WWE Fastlane 2018: Star Ratings For All 7 Matches
3. The Usos Vs. The New Day - WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
Deflating as f*ck finishes are on pay-per-view, the post-match angle was f*cking great, which more than compensated for the brevity of a bout that was becoming a blinder.
Before we got there, The Usos and The New Day, a pairing as worn-out as a porn star's balls, found yet more narrative trickery to explore in a way that never felt forced. Building on the thread of mutual respect following the truce shared at the climax of last year's awesome programme, the teams adopted the signature moves of the other, and adopted them almost immediately, crafting an instantly-engaging and fresh subversion of the guaranteed heated all-action belter to which we've become accustomed.
After nine pulsating minutes, the Bludgeon Brothers arrived on the scene and delivered a sickening beatdown, setting up yet another 'Mania Triple Threat bout in the process. Homogeneity aside, the angle promised something sublime on the Show of Shows. The power tandem offence manifested as something inventive and, unfortunately, sickening: the Reckoning delivered to Xavier Woods on the ring steps was surely the diagnosis of a concussion. Still: even if unintentionally, the spot put the Bludgeon Brothers over as serious players, as opposed to reverse Kanes spouting stanzas from the 1980s monster heel copybook.
Incorporating the post-match angle...
Star Rating: ***