10 WWE Fastlane 2018 Impulse Reactions

3. Feeling Blue

Shinsuke Nakamura Rusev
WWE

Asuka's post-match challenge to Charlotte following her win was largely telegraphed by 'The Empress Of Tomorrow's feud-ender against Nia Jax six days earlier, but it didn't make the long-awaited stare down between the pair any less electrifying. Their wordless set-up favoured both. Flair was selling the hard-fought win whilst Asuka's body language is arguably stronger than her second one.

Affable podcast host and Peter Rosenberg antidote Sam Roberts commented on Fastlane's Talking Smack wrap-up that his inner fan went wild for the reveal of the WrestleMania match graphic following the main event - a similar screenshot featuring these two will be equally welcomed. There was certainly equity in Alexa Bliss' eventual defeat coming at the fists and feet of Asuka, but Charlotte's SmackDown Live! Championship instead reframes the contest as a battle of Title Vs Streak.

The company have ultimately been punished for not protecting Charlotte's pay-per-view win record too. Had that been in tact another year on from her reckless loss to Bayley 12 months ago, there'd have been an argument for this battle headlining the entire show. As it is, the pair will just have to try and steal it instead.

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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