8 Match Star Ratings For WWE Fastlane 2021
1. Roman Reigns Vs. Daniel Bryan - Universal Title Match
At its best, this was masterful, and even if Daniel Bryan tugged on the main narrative thread a little too keenly to the detriment of the drama in the body of the match, it was worth it; he realised maximum, unreal drama at the finish in a slow-burn epic that illustrated his genius.
In the build, Daniel Bryan, technical wrestling specialist, promised to humble Roman Reigns and tap him out. This was a profound challenge, even for one of the very best to do it.
With near-exquisite pacing and character work, Bryan, over time, weakened Roman's resolve. For a time, Roman was too powerful to ensnare in a hold. He was also, simply, too large. In a fantastic story beat that informed the last third, Bryan could barely apply a submission, much less execute one successfully.
But with an absorbing combination of strikes, skill and guile, he took the advantage, and in a brilliant twist, the fury that overwhelmed Roman allowed Bryan to counter his impulsive power game and subdue him from the most acute spaces with killer dramatic timing. This was excellent; Bryan, one of the greats, recognised the extent to which Roman has appeared dominant since the summer of 2020, distilled the brilliant core of the character, and used its power to shape his in-ring strategy. Daniel Bryan is the best wrestler in WWE and he deserves the WrestleMania 37 main event. Even if Edge is about the opposite of the Ultimate Opportunist in stumbling ass-first into it.
He should have just waited. He once waited almost a full calendar year, and now he can't wait for the customary obligation of a February pay-per-view to be done with before his WrestleMania main event?
Daft sh*te only has a 33% chance of winning now!
(With a degree of seriousness, if Edge is now dumb, that was a really well-done dumb WWE finish. The referee ate sh*t on that knee and Reigns milked the power of that tap-out for everything).
Star Rating: ★★★★¼