WWE Fastlane 2023 Picks: Wrestling Inc. Predicts The Winners
Just one week after we saw the results of "WWE NXT" No Mercy 2023, WWE is back with another premium live event this Saturday. The Indianapolis crowd is in for a night of tag team action, as the Latino World Order will take on Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits, John Cena teams with LA Knight against Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso, and The Judgment Day defends the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship against the superteam of Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes. In singles action, the WWE Women's Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship are both up for grabs — the former in a triple threat match involving Charlotte Flair, Asuka, and reigning champion IYO SKY; the latter in a Last Man Standing match between Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura.
It's been an unusually haphazard build to the show, and with only five matches announced, don't be surprised if a sixth is added on Friday's "WWE SmackDown." That said, we only know the matches we know now, and the Wrestling Inc. staff has once again come together to make our ridiculously informed and not at all speculative picks! Who do we think will rise to the top, and who crash and burn? Check it out for yourself, and be sure to come back to praise and/or mock us after the show (we got swerved a decent amount by No Mercy, but we nailed WrestleDream).
LWO vs. Bobby Lashley and Street Profits: Lashley/Profits (92%)
Bobby Lashley's new faction will face its first proper test at WWE Fastlane when they come up against the LWO, and 92% of the Wrestling Inc. team believe that the All-Mighty's group will be walking away with the victory.
Considering the fact that Lashley has already threatened to kick The Street Profits to the side, the pressure is on Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins to show the former WWE Champion their aggressive sides. That is what people are expecting from this match, with WWE having the chance to establish a brand new faction if they're able to score a victory over a group that people already know and like.
Of course, the LWO have been a very popular group, one which features current United States Champion and WWE Hall Of Famer, Rey Mysterio. That should lead to this being a competitive encounter in which the LWO gets to cause plenty of problems. However, they do not need to be protected here, so it shouldn't be a massive shock if Lashley and The Street Profits have their arms raised at the end of the night.
While the LWO can afford to lose a match, the company can make sure that Mysterio and Santos Escobar are still seen as top names coming out of it by having either Joaquin Wilde or Cruz Del Tero take the pinfall. Plus, Lashley's group getting the victory here could set up a potential United States Championship storyline between Mysterio and Lashley, which could be a top program for the blue brand moving out of this event.
Written by Matthew Wilkinson
John Cena and LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso: Cena & Knight (85%)
Things aren't looking great for what's left of The Bloodline at Fastlane. Save for a dissenting 15% of those polled, we think Cena and Knight go over this weekend, which would accomplish a few things as we move forward toward WWE Crown Jewel and what could very well be a tide-shifting Survivor Series.
For starters, Cena's extended guest run has been different this time around; Cena's current stint, especially interacting with The Bloodline of late, re-establishes some credibility for the 16-time champ. Now, that might sound a bit weird but in terms of expectations, it's hard to argue that this isn't different. He's had an actual build to this match and in all likelihood, there will be another soon enough.
Beyond that, and probably more importantly, rubbing shoulders with Cena bolsters the steam behind Knight, who is proving to not just be a flash in the pan with the crowd reactions he's still getting to this point. And in all likelihood, his involvement in this feud thrusts him into the main event picture with "The Tribal Chief," Roman Reigns. So whether you think Knight reminds you a bit of Cena, as "The Champ" recently echoed himself, or you align with Kevin Nash in thinking he's a ripoff of The Rock and Steve Austin, he's not going away anytime soon.
As for The Bloodline, the predicted loss here doesn't hurt much. You can take an L in a special attraction tag match, be it Solo or Jimmy, and be fine headed toward Survivor Series for an expected Bloodline War Games match featuring these two, Reigns and whomever else versus any combination of a whole lot of folks not digging their vibe these days.
Written by Jon Jordan
Undisputed Tag Team Championships: Judgment Day (85%)
As with any match involving the Judgment Day, the odds are heavily stacked against Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes heading into this bout for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships. There is another potential factor looming though — that being "The Scottish Warrior," Drew McIntyre.
Since Jey Uso transferred over to the "WWE Raw" brand, multiple members of the locker room have been skeptical of his presence. Arguably the biggest critic of the move is Drew McIntyre, who has constantly reminded his peers of the utter chaos that Uso helped spread during his previous run in The Bloodline, the faction that prevented the likes of McIntyre, Rhodes, Sami Zayn, and Kevin Owens from becoming the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. With this in mind, McIntyre may choose to enact some revenge on Uso, and hinder him from regaining tag team gold.
At the very least, Damian Priest and Finn Balor are virtually guaranteed some level of assistance from their Judgment Day stablemates Rhea Ripley and Dominik Mysterio, which is why 85% of Wrestling Inc. staff are confident that the Judgment Day will retain their Undisputed Tag Team Championships at WWE Fastlane.
Outside of his numbers disadvantage, Cody Rhodes has also stressed the importance of "finishing the story," which entails him winning the WWE Championship, not the WWE Tag Team Championships. If Rhodes is aiming to get himself back in the title picture soon, a run with the tag team titles will push back his timeline even more. On a similar wavelength, Jey Uso recently split off from his brother, Jimmy Uso, and has since moved to "Raw" with the goal of reestablishing himself in the main event scene. Another tag team title reign does not fulfill that mission.
Written by Ella Jay
WWE Women's Title (Triple Threat match): IYO SKY (77%)
Despite the majority of our team — 77% — picking IYO SKY to win this match, it's still one of the more unpredictable bouts on the card. After all, Asuka is scheduled to appear on the forthcoming episode of "WWE NXT," and putting some gold around her waist might add more intrigue to her appearance — which will ultimately help the show score a victory of "AEW Dynamite: Title Tuesday." What's more, her former tag team partner, Kairi Sane, is expected to return to WWE soon and what better way to make an impact than by having her assist Asuka?
Next up we have Charlotte Flair, who hasn't held a title since losing the "SmackDown" Women's Championship to Rhea Ripley at WWE WrestleMania 39. That's a long time for Flair to work without gold around her waist, so it wouldn't be surprising if WWE's powers that be decide to add another accolade to her record-breaking feats. Flair is always a favorite.
However, we've chosen IYO SKY as she's over with the fans right now, and her reign feels fresh. WWE has more potential for more interesting matchups with the Damage CTRL member as the champ than it does with Flair or Asuka. It seems inevitable that she'll eventually split from her stable and feud with Bayley and Dakota Kai for the gold too, so taking it off her right now would feel premature. Of course, WWE has made silly decisions in the past, but they actually seem quite high on SKY right now.
Written by Kieran Fisher
World Heavyweight Championship (Last Man Standing match): Seth Rollins (75%)
After weeks of mind games and brutal assaults, Shinsuke Nakamura will now have an opportunity to truly unseat Seth Rollins as he challenges him for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Fastlane. This match, which will be contested under Last Man Standing rules, will serve as a rematch of Nakamura and Rollins' previous encounter that took place at WWE Payback last month.
Heading into this title match, Nakamura has heavily targeted Rollins' back, which has sustained some stress fractures in recent years. Despite his intention to wrestle through the pain, Rollins was audibly aching on the Monday, October 2, edition of "WWE Raw," as Nakamura aggressively smacked a chair over his back, leaving Rollins struggling to stand. Nakamura has strung together an overwhelmingly dominant run, but WWE Fastlane may finally be the platform that sees Rollins scoring his revenge.
Rollins isn't just "The Visionary," he's also one of WWE's most resilient performers, previously warding off the entire Judgment Day to retain his title at SummerSlam. If anyone can permanently snuff Nakamura's fiery new attitude, it's Seth Rollins, which is why 75% of Wrestling Inc. staff believe Rollins will successfully defend his World Heavyweight Championship against Nakamura again.
The Last Man Standing stipulation adds another interesting layer to this title match. While Rollins claims this is his first time tackling this specific match type, he's actually already competed in it twice before, boasting a record of 2-0 in a pair of Last Man Standing matches against Roman Reigns in a 2015 house show tour. Nakamura, on the other hand, is 0-1 in this environment, after losing to AJ Styles at the 2018 Money in the Bank PLE.
Written by Ella Jay
Stay tuned to Wrestling Inc. for all the news coming out of WWE Fast Lane 2023, including our live coverage.