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WWE Fastlane 2018 was the final pay-per-view before WrestleMania 34, and now that that is in the rearview mirror, it's time for us to take a look back at what transpired during the night and how it will have an impact on WWE programming going forward.
This is a crucial time of the year for events to really knock it out of the park and get fans riled up, as there are only four weeks until the biggest show of the entire calendar.
Granted, every pay-per-view is meant to wrap up storylines and project a sense of anticipation for the future, but there is always a mixture of important elements and some other things which act as nothing but filler.
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Fastlane 2018 was no different, with five things in particular that stood out as noteworthy and everything else just eating up time.
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What were those five things? That's what we're going to run down here as we look back on the biggest standout key points from Fastlane 2018, in no particular order.
#5 Randy Orton wins the United States Championship
For some reason, WWE was billing Randy Orton as having won every championship there is to offer in the company except for the United States Championship heading into Fastlane.
This is not true, as he's technically never won the Universal Championship, nor, if we're splitting hairs, has he won both variations of the tag team titles and the Cruiserweight Championship, or anything in NXT, but generally speaking, the universal title is something WWE is simply ignoring for now.
At the very least, with his victory over Bobby Roode tonight, The Viper adds his name to an illustrious and small group of performers who can call themselves Grand Slam Champions, having won the primary title (WWE Championship, World Heavyweight Championship or Universal Championship), secondary title (Intercontinental Championship), tertiary title (United States Championship or a variety of other options over the years like the hardcore or European) and a tag team title.
This also sets into motion a rematch for Roode, which will no doubt have implications for WrestleMania, as will Jinder Mahal's continued interference in this feud, most likely setting up a Triple Threat scenario with the United States Championship on the line.
Even if Orton drops this title on the very next episode of SmackDown, he still made history at Fastlane, which is a massive accomplishment.
#4 The Bludgeon Brothers go on the attack
Every time The Usos and The New Day have clashed, they've proven that they are pretty much equals in the ring, with essentially a 50/50 record split between the two as far as victories are concerned.
Tonight, one of those teams could have gotten an advantage in the feud by scoring another victory, but the idea of that was put to an end when The Bludgeon Brothers made their presence felt in a most vicious way.
For weeks, they have been lingering around and watching these two teams, while not getting directly involved in any of the affairs, with tonight being their chosen time to strike and make a mark.
In doing so, they screwed The New Day out of their rightful title opportunity while The Usos retained the belts, somewhat setting up a Triple Threat match for the titles to come at WrestleMania, as they made a lasting impression by utterly decimating all five Superstars.
Xavier Woods received the harshest treatment of all, with the storyline now saying he received medical treatment due to thoracic contusions.
The message was loud and clear: don't mess with Harper and Rowan, or even stand in their way, or you'll be destroyed.
#3 Asuka challenges Charlotte Flair
Once Ronda Rousey was being set up for a mixed tag team match, the chips started to fall in a way where it became pretty obvious that Asuka would not be challenging Alexa Bliss at WrestleMania, but, rather, Charlotte Flair.
The reasoning behind this is simple: there are no interesting matches on SmackDown, while Bliss has a built-in storyline with Nia Jax (and possibly Sasha Banks and Bayley to be involved, too) to hold the fort down on Monday Night Raw.
WWE perpetually threw out the suggestions that Asuka was going to fight Bliss, but would never confirm it, because it was never supposed to be confirmed, as this was always the plan from the onset of her winning the Royal Rumble.
After Flair's victory over Ruby Riott—a match that is completely inconsequential in almost every way—The Empress of Tomorrow made her way to the ring and made it official that she chose Flair as her WrestleMania opponent.
Of all the possible people to challenge Asuka's undefeated streak, Charlotte is going to be her biggest test, and there is also the lingering threat of Carmella's Money in the Bank getting in the way, so the odds aren't completely in Asuka's favor with this decision, rather than the easier path ahead before her of Alexa Bliss that she's now pushed aside.
#2 Shane McMahon vs Sami Zayn vs Kevin Owens
For months, Shane McMahon and Kevin Owens have been butting heads, which has even managed to rope Sami Zayn into the mix.
Until recently, Zayn was supportive of Owens and on his side in all manner of speaking, but his opinions have changed and he is now back to being at odds with his former best friend.
This clearly hasn't stopped McMahon from being involved, though, and at Fastlane, a misplaced superkick from Owens turned into the reckoning for KO and Zayn as Shane would retaliate by breaking up the pinfall attempts both men had.
For all intents and purposes, they have an argument to be made that had McMahon not gotten involved, they would have both won the WWE Championship on their respective pin attempts, yet he's the commissioner and still their boss.
The way this went down points to two things coming in the future: a three-way fight between Owens vs. Zayn vs. McMahon, and the involvement of general manager Daniel Bryan trying to seek some kind of retribution for all parties involved.
This next episode of SmackDown should shed more light on the specifics, but that superkick was the definitive way of stating that this feud is certainly far from over.
#1 AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura locked in
Unlike the situation with Asuka not declaring which champion she would challenge until tonight, Shinsuke Nakamura immediately made the call with his Royal Rumble victory that he wanted to not just challenge for the WWE Championship, but to specifically fight AJ Styles for that belt.
He's been adamant about beating Styles to win the title at WrestleMania, without really entertaining any other kind of option.
Meanwhile, The Phenomenal One has remained confident that he would find a way to overcome the odds and secure his spot as the man entering WrestleMania with that title around his waist.
After tonight's Six-Pack Challenge, it is now official that Styles and Nakamura will clash, as the champion was able to retain his title by pinning Kevin Owens.
This means fans of their previous encounter in New Japan Pro Wrestling should be chomping at the bit to see what they can do in front of the New Orleans crowd at WrestleMania 34.
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