With a headline like that, I assure you I did not hit my head…but WWE Fastlane 2023 ends with a great and disappointing match is, well…true and accurate.
It was a really good main event, lots of good work and nice spots between two top Superstars.
Like a chunk of the headline says…great.
But…there was disappointment in the building in Indy tonight, too.
We saw no new champion, and some fans were expecting we’d see two in a matter of minutes.
And with that…there’s the disappointment.
Without knowing what WWE’s plans are, for Shinsuke, Seth or Damian’s eventual cash-in…as it stands right now, the main event missed that last bit of greatness.
WWE Fastlane 2023 Ends With A Great And Disappointing Match
Sure, fine, I am crazy.
But, with a Last Man Standing stipulation…a match that is designed for the Superstars involved to beat the ever-living stuffing out of one another…this screamed and begged for a Money In The Bank cash-in, or at least one being teased.
We got…neither.
Now, before the main event, fans saw Rhea Ripley tell Priest “not tonight”, taking the purple briefcase from him.
This was, of course, referencing Priest having a rough opening match, including taking a shot to the knee with that very same case.
Though, once Judgement Day dropped the tag titles, surely many fans figured that was a good indication of things to come.
Not even getting a tease…a visit from Priest to make Rollins think about it…was a miss.
But the bigger miss? After stepping up his game to a level he’s not been at since maybe his NXT Champion days…once again, Nakamura goes home empty handed.
There are a couple ways to spin this.
One, if we’ve seen Rollins-Nakamura go with big PLE matches twice…surely there is a 3rd to come?
Two, even though he has now lost two title matches to Rollins, Shinsuke Nakamura has looked really good in the process, so even without gold, this boosts him.
At the moment, without another opponent yet banging down the door…perhaps we do see WWE run this back one more time?
However, to do that without a different result would be just crazy.
Going into each of his matches with Rollins, I felt some optimism for a title change. Especially heading into Fastlane, I really thought Shinsuke would finally do it.
To do all that they did in Indianapolis, only for Nakamura to come up short again? I would say that, unless WWE does finally put the belt on him, there’s no point of a third match.
But there is a reason why I could see one more match. Right now…who’s next for Rollins?
I mean, sure, that can change rapidly on an upcoming RAW. Adam Pearce comes out and has some matches to determine a new number 1 contender.
Easy as can be, and we’ve seen it plenty.
Plus, we have two upcoming PLE. WWE returns to Saudi Arabia to begin November…and then we have Survivor Series.
Throwing this out there…but could you imagine if the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia did what they do and tossed money to get something to happen at their event?
Like, a cash in, which they’ve never seen live and in person.
Lots of options are in play, for sure…and as of this moment, just after Faslane, we don’t know who or what is next for the WWE Champion.
And, had we seen a Nakamura win…with or without a Damian Priest cash-in…there might just be a wee bit more clarity heading into this week’s RAW.
As it stands, we got a really good Last Man Standing match. Heck, call it great.
But without a title change-with or without a cash in-I turned things off after the show and definitely felt a bit disappointed by how things went.
