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, Dallas Allsopp, Greg Coleman and Matt Morgan preview WWE Fastlane 2021.
Fastlane 2021 marks the final stop on the Road to WrestleMania 37. Despite being the final pay-per-view before the most important show of the year, Fastlane feels decidely poor, with very little effort put into the matchups. Will Apollo Crews walk away WWE Intercontinental Champion? Just what is going on between Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair? And can Daniel Bryan finally upset the odds against Roman Reigns?
Question 1: Who will walk out of Fastlane as the WWE Intercontinental Champion? Is this truly Apollo Crews’ time to shine in WWE?
ALLSOPP: I feel it will be Big E who walks out of Fastlane as WWE Intercontinental Champion, but he will not walk out on his own two feet. I love Apollo Crews’ recent heel turn, but I feel it would be more effective if he lost by disqualification, only to absolutely decimate Big E. This would ultimately lead to a collision at WrestleMania 37, with Crews finally walking away with the gold. This is the best time to strike with Crews, as his character has never felt so important before.
COLEMAN: This close to WrestleMania, I think Big E wins and sets up the rematch with Apollo Crews at WrestleMania when the title changes hands. I’m loving everything about Crews' new character, and I believe it’s definitely his time to shine. Just have him do it on the Grandest Stage of Them All!
MORGAN: I am predicting Big E will retain at Fastlane. I love that the company has given Apollo Crews a new character. For so long, Crews was portrayed as a happy-go-lucky type of guy. That portrayal led to Crews being overlooked, even though he is a gifted athlete. With this new character, I truly believe Crews will begin receiving more opportunities. However, Crews' new character isn’t seasoned yet. I feel like there is more time for Crews to develop and solidify his new persona. Once that happens, then I think we will see him win the Intercontinental Championship.
Question 2: In order to fix what has arguably been a poor build to Sasha Banks vs Bianca Belair at WrestleMania 37, how would you have the Women’s Tag Team Championship match finish?
COLEMAN: No argument about it, the build for this dream match has been poor. There are two different ways WWE could go with this. First of all, they could have Sasha Banks walk out on Bianca Belair and lean more towards the heel side of things for the upcoming WrestleMania match by costing them the match. Secondly, they win the titles and drop them on Night One. If they are going to have this match again, it makes zero sense for them to not win the titles and go into WrestleMania as Champions.
MORGAN: My ideal finish would be for Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair to lose their match. Following the match, I would love to see Banks turn heel and viciously beat down Belair. Up until this point, they have both been pushed as faces, and I believe the build to their match at WrestleMania has suffered as a result of that. If Banks was to go full heel at Fastlane, the storytelling capabilities for her match with Belair would increase drastically. I can see Banks playing an excellent heel and underestimating Belair, which would then lead to spirited promos and brawls between the two. However, that type of build can’t happen unless Banks turns heel this Sunday.
ALLSOPP: I am not looking forward to this match, as I expect to see a continued fall in quality of the storyline between Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair. I expect Reginald to feature in some manner, but in all honesty, I’m only down for a Banks heel turn. Give this feud some real spark!
Question 3: Is there any chance that Daniel Bryan upsets the odds and defeats Roman Reigns for the WWE Championship? Will Edge have the final say about who he faces in the main event of WrestleMania 37?
MORGAN: Roman Reigns will retain the WWE Championship against Daniel Bryan. Reigns has been built as an unbeatable machine since turning heel last fall. Because of that, I can’t see the company taking the title from their top guy right before WrestleMania. Seeing Bryan win the WWE Championship from Reigns would be an incredible underdog story, but I can’t see that happening until SummerSlam.
ALLSOPP: I feel there has been too much focus on this being the last chance for Daniel Bryan to main event WrestleMania. Any result other than a Bryan win would seem poor, especially as I have convinced myself we will be getting a Triple Threat match at WrestleMania 37. The fact we have a special enforcer adds a nuanced layer to the match, one I think can work in Bryan’s favour. I’m going out on a limb to say Bryan wins, with some intervention from Edge directly leading to the finish.
COLEMAN: Daniel Bryan will lose this Sunday to Roman Reigns in the best match Reigns has had during his heel run. I would say the chances of Bryan winning are slim to none. However, I believe Bryan ultimately loses because Edge interferes and inadvertently costs Bryan the match, which will set up a Triple Threat at WrestleMania for the WWE Championship.
Those are our thoughts on the issue, but where do you stand?
Let us know your answers to these questions in the comments below!
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