5 surprising moments from WWE Fastlane 2021

#1 Roman Reigns taps out at WWE Fastlane 2021

Roman Reigns moments before he tapped out at WWE Fastlane.

WWE has done a good job of building up the upcoming WrestleMania match between Roman Reigns and Edge, so it was interesting to see Daniel Bryan pushed into the title picture at WWE Fastlane. He has shown the same desperation as Edge in recent weeks as he believed this was his only chance to get back into the WrestleMania main event. However, it seemed inevitable that Roman Reigns would win and get a shot at Edge at WrestleMania. That quickly changed in a shocking and surprising finish on Sunday night.

The 30-minute match between Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns was among the best in pro wrestling this year. It was an excellent mix of Reigns’ power moves versus Bryan’s submission prowess. Daniel Bryan was certainly in his A-game for submission offense at WWE Fastlane. It was the surprising finish that will impact WWE storylines going forward.

The referee was knocked out late in the match. This forced Edge to actually step into the WWE Universal Championship match at WWE Fastlane as the enforcer and temporary referee. He tried to call the match down the middle until Jey Uso interfered. This brought a chair into the equation that Daniel Bryan used to accidentally hit Edge. With no official available, Daniel put the Yes Lock onto Roman Reigns, who proceeded to tap out. Edge, finally recovered, then hit Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns with a chair before leaving in frustration. Roman Reigns was able to take advantage and get the pinfall.

It was surprising to see Daniel Bryan booked so strong on Sunday night. It leads to the important question: how can WWE possibly keep Daniel out of the Universal Championship match at WrestleMania? It will be a fun story to follow over the next three weeks.