WWE Fastlane 2018: Star Ratings For All 7 Matches

2. Charlotte Flair Vs. Ruby Riott - WWE SmackDown Women's Championship Match

Charlotte Ruby Riott
WWE.com

Another choice effort booked astutely - is Pat Patterson back? - Charlotte and Ruby Riott did well to engineer real tension, even if the latter's acting was a bit inconsistent. You half-wondered if there was a contact lens stuck in her eyelid before the ruse was revealed, and the Riott Squad encroached on the opponent's corner. She hasn't mastered the Undertaker-at-WrestleMania 25 look of shock that virtually every WWE star wears in every match, though. That was hammy: she looked like she'd received some very unpleasant news. She'd only struck a signature.

More exciting and physical than the standard division fare elsewhere, the big moves felt big because the intra-match storytelling compensated for the lacklustre wider feud. The expected shenanigans were unexpectedly inventive, which was another pleasant surprise on a night full of them. So used to brainless Singh Brothers interference, it was rewarding to witness the aforementioned spot and the reverse psychology spot that saw Naomi and Becky Lynch banished to the back. It was more rewarding still to witness the beleaguered Mike Chioda treated as a man with a brain, for once, by catching on to the chicanery. This created scope for an equally rare and rewarding decisive happy ending.

Creative, smooth, satisfying: this was the reverse microcosm of the state of the division.

Star Rating: ***1/4

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!