11 WWE Fastlane 2019 Impulse Reactions

6. The Revival Vs. Aleister Black & Ricochet Vs. Chad Gable & Bobby Roode

The Shield
WWE

Wrestling in 2019 is as rich as ever - New Japan Pro Wrestling had gifted the Western World two absolute bangers from their Sunday cup show before most of the WWE's roster had even woken up, and it's these raised expectations that often serve to hinder Sports Entertainment most of all.

It's the challenge of the company's most elite to overcome the heavily scripted and formulaic WWE style. Everybody knows the beats - the company have even tried to claim ownership of chants in order to ensure the tune plays exactly as they'd like - and it often does much to temper expectations as a result.

You know by now where this is going.

Ahead of Elimination Chamber, The Revival and then-Raw Tag Team Champions Bobby Roode and Chad Gable assembled a quiet classic on the flagship. It was lost within the body of the broadcast itself at the expense of a pay-per-view clash that may have lingered longer in the memory. With Aleister Black and Ricochet added to the mix, the duos appeared to be keeping bullets in the chamber rather than shooting for the moon. Were they told late of a WrestleMania rematch, asked to tone it down for the good of the card, or simply not quite able to replicate the magic?

Wrestling in 2019 is as rich as ever...so why, exactly, was this a little poor?

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