Vince McMahon Replaces Kofi Kingston In WWE Fastlane Main Event With Kevin Owens
Tonight's WWE SmackDown from Charlotte opened with a Fastlane contract signing for Kofi Kingston vs. WWE Champion Daniel Bryan. After Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon praised Kofi for several minutes, Vince McMahon interrupted. Vince also praised Kofi but then said he was removing Kofi from the WWE Title match at Fastlane.
Vince then introduced Bryan's new challenger for Fastlane – the returning Kevin Owens. Owens had been out of action since October following double knee surgery. Owens vs. Bryan had been rumored for WrestleMania 35. WWE recently ran promos where Owens said he was still about one month away from returning.
It seems @VinceMcMahon has deemed @FightOwensFight MORE DESERVING than @TrueKofi of a #WWEChampionship match at #WWEFastlane?! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/itWITGKznm
? WWE (@WWE) February 27, 2019
The WWE Fastlane pay-per-view takes place on March 10 from The Q Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. This will be the final pay-per-view before WrestleMania 35.
Below is the updated card for Fastlane:
WWE Title Match
Kevin Owens vs. Daniel Bryan (c)
SmackDown Tag Team Titles Match
Shane McMahon and The Miz vs. The Usos (c)
WWE Women's Tag Team Titles Match
Nia Jax and Tamina Snuka vs. Sasha Banks and Bayley (c)