10 Big Talking Points From WWE Fastlane 2017
Let's be honest: narrowing it down to ten is being generous.
From top to bottom, Fastlane 2017 was a bit of a mixed bag.
While the pay-per-view featured some thoroughly enjoyable matches, including the Cruiserweight Championship bout and Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman, there were also a number of questionable finishes that each had a major impact on the overall show. Add in the fact that we saw three separate streaks come to an end in the space of single evening, and there’s been no shortage of talking points to dissect off the back of the show.
Not that "no shortage of talking points" is necessarily a good thing, but with Fastlane arriving in the pre-WrestleMania shuffle, at least we were treated to some drama on the show, rather than a boring, run-of-the-mill PPV.
Then again, when it's the kind of drama that leaves vast swathes of fans wondering why they even bothered watching in the first place, perhaps the negatives outweigh the positives.
Either way, with plenty to mull over off the back of Fastlane, this article looks to tackle some of the more noteworthy talking points to come from Sunday's show.
10. Cruiserweight Title Match
In what proved to be one of the show’s few highlights, Fastlane did at least provide us with an excellent Cruiserweight Championship bout.
Neville successfully defended his title against fellow countryman Jack Gallagher, eventually resorting to the Red Arrow to pick up the pinfall after a back-and-forth contest that was every bit as exciting as a cruiserweight outing should be.
Not only that, but perhaps most importantly, this was a cruiserweight match in which the good guy was actually received as such.
In recent months, we’ve seen fans respond to Neville taking out both Rich Swann and TJ Perkins—two of the division’s biggest babyfaces—with chants of "thank you, Neville." With fans so reluctant to buy into the good guys, it's no wonder the cruiserweight division has become little more of an afterthought.
In Gallagher, though, the division finally seems to have a babyface challenger who, as well as delivering the kind of excitement you’d hope to see from the cruiserweights, is one that the audience finally seems to be firmly in support of. All in all, the future's suddenly looking a little more rosy for the cruiserweights in light of Fastlane.