Updated WWE Fastlane 2021 Match Card and Predictions
WWE Fastlane is less than two weeks away, and the company has announced just two matches so far for the March 21 pay-per-view.
We know SmackDown's top stars, Roman Reigns and Sasha Banks, will be in action with championships at stake. What we don't know is what their performances, and the outcomes of those matches, will mean for WrestleMania 37.
Will Reigns successfully defend his Universal Championship against No. 1 contender Daniel Bryan? Might Banks add to her title resume by partnering with Bianca Belair to win the Women's Tag Team Championships?
Find out now with this look at those two blockbuster matches and predictions for both.
Universal Championship Match: Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan earned the right to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship by way of his victory over Jey Uso on Friday's SmackDown.
More than just a title chance, it is also a shot at redemption for a competitor who feels as though he should be headlining WrestleMania 37, rather than The Tribal Chief or men's Royal Rumble winner Edge.
Being his typical condescending self, Reigns does not see Bryan as a genuine threat to his run atop the blue brand.
Nor should he.
While Bryan winning the title and heading to 'Mania would be an appropriate culmination of his long, arduous journey following his first main event appearance at The Show of Shows, it is not realistic. Reigns is the top star, best character and most engaging heel on the roster.
This is his moment to shine in a role he has never filled on that stage.
He will beat Bryan in what is likely to be a great contest and cash his ticket to WrestleMania on April 10-11.
Some will find fault with WWE's dedication to its best heel since CM Punk while some applaud it, but either way, The Big Dog will reign supreme come March 21.
Prediction: Reigns retains the title
Women's Tag Team Championship Match
For some reason, Fastlane will feature the same Women's Tag Team Championship match WWE ran at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view as Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler defend against Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair.
Belair and Banks lost that match due to ill-timed interference from Carmella's sommelier, Reginald, and have done nothing to earn another title shot.
Yet, here we are.
The feud between the SmackDown women's champion and the 2021 women's Rumble winner has inexplicably centered around Reggie, leaving some to wonder why.
Banks vs. Belair is not a match that needs that distraction but it appears destined to be the case, especially since he appears to be aligning with Jax and Baszler after being dismissed by every other woman in his life.
The question is whether the intention is to tell that story or if WWE Creative opts for a wacky, mismatched partner storyline between Banks and Belair. It would hardly be the first time for that particular story as John Cena and Shawn Michaels captured gold ahead of their 2007 match.
And given WWE booking trends, that seems to be the direction things are headed.
Prediction: Banks and Belair win the titles