10 WWE Fastlane 2018 Impulse Reactions

4. The Queen Sh*tty

Shinsuke Nakamura Rusev
WWE

It would be terse to pick on a passable match because of one flub in the middle, but the crowd's indifference to a miscommunicated suplex spot between the pair at the halfway point summed up the wider problem in promoting Ruby Riott as a viable threat in the first place.

Without a terrifying John Cena promo to cast doubt upon a nailed on result, the women struggled to assemble a believable argument for the Challenger dethroning 'The Queen' on television beforehand, and in the match itself. It wasn't for the lack of trying in the match itself. The pair took to the floor to try and raise the roof, but few were biting on anything other than a Charlotte win - not least because most had predicted her next foe and wanted their dreams realised in the aftermath. But more on that later.

As it was, The Riott Squad failed again as chaos-causers, whilst Becky Lynch and Naomi were as ineffective running interference as they were in their match earlier on the card. All five pretenders were literally hurried out of shot as Flair prepared for her 'Mania match to materialise - they've been extras since the programme began.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett