WWE Fastlane 2018: Star Ratings For All 7 Matches
6. Shinsuke Nakamura Vs. Rusev
Happily, the Ohio crowd were high on both men, generating a hot atmosphere for an opener that met its various remits perfectly.
Rusev stalled with cowardice in the early going, slowing down the in-ring narrative to obscure from fans the tricky real-life story of Rusev's all-round awesomeness. The clever gambit paid off; once he made his way back into the ring, the heel tactics drove the hoped-for crowd reaction, which the Bulgarian Brute bolstered with a procession of vicious power moves and purposefully tedious wear-down holds. Mercifully, the lessons of 2017 were learned, belatedly; this wasn't an 80/20 fighting-from-underneath performance; the second half boasted two flattering performances from both men, who built their match well towards a breathless and stiff finish. Nakamura was put over as a submission artist, finding slick and inventive escapes from the Accolade, which was put over as something devastating. He didn't struggle to mimic the WWE babyface template: this was Nakamura wrestling as a confident Nakamura.
The finish was pure Nakamura too, in its wince-inducing violence. Returning the favour, he put Rusev over as a threat by flooring him with two Kinshasa kicks - the first, struck to the back of the head, was atypical of WWE policy, restoring Nakamura's otherworldly aura.
Star Rating: ***3/4