The WWE Fastlane 2023 report card is now live as the company headed to Pittsburgh with a rare match booked for John Cena. So, let us see how each match scored.
WWE Fastlane 2023 Report Card: Grades Are In From Pittsburgh
LWO (Rey Mysterio, Santos Escobar & Carlito) vs. Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford)
On SmackDown, the LWO were down a member and Rey Mysterio made a call. By the time the match started, the partner was not there.
Basically, Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits had their way with the faces. I did feel like we were seeing a more viscous side of The Street Profits.
We all knew how the match would end. Carlito finally returned after re-signing with WWE months ago and helped his LWO mates secure the victory. Grade: B
John Cena & LA Knight vs. The Bloodline (Solo Sikoa & Jimmy Uso)
It is rare to see John Cena wrestle on a pay per view, so enjoy the few left. I never thought he would team with LA Knight, but the fans have dug his gimmick.
The whole Bloodline angle is getting strange. Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso barely get along and Paul Heyman has somehow aged 10 years.
It was a fun match for those live and the many from home. Nothing too special stood out as this should have helped the WWE Fastlane 2023 report card, but angles lately involving The Bloodline have not been great. Grade: B
WWE Women’s Championship: IYO SKY vs. Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair
An interesting twist before the match was IYO SKY did not want Bayley out there. And, of course that indicated Baley would make herself present.
Now, I have to disagree with the live crowd who chanted “this is awesome.” The match had some great spots, including the finish, but there were some obvious botches.
With some big moves barely connecting, it caused the WWE Fastlane 2023 report card to drop a few points in this otherwise fun bout. If Bayley going after the title is not next, I have no clue what WWE has planned. Grade: B+
Last Man Standing Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Right away, the match going on last with a Last Man Standing stipulation made me think it was the perfect time for a Money in the Bank cash-in. Rhea Ripley squashed those ideas backstage, but you never know if that was a twist.
It was obvious Nakamura would focus on the back of Seth Rollins because the feud heavily focused on that. The match was the best we have seen of Nakamura and both are winners.
It always feels like Shinsuke Nakamura is not going to walk away with the World Heavyweight Championship. He continues to improve, but I just do not see him being the face of RAW or SmackDown. Grade: A-
Undisputed Tag Team Championships: The Judgement Day (Damian Priest & Finn Balor) vs. Cody Rhodes & Jey Uso
To be honest, the main events of RAW lately have featured The Judgement Day against RAW’s top faces. Therefore, the opening match did not seem special, but the WWE Fastlane 2023 report card did not show the same.
Well, I was totally wrong as the match was amazing and a great way to begin the evening. There were so many close falls, that I changed my opinion several times on who would win.
We have new tag team champions with the unlikely pairing of Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso. The biggest takeaway from the match was if The Judgement Day were cracking, would Damien Priest cash-in Money in the Bank and the huge error JD McDough made. Grade: A-
Overall, Wrestle Newz’s WWE Fastlane 2023 report card scored higher than what we initially thought. So, now did our WWE Fastlane 2023 report card compare to that of our readers?
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