Preview and Predictions for WWE’s ‘Fastlane’: LA Knight Gets His Big Break

The 40-year-old’s rapid rise has been a great story, but his match with John Cena will go a long way toward determining whether he can stay in the main-event picture.

Joseph Currier, Wrestling Observer | Oct 6, 2023

Preview and Predictions for WWE’s ‘Fastlane’: LA Knight Gets His Big Break /

At Fastlane, LA Knight will finally get his megastar moment.

Knight and John Cena are joining forces to take on The Bloodline’s Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa on Saturday in Indianapolis. If the match goes on last, it will be the first time Knight has ever main-evented a WWE main-roster premium live event. It’s clear that WWE is now fully on board with Knight being one of the top stars in the company.

The 40-year-old Knight is one of pro wrestling’s best feel-good stories. Just last year, he was in a dead-end gimmick and on the verge of getting fired. Now he might be the hottest babyface in WWE. It’s been such an improbable journey. No one could have seen this coming when Knight was released from WWE developmental a decade ago. Even after winning championships in Impact Wrestling and the NWA, few thought Knight had this kind of ceiling. He’s become one of the biggest stars in the industry through sheer persistence. Knight has developed an incredible connection with the WWE audience. A throwback to the Attitude Era, Knight is a unique figure in today’s wrestling. His catchphrases and promos have provided fans with something they’ve been missing. At every show, people are excited to support Knight and chant along with him.

Fastlane is a pivotal moment in Knight’s ascension. He still has a lot to prove. It’s been a fun few months, but it’s entirely possible that we could end up looking back on this run as just being a fad. Knight needs to show he deserves to stay in the main-event picture. His promos are amazing, but he needs to prove his in-ring work is at least near the same level. It’s hard to make it as a main-event star today if you can’t consistently deliver great matches.

If the Fastlane tag match does go well, it’s likely that even bigger things are on the horizon for Knight. Roman Reigns is returning to WWE television soon and will need a challenger for his undisputed WWE universal championship. Reigns vs. Knight would be an ideal main event for Crown Jewel or Survivor Series next month. The build to that match should start with Knight defeating Reigns’s cousins at Fastlane.

Like Payback last month, Fastlane is mostly a B-level event. But Cena wrestling on the show does elevate things a bit and help make up for Reigns’s absence. Cena has been able to make an extended return to WWE this fall due to the strikes pausing Hollywood productions. WWE is always better when Cena can be involved. By endorsing him at Payback and teaming together at Fastlane, Cena is helping to elevate Knight and get him ready for the main-event spotlight.

Championship matches highlight the rest of the card for Fastlane. In a rematch from Payback, Seth Rollins will defend his world heavyweight title against Shinsuke Nakamura. This time, the match has a last man standing stipulation.

The WWE women’s championship will be on the line in a triple-threat match between Iyo Sky, Charlotte Flair and Asuka. Also set for the show is an undisputed WWE tag-team title bout with Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso challenging The Judgment Day.

Fastlane will stream live on Peacock starting at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday. Here’s a full rundown of the lineup, along with predictions for each match.

John Cena and LA Knight vs. Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa

Cena and Knight’s team came together when Knight saved Cena from a Bloodline beatdown on SmackDown last week. It appeared that AJ Styles was originally going to be Cena’s partner, but Knight stepped up after Styles was taken out by Uso and Sikoa.

The result of this match is a foregone conclusion. Cena and Knight have to win. Knight needs to score the pinfall to set himself up for a title shot against Roman Reigns. With Reigns’s return imminent, he’ll be furious at Uso and Sikoa for failing to take care of business. Uso, whose spot in The Bloodline is tenuous at best, will especially feel Reigns’s wrath.

Prediction: John Cena and LA Knight win

Last man standing match: Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the world heavyweight championship

This rematch feels unnecessary. Rollins just picked up a definitive victory over Nakamura at Payback. The only thing that kept their feud going was a postshow attack by Nakamura. Nothing from the match left fans wanting more. Nakamura has continued to do strong work as a television character, but it seems like he’s no longer capable of being the special in-ring wrestler he once was. There are better opponents Rollins could have faced at Fastlane. A few weeks ago, WWE teased Ricochet’s potentially being in the world title mix. Ricochet and Rollins could have stolen the show if they wrestled each other.

Rollins vs. Nakamura at Payback was disappointing. Hopefully it will be better this time, but the last man standing stipulation could actually hurt things. During their feud, Nakamura has targeted Rollins’s injured back. They need to avoid making this a slow-paced match where Nakamura repeatedly works over Rollins’s back and tries to keep him down for the 10 count. Rollins has to get plenty of offense in.

Rollins isn’t going to lose his title to Nakamura. Saturday needs to be the end of their feud.

Prediction: Seth Rollins retains

Iyo Sky vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka for the WWE women’s championship

Iyo Sky was forced into this triple-threat match after Bayley accepted a challenge on her behalf. A split within Damage CTRL is sure to happen at some point, but that story shouldn’t involve Sky losing her title at Fastlane. She’s one of the best wrestlers in WWE and should get a real run as champion. There are a lot of exciting matchups for Sky. Singles matches against Charlotte Flair, Asuka, Bianca Belair and Bayley should all be in her future. If Flair vs. Belair is going to be the direction for WrestleMania, Sky should at least be champion until the Royal Rumble.

Prediction: Iyo Sky retains

The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor and Damian Priest) vs. Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso for the undisputed WWE tag team titles

Dissension is likely to be the theme of this match. It seems like The Judgment Day are always on the verge of imploding only to regroup and temporarily get back on the same page. Eventually, WWE is going to pull the trigger and start splitting up the group for good. Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso have worked well together since Rhodes brought Uso over to Raw, but there is inevitably going to be tension in their friendship, too. Uso’s loyalty will be called into question given his history with The Bloodline.

The Judgment Day are probably going to hang on and retain their titles here. Interference by Rhea Ripley, Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh will ensure that—for now—Bálor and Priest remain champions. Even with the interference, this could be the best match of the night Saturday. It should set the stage for a WarGames match at Survivor Series, where Rhodes, Uso, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn can join together to battle The Judgment Day.

Prediction: The Judgment Day retain

The LWO vs. Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits

Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits have such huge potential as a faction. With a new look wearing suits, we’ve seen a different side of The Street Profits over the past couple of months. Lashley has tried to get Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins to show their killer instinct. Upset over a recent loss to the LWO, we saw that viciousness when Ford and Dawkins attacked Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar on SmackDown last week.

Three of Mysterio, Escobar, Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro will be representing the LWO in this match. No matter which LWO members end up wrestling, this should be a victory for Lashley and The Street Profits. They need to establish themselves as a dominant force.

Prediction: Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits win

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Published Oct 6, 2023

JOSEPH CURRIER, WRESTLING OBSERVER