We are well and truly in the Fastlane (pardon the pun) to WrestleMania and this coming weekend sees the promotion give us a final steer into the direction that they will be taking things at Mania.
This Sunday's PPV is a RAW branded event and is the final PPV for the promotion ahead of Mania which is taking place on April 2nd. Historically it has been a good indication as to whom will headline Mania and for the last two years has seen Roman Reigns walk out with his hand held high. This time round, however, Reigns will not be involved in the WWE Universal Title match.
If you are a bettor and are still sitting on the fence, fear not. Our man Tony has you covered..
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Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson (c) Vs Enzo Amore & Big Cass
This is a classic match of the good guys vs. the bad guys and should be an entertaining opener to the main show. Recently crowned "Tag Team Champions", Gallows & Anderson, are looking to establish themselves as the number one team in the promotion and they need some new dueling partners to enable them to do that.
As much as we have all enjoyed seeing New Day at the helm of the Tag division, seeing a new team such as Enzo & Big Cass challenge for the Tag Team straps is very refreshing.
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Having Gallows & Anderson lose would not only put a dent in to their current Title reign but would also damage the image that the company have been building for these two guys who are on a path to destroy everything and everyone put in their way. Take Gallows & Anderson here at 4/9.
Sasha Banks Vs Nia Jax
This one to me seems as if they have run out of ideas as to what direction to take Sahsa Banks in ahead of her highly rumored heel turn. It is nice to see her facing off against someone other than Charlotte however, and in Jax the promotion have a legit scary woman capable of running through the whole of the division.
The lead up to this one has been slightly unoriginal and I have a feeling we may see either Charlotte or Bayley make an appearance at the end of this one. Jax has a lot more to gain in winning this one if they are genuinely going to push her towards Title contention so take her over Banks at evens.
Sami Zayn Vs Samoa Joe
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For me this one hasn't really been given the time to stir and build into something which it has all the opportunity to be, but given these two's chemistry from their independent days and more recently in NXT, it should be a hell of a match.
Joe has joined the main roster as one of Triple H's henchmen and after originally targeting Seth Rollins (injuring him legitimately in the process) has now been assigned the program of taking out Sami Zayn. This one came together off of the back of the injury to Rollins but at a great time for Sami who was becoming lost on the main roster.
It will be Joe's first PPV match for the WWE outside of NXT and I personally don't see anything else than him walking out of Fastlane with his hand raised high. He is also odds on favourite to do so at an unappealing 1/10.
Roman Reigns Vs Braun Strowman
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This one first came to fruition back at the beginning of the year on a Raw episode, but really built some steam when Strowman cost Reigns the WWE Universal Title at the Royal Rumble. Since then both men have been looking to gain the upper hand with Strowman repeatedly coming out on top, overpowering the smaller Reigns.
Strowman really has come into his own in recent months and the WWE Universe seem content to see him rise to the top especially against Reigns, who has been given every opportunity under the sun to make something of himself.
As we head into Mania I am still unsure as to what direction Reigns will take and so I can only assume that he will go over in this one, allowing him to really put himself in the strongest position to do something so catastrophically appalling at Mania that the company will finally have to give in and let him go full heel - something that is way overdue.
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We think it's worth backing Reigns to finally get one over Strowman here at 1/2.
Bayley (c) Vs Charlotte Flair
This belt has bounced back and forth like a yo-yo between Charlotte and Sasha Banks on seven occasions, until Bayley finally broke their streak during Raw on 13th February, something to bare in mind when looking at which side of the squared circle to lean towards when picking your winner.
Rumours are running wild that Sasha Banks is expected to make a heel turn on Bayley; whilst it is probably more likely for that to happen at Mania than Fastlane, you can never be quite sure.
I for one am just excited to see Charlotte facing someone other than Sasha in a PPV match and Bayley has settled onto the main card roster better than anyone else after her promotion from NXT. The bookies are favoring another Title change, offering odds of 1/5 for Charlotte to dethrone Bayley.
Neville (c) Vs Jack Gallagher
The Cruiserweight division has taken its fair share of criticism since its creation, but in Neville and Jack Gallagher I feel that we have two of the very best Cruiserweights that the world has to offer. This match has all the makings to steal the show and prove to the critics that the smaller men are more than capable of outshining the big guys, even when singled out with those dreaded purple ropes.
The WWE have been focusing a lot of attention in building up to this match and Neville has played his heel role perfectly against the Gentleman, Jack Gallagher. Expect lots of high flying, fast paced moves and undoubtedly at some stage Gallagher's umbrella in a match, which I would recommend not skipping.
Neville has been built up as the monster heel in the division and whilst Gallagher will provide a stern test to this, I don't see anything else other than Neville retaining his belt at 2/9 and carrying forward the Cruiserweight division on his shoulders into Mania.
Kevin Owens (c) Vs Goldberg
As we reach the main event, it's fair to say that this match has the most variables to it in deciding on which way to lean towards, so let's look at the facts. Firstly, Goldberg Vs Brock Lesnar is taking place at Wrestlemania regardless of the outcome of this one.
Secondly, Kevin Owens doesn't currently have a Mania dance partner but has spent the last few weeks destroying Chris Jericho and breaking up any chance of them ever being friends again. This means that in terms of outside interest in this one, it's pretty reasonable to assume that either Jericho and/or Lesnar could be making an appearance at the Bradley Center in Wisconsin on Sunday night.
Looking at this one logically, I can only see one man walking out with the Title and that man is Goldberg. The promotion have put far too much stock into him, building him as an unstoppable monster who has successfully obliterated Brock Lesnar at both Survivor Series and the Royal Rumble.
Having him walk into Mania as "The Man", I think, makes so much sense and the bookies are in agreement. Goldberg is currently at sitting at 1/14, whilst you can get 6/1 on Owens retaining.
Words By: Tony Quant
