WWE Fastlane 2018 Odds & Predictions: When Styles Clash

• WWE Fastlane takes place this Sunday (March 11 at 8 p.m. EST) in Columbus, Ohio
• Will Carmella cash-in her Money in the Bank briefcase and take Charlotte’s title?
• Will John Cena win a record-breaking 17th World Title? 

After Raw’s Elimination Chamber, it’s SmackDown’s turn to deliver with the last pay-per-view before Wrestlemania 34! (I’m literally pointing at the sign right now.)

The main event features something that is being billed as a Six-Pack Challenge. No, it’s not some dudes taking their shirts off and comparing muscles. Instead, it’s six WWE Superstars battling it out for AJ Styles’ WWE championship belt.

If that’s not enough rasslin’ action for you, the co-main event should be glorious! It sees Bobby Roode defend his United States Championship against Randy Orton.

With four top matches already being advertised for the show, it’s time to jump into our prognostication roadster and hit the Fastlane on our way to Wrestlemania 34. Below are the odds and predictions on what will go down this Sunday night.

Expect the company to add more matches involving midcard talent as the show nears. The likes of Rusev, Aiden English, Becky Lynch, and Naomi are all looking for things to do at the time of writing.

Six-Pack Challenge for the WWE Championship

Six men will battle it out for the WWE Championship and a date against Shinsuke Nakamura on the grandest stage of them all.

What was originally booked to be a triple-threat match has now become a six-way affair as Corbin, Ziggler, and Cena earned their ways into the craziness.

Booking-wise, this match makes absolutely no sense. Realistically, what WWE creative is doing here is setting up multiple storylines heading into Wrestlemania. Will Owens and Zayne’s friendship implode? Who will cost John Cena the match and his opportunity for a record-breaking 17th title? Will it be the Undertaker? Or will it be Rey Mysterio?

The obvious winner of this match is the Phenomenal One, AJ Styles. There is no reason for the WWE to divert from the plan of Styles vs. Nakamura for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania 34. It’s a match the hardcore fans want to see and that’s exactly what we will get on April 8th.

Predicted Winner: AJ Styles

Bobby Roode (c) vs. Randy Orton for the United States Championship

It’s hard to believe that this match has absolutely no buzz. Despite the star-power involved, the creative team has done nothing with it. That’s too bad because both these guys deserve better.

It would be great to see Roode make a turn to the Darkside because that’s what made him successful in NXT and it could be exactly what he needs to jump-start his WWE career.

At some point, you would think that one of these two men would eventually turn heel; watching them act as faces has been cringe-worthy. It would be great to see Roode make a turn to the Darkside because that’s what made him successful in NXT and it could be exactly what he needs to jump-start his WWE career.

This is a good match that definitely deserves the pay-per-view treatment, but expect some sort of interference by the “Modern Day Maharaja,” Jinder Mahal. Orton will have a good showing and will look strong, but he isn’t going to beat Bobby Roode, a performer who should be doing bigger and better things.

Predicted Winner: Bobby Roode

The Usos (c) vs. The New Day for the Tag Team Championship

We’ve seen these two teams go at it before and although it may seem old, their rivalry has been pure fire and they have put on some of the best matches we have seen in the division, on either brand.

Could these two teams renew hostilities right before Wrestlemania? Yes, but there might be a twist. There is a possibility that the Bludgeon Brothers get involved and disrupt this match someway, somehow. They have had recent altercations with The Usos and it is highly likely that we could see the Bludgeon Brothers added to the mix to set up a triple-threat tag match at Wrestlemania 34.

In order to keep both teams looking strong and not allowing the title to change hands, look for a Usos to win via disqualification.

Predicted Winner: The Usos 

Charlotte (c) vs. Ruby Riott for the Women’s Championship

Charlotte Flair has been outstanding over the last few months and is facing a tough challenger in Ruby Riott, who can definitely hold her own technically inside of a ring. This has the makings of a great match. Too bad nobody cares about it.

On paper, this looks like nothing more than a squash as the plans are to have Raw’s Asuka cross over for a super-fight with Charlotte at Wrestlemania in April. So it’s understandable if you think the current women’s champ is going to leave Fastlane with her title.

But hold on a second. There is the Carmella factor to think about. The Princess of Staten Island hasn’t cashed in her Money in the Bank briefcase yet and time is running out. Having Carmella cash-in to add some buzz to this underwhelming match could be exactly where this is headed.

Could you imagine if Carmella becomes to the new SmackDown Women’s Champion going into Mania? It would definitely add more eyes to a division that could use a shakeup.

Charlotte doesn’t necessarily need a title around her waist to make her matchup with Asuka anymore exciting. Just the idea of Charlotte possibly being the one to beat the undefeated phenom tells a big enough story. Could we see a cash-in and a title change?

For now, I’m sticking with Charlotte leaving Fastlane with the belt and Carmella failing in her attempt. However, I fully expect anything to happen here.

Predicted Winner: Charlotte