WWE Fastlane predictions
Becky Lynch & Naomi vs. Carmella & Natalya
Brian Campbell: There's not much of a storyline here to speak of, and the players involved create too much of a negative reminder about the Welcoming Committee storyline that bombed in 2017 upon Charlotte Flair's arrival on SmackDown Live. Making an official prediction might be contingent on whether you believe Carmella will cash in her Money in the Bank contract later in the night. After being off television for months, she returned on Tuesday and promptly lost to Lynch. Another loss here could be the perfect "out of sight, out of mind" booking that opens the door for her to cash in later on. Then again, I've been predicting that every blue-branded PPV for eight months. Pick: Becky Lynch & Naomi win
Adam Silverstein: Why am I supposed to care about this? Pick: Becky Lynch & Naomi win
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Rusev
AS: WWE hasn't given us much of a reason to care about this either, but it should at least be a good match featuring two of the most over superstars on SmackDown. It is clear that WWE hopes some of Rusev's juice rubs off on Nakamura here, and their lone backstage segment leading into this match was fantastic. Unfortunately, it sets Rusev up for another loss. God forbid WWE allow someone the fans like to get over on their own. Pick: Shinsuke Nakamura wins
BC: Thrown together at the last minute on Tuesday following a comedic backstage interview segment, this matchup has the potential to surprise in terms of its quality. The problem is nothing is really at stake for either, nor has there been enough of a story built to make you care. But considering how much Rusev has been buried in the overall picture despite his surprising babyface cheers, a win isn't likely in this case. Nakamura, the Royal Rumble winner, also needs to be kept strong ahead of what should be a WWE championship feud entering WrestleMania. Pick: Shinsuke Nakamura wins
United States Championship: Bobby Roode (c) vs. Randy Orton
BC: The constant reminder that Orton is chasing the one singles title that has eluded him (outside of the universal championship, which debuted in 2016) likely means he'll end up with it considering how beloved and protected he often is by WWE booking. Along with the main question of when (either now or WrestleMania), there's also the unknown regarding Jinder Mahal, who has played a major role in this feud. The best guess is that Mahal costs Orton, whom he feuded with for the WWE championship last year, on Sunday only to see Orton go over in a multi-person match on April 8. All of this has been underwritten by the fact that Roode has performed in such a vanilla fashion as a babyface champion that it makes one forget just how cool he recently was as an NXT heel. Pick: Bobby Roode retains the title
AS: A Mahal interference seems like a no-brainer here. It's crazy that Mahal's entire run with the company's most prestigious title only served to make him a legitimate midcarder. A title change here does not make much sense, but can WWE really go back-to-back pay-per-views with zero real developments in terms of its championships heading into WrestleMania 34? I think that's exactly what is going to happen. Pick: Bobby Roode retains the title
Women's Championship: Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Ruby Riott
AS: While Riott is not great in the ring, she does make a great foil for Flair. It's unfortunate that SmackDown did not provide reasoning for this feud until the final week before the match was made because it may have actually been something of interest to fans. Instead, Riott is simply the final member of the Riott Squad that Flair has not faced and defeated over the last month. She is not capable of holding the women's title let alone taking it into WrestleMania. Flair has bigger (undefeated) fish to fry on the big stage in April. Pick: Charlotte Flair retains the title
BC: If the new SmackDown faction the Riott Squad has proven one thing since being rushed up from NXT, it's that they are not entirely ready for prime time. While Riott is a fine in-ring performer, she lacks the presence to be the leader of the stable. So what exactly does that say about her prospects to exiting Fastlane as champion? You get the point. Flair has basically been biding time before the reveal of who her WrestleMania opponent will end up being. And while there's an argument to be made that this could be the time for Carmella to cash in somewhat under the radar, WWE hasn't yet committed to who Asuka will pick after winning the Royal Rumble. We may very well see Carmella provide the tease once again but the smart money is on Charlotte keeping the strap. Pick: Charlotte Flair retains the title
Tag Team Championship: The Usos (c) vs. The New Day
BC: Outside of the main event, this match has the best opportunity to steal the show considering how truly great their feud was throughout last year. The dueling promos two weeks ago to announce the reuniting of the two teams also featured some of their best respective work. Not only does this program have WrestleMania written all over it, The Usos deserve to enter said card with the belts (enjoying all of the media spoils that come with that) after being inexplicably left off the bill for so many years, including in 2017 as champions. To get there properly with enough storyline juice, a non-finish of some kind could be the right play for Sunday. Pick: Match ends in a double disqualification
AS: OK, so Brian kind of stole my prediction here. While I wish we were headed for this two-on-two match at WrestleMania 34 in April, I have a feeling SmackDown is going to give us a triple threat with The Bludgeon Brothers involved. Let's hope that's the case, at least, because BB against one of these two teams would not be nearly as exciting. I do think BB interferes in this match and tries to take out both teams, setting up a non-finish without a title change: Pick: Match ends in a no contest
WWE Championship: AJ Styles (c) vs. John Cena vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler
AS: If WWE truly wants to piss its fans off even further, there will be a title change here. All SmackDown has done is disappoint over the last six months, and fans will likely riot if WWE dangles the Styles-Nakamura match at WrestleMania in front of them only to change course here right before the buzzer. That said, a victory by Ziggler would be a pleasant surprise because it would at least wrap up a confusing angle in which he won and then relinquished the U.S. title in a span of 24 hours. Outside of that, anyone else beating Styles for the title would be a total disaster. WWE already has a main event angle going nowhere on SmackDown (see below), the last thing it needs to do is pull a WrestleMania match that fans exploded for when Nakamura announced his choice of opponent at the Royal Rumble. Pick: AJ Styles retains the title
BC: After standing front and center in the WWE championship feud for the past six months, SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon and general manager Daniel Bryan have slowly faded to the background. What they've left is a very convoluted picture involving a rightfully annoyed Styles, who continues to get screwed over by management in ways that haven't been justified, and the devolving friendship between Owens and Zayn. From a kayfabe standpoint, the way Styles has been treated as champion simply hasn't been fair. All that leads you to guess is that he retains the belt despite the odds against him. So the real drama becomes how exactly does the Owens-Zayn soap opera spin off into a WrestleMania feud and how does WWE finish telling the Cena story about not having a road to April 8. The latter remains both interesting and uncertain as Cena, despite the story's holes, has committed to telling it with his best foot forward. Pick: AJ Styles retains the title