Team Championship Match at WrestleMania. It would help capitalize on the idea of Dean Ambrose leaving possibly being a work and they could always have Dean turn on Roman at Mania to increase sympathy (not that it’s needed), before his move to SmackDown… maybe… or Seth moves with the belt… who knows?

CHAFFIOTTE: All of the above. I suspect they will pick up the win, given that their reunion is one of the big draws of this largely inconsequential pay-per-view. That said, the destination this time of year is always WrestleMania. Roman Reigns has to be Dean Ambrose's last opponent in the WWE (and that match should open the show, but that's neither here nor there). So by the end of Raw next week, we need to be headed there. I hope they take a creative route rather than a simple paint-by-numbers betrayal. The last thing I want to see is Dean just change his mind because we felt like it. Maybe putting Seth in the middle of it makes the most sense, as he will be out of the picture for Mania but needs something to do while Brock Lesnar sits at home. I'm interested to see how it plays out.


CHAFFIOTTE: Absolutely not, they've enjoyed this cat and mouse game (spoiler, we're the mouse) but ultimately it was always going to be Becky Lynch's moment. I don't mind the addition of Charlotte to the match, and I feel like their story is better fleshed out. Ronda, though, is just confusing. What is up with her? This whole thing has felt very messy the past couple of weeks so they need to play some clean up. Given the way that Ronda has struggled recently, I'd lean more heavily on Charlotte and Becky's long-standing rivalry. Ronda's just not a good promo and she can dish it out but she can take it. Becky and Charlotte know how to build the hottest feud on the roster.

I'd like to see Charlotte accept Becky's addition to the match and take it as a challenge rather than whining all through the next month. It should be about the first-ever women's WrestleMania main event, the pedigree of that moment and the prestige of winning that title in that match. Ronda's random heel turn does give Charlotte the opening to slide back to tweener territory. Ideally, Ronda will storm out of WrestleMania after losing the title and take a hiatus, while Charlotte gives Becky respect for winning it. Hey, we could even get a curtain call moment with Sasha and Bayley to top it off.

COLEMAN: This is the WWE so there is a scenario where Charlotte could beat Becky Lynch clean in the middle. They’ve booked worse stuff. However, I don’t believe they will be that foolish and Becky will win the match to get her title shot she earned by winning the Royal Rumble, something that has gotten glossed over. I believe the best way to do it would be for Becky to win clean. Another scenario could be Ronda Rousey getting Charlotte disqualified by attacking Becky or attacking both and causing a no-contest to set up the Triple Threat.

GUEST: I think they’re playing up to the idea of “we’re going to give you what you want” and now they’re pretending to not give us what we want (in this scenario and the one in the next question). But ultimately I think Becky wins here and at WrestleMania.

I hope she wins clean, but I could see Ronda getting involved as part of her “I want to face Becky” schtick. I think the latter would really help keep Charlotte strong, which is WWE’s M.O.


GUEST: As I said in the last question, I think this is all part of the story that eventually leads to us getting what we want… but I’m also aware that this is WWE and Vince McMahon doesn’t really care what we think. I pretty much agree with Charlotte and Greg that this is a switch of what was originally planned in order to give Kofi a bigger moment. However, I do still think WWE wants another Daniel Bryan WrestleMania moment. I wouldn’t mind Kofi winning at Mania or… Backlash? But for now, I think Bryan wins at Mania.

CHAFFIOTTE: I have to hold onto the idea that they did it because they recognized that this was a hot feud. Like I said before, this is the most inconsequential pay-per-view of the year so I think it would've actually been a waste to have Kofi challenge on this one. Daniel Bryan should retain and then we can worry about getting Kofi back to his spot at WrestleMania. As a guy who was in a very similar position a few years ago, I think Bryan will be ecstatic to put Kofi over and give him his big WrestleMania moment. I will miss the Planet's Champion and his custom Championship, though.

COLEMAN: This is a situation where the ends will justify the means. If Kofi gets the WrestleMania match and wins the title then it was the right decision. If Kofi gets the match and loses clean ala HHH-Booker T, it was a terrible decision. The match and the moment have to happen to justify pulling him.