WWE Fastlane live results: Kevin Owens vs. Goldberg
Preview by Joseph Currier
WWE presents its final pay-per-view before WrestleMania tonight as Fastlane takes place at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The show should reveal much of the direction for Raw heading into WrestleMania. In the main event, Kevin Owens will defend his WWE Universal Championship against Goldberg. The match will be Goldberg’s second since returning to the company, following his squash of Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series last year.
We’re looking for your thoughts on Fast Lane, as well as last night’s UFC 209 and New Japan’s anniversary show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to dave@wrestlingobserver.com
Most of Raw’s other titles will be on the line as well. Bayley will defend the Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson will defend their tag titles against Enzo Amore & Big Cass, and Neville will put his Cruiserweight Championship on the line against Jack Gallagher.
Samoa Joe will also wrestle in his first WWE main roster PPV match as he takes on Sami Zayn, Roman Reigns will collide with Braun Strowman, Sasha Banks will face Nia Jax, and there will be a cruiserweight tag team match on the pre-show.
Our live coverage begins with the kickoff match before the main card starts at 8 p.m. ET.
**********
During the preshow they announced that both Rusev and Jinder Mahal would be having singles matches tonight when they came in and said they didn’t want to team and both wanted matches tonight, but turned down facing each other.
AKIRA TOZAWA & RICH SWANN VS, BRIAN KENDRICK & NOAM DAR
Sold opener. Toned down for sure but nothing wrong with it. Swann & Tozawa did a double dive, with Swann doing a running tope con giro and Tozawa did his tope. Tozawa used a German suplex on Kendrick to take him out and Swann pinned Dar with the Phoenix splash.
SAMOA JOE VS. SAMI ZAYN
Instead of doing the great back-and-forth show it was less than ten minutes andmostly Joe dominating with Zayn not getting a ton of offense. Zayn went for the Helluva kick but Joe caught him in a uranage and planted him and then won clean with the choke. Zayn didn’t struggle for the ropes or anything, he just went out.
Bayley interview. Bayley said that Charlotte has the advantage tonight because she’s undefeated in PPV singles matches and she’ll probably bring Dana Brooke out. Bayley said that Charlotte if she wants to prove she’s the best she should leave Brooke in the locker room Nia Jax came out and said she’s going to rip Sasha Banks to shreds and if Bayley wins, she’s coming after her.
LUKE GALLOWS & KARL ANDERSON VS. ENZO AMORE & BIG CASS FOR THE TAG TITLES
The crowd is hot for Enzo doing the sing-along with his interview.
Another short match. At one point Enzo had Anderson pinned with the rocket launcher but Gallows pulled Enzo off. Enzo dove off the apron onto Gallows but went to get in the ring and Anderson used a running kick and got the pin. Enzo’s foot was on the ropes but Gallows shoved the foot off the ropes and the ref didn’t see it.
Mick Foley was on the phone with Stephanie, who supposedly is stuck at the airport and won’t make it in time for the show. Stephanie said she was going to stay on the phone with Foley for the rest of the show but then the phone got disconnected.
NIA JAX VS. SASHA BANKS
Banks pinned her with an O’Connor roll after rolling off her back with a Samoan drop. Another short match but the crowd was into it. It wa a lot better than their first match as it was a good story. Jax destroyed her most of the way, so one-sided that you almost knew Banks would get the “fluke” finish. The crowd was into it when Banks made a comeback and and went for guillotine and choke submissions. The match worked for what it was supposed to be.
Rusev and Mahal stared fighting. Mahal threw Rusev into the post and landed a jumping knee.
Cesaro and Sheamus came out.
CESARO VS. JINDER MAHAL
The match was technically okay but nobody cared. Mahal got a lot of offense in as Cesaro sold his lower back most of the way and couldn’t do his power moves. Mahal even kicked out of a crossbody but Rusev got up and distracted Mahal and Cesaro pinned him after an uppercut forearm
Rusev attacked Mahal afer the match and beat on him in the corner and gave Mahal a jumping kick.
BIG SHOW VS. RUSEV
Show kicked him in the face. Rusev got some advantage working over the knee. The crowd was into this with “USA” chants but they reacted more like a TV match. Show got out of the accolade and destroyed Rusev with three choke slams, put him in the corner with Rusev sitting there and used the knockout punch for the pin.
Kevin Owens asked who Goldberg has beaten in the last ten years. Said he’s only beaten one guy and it doesn’t impress him since he’s beaten Cena, Reigns, Ambrose, Rollins. He said he’ll outmsart and outwrestle Goldberg tonight. He said he’ll beat anyone they put in front of him and mentioned Zayn and The Rock. Said tonight is the Kevin Owens show, as it will be tojmororw and as long as he wants it to be.
NEVILLE VS. JACK GALLAGHER FOR THE CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE
This was really good. Gallagher did some head-butts and Neville used a middle rope Phoenix splash for a near fall. Gallagher missed his dropkick into the corner and did a head-butt that popped the crowd big in the corner. He went for a superplex, but Neville reversed him and dropped him on the mat. Neville then scored the pin with the Red Arrow.
Paul Heyman did a promo, said if Goldberg wins, Lesnar will win the title at Mania, then Brock wins. If Owens wins, he’ll expose a weakness that Brock honestly hasn’t found yet but when he finds that weakeness he’ll beat Goldberg at Mania and then win the Universal title later. So no matter who wins, the ultimate winner is Brock Lesnar. He teased Lesnar being there without saying it.
The New Day is out and introduced the New Day pops.
ROMAN REIGNS VS. BRAUN STROWMAN
Great match. Strowman looked so impressive to the point that even though he lost clean, I don’t think it hurt him at all. He was a monster throughout the match, with the same spot of not going down from the Superman punch. He kicked out of a spear. Reigns tried a spear on the floor and Strowman caught him and powerslammed him through the Spanish announcers table. He also kicked out of a Samoan drop. Reigns did the big where he couldn’t believe Strowman wasn’t going down. The finish saw Strowman do a splash off the top rope, which was teased really well. He missed and Reigns hit a second spear for the pin.
BAYLEY VS. CHARLOTTE FOR THE WOMEN’S TITLE
Charlotte’s PPV record is done. Match was good but couldn’t follow the previous match. Dana Brooke wasn’t there. Bayley kicked out of natural selection. Charlotte was teasing a moonsault to the floor when Banks came out. Charlotte attacked her. Bayley used a belly to belly on the floor due to the distraction but the idea was Bayley didn’t know Banks distracted Charlotte. Charlotte went for an inside cradle and held the trunks but Banks told the referee. Bayley then hit the belly to belly as Charlotte turned around from yelling at Banks for the pin.
KEVIN OWENS VS. BILL GOLDBERG FOR UNIVERSAL TITLE
Owens stalled forever as far as getting into the ring. As soon as the bell rang, Jericho came out and Owens was distracted. Goldberg used a spear and jackhammer for the pin in 21 seconds. People didn’t boo this and it wasn’t a surprise but this wasn’t the reaction of the Lesnar win.