John Cena Winning And 5 Smart Booking Decisions

WWE is looking to continue its pay-per-view hot streak with Fastlane 2023, a major event featuring the in-ring return of John Cena, who will team with LA Knight to battle The Bloodline.

It’s already been a stellar year for WWE pay-per-views, with last month’s Payback event setting numerous records, including the show’s highest live gate, merchandise sales and overall viewership. In August, SummerSlam did precisely the same and even had the highest gate in WWE history for a non-WrestleMania show.

In other words, Fastlane has big shoes to fill. With a strong card also featuring Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for the World Heavyweight title and the unlikely duo of Cody Rhodes and Jey Usos challenging The Judgment Day for the Undisputed Tag Team Championship, that shouldn’t be difficult.

WWE has proven in 2023 that it can consistently deliver elite-level PPVs, and with these smart booking decisions, WWE Fastlane 2023 will follow suit.

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Seth Rollins Wins, But Shinsuke Nakamura Looks Strong In Defeat

Seth Rollins, arguably Raw’s top star, shouldn’t lose the world title yet, but the newly heel Shinsuke Nakamura—who’s been booked incredibly well in that role—shouldn’t be losing in convincing fashion, either.

Nakamura has been positioned as one of the red brand’s best villains during this rivalry, and though he’s not at the stage of his career where he should be a world champion, it’s also imperative that he comes out of Fastlane as a credible main eventer. In a Last Man Standing match, it’s a bit more difficult for a star to look strong after staying down for a 10-count.

However, if Nakamura can withstand multiple Stomps, Pedigrees or other major moves before taking the loss, he can exit what should be a feud-ending match looking just as good as he did when he entered it.

WWE Avoids Another Charlotte Flair Title Reign

A look at these statistics shows that WWE often puts a title on Charlotte Flair largely to position her to topple her father’s record of 16 world title reigns. It’s really tiresome, though, to see Flair constantly injected into title feuds because—whether she’s face or heel—she has no character development whatsoever other than wanting to win titles.

At Fastlane, Flair is in a triple threat match for the WWE Women’s title. That virtually guarantees once again that she will do one of two things: Either win the title or avoid being pinned so she is protected in defeat. That’s the tried and true formula for the booking of Flair, who is pushed considerably more strongly than her opponents Asuka and Iyo Sky.

It’s clear from the booking of these three stars that Sky, despite currently being champion, is the lowest on the totem pole, but she’s been refreshing as champion. Sky shouldn’t drop the belt yet, and certainly not to Flair. The last thing Flair—or SmackDown—needs, after all, is another short and forgettable title run.

Bobby Lashley And The Street Profits Dominate LWO

Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits are in the early stages of their union, but it’s already quite clear that they’re a great fit together. The Street Profits badly needed a fresh coat of paint, and as a two-time WWE Champion with a ton of credibility, Lashley is the perfect star to give them a much-needed makeover.

This group—whatever WWE chooses to call it—has loads of potential, but as a brand new trio, it doesn’t have any signature wins under its belt. That should change at Fastlane, where Lashley, Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins battle the LWO, a very popular group that has the beloved Mysterio as its leader.

It’s time for Lashley and company to unleash a new vicious side and continue to cement itself as a strong heel trio on the same level as top acts like The Bloodline and The Judgment Day. That necessitates a lopsided dismantling of Mysterio and the LWO at Fastlane in what should be the beginning of a dominant run for the trio.

The Judgment Day Retains Against Cody Rhodes And Jey Uso

Both Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso have been entrenched as certified draws for the company, and WWE is reportedly set to push Uso to the moon now that he’s on Raw—but that’s as singles stars, not as a tag team.

While Rhodes and Usos vs. Finn Balor and Damian Priest at Fastlane is indeed for the Undisputed tag team titles, the two babyface stars are too important to Raw’s singles scene to be in the tag team division for the long haul. Rather, this match should serve as a way to further solidify The Judgment Day as Raw’s top heel act.

Given all of their history, it’s shocking that Rhodes and Uso are getting along at all, so a simple miscommunication costing them this match is the way to go. Couple that with a dirty, underhanded heel tactic by Priest or Baylor, and both Rhodes and Uso will be just fine despite a loss.

John Cena’s Team Wins, But LA Knight Pins Jimmy Uso

WWE is wisely utilizing John Cena to help elevate LA Knight, the fast-rising star who became WWE’s No. 1 merchandise seller and is reportedly in line for a massive push

Cena’s long-term future is unclear, and this could be the last lengthy run of his legendary career. It’s imperative that WWE gets the most out of it, which means that he and Knight should undoubtedly defeat Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa at Fastlane. Cena shouldn’t lose a major match like this after falling to Austin Theory at WrestleMania, and two red hot stars in Sikoa and Knight shouldn’t be getting pinned, either.

So, what’s the best outcome at Fastlane? Well, it’s Knight pinning Jimmy, who will be able to easily recover from a loss to Knight during Knight’s ascension up the card. This match should headline Fastlane, with Knight and Cena standing tall, and perhaps one day in the near future, a singles match between the two popular fan favorites.