ARN - Fastlane 2016 [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Today’s episode of ARN is all about Fastlane 2016. It went down on February 21, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio before a live audience of 14,446 - a legitimate near sellout.

(Any special memories of Cleveland, Ohio?)

This is the second Fastlane event. It was the final Fastlane before the company attempted another brand split, turning it into a Raw PPV the next year.

The poster for the show features our main event - Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Brock Lesnar. Waving the checkered flag in front of all three is Eva Marie

(What did you think about the Fastlane pay-per-view concept, name, and theme? It has stuck around for several years now, unlike some shows (Great Balls of Fire). It also builds into the theme for the Road to WrestleMania. )

The WWE is almost in their third year with the WWE Network, but the show still can be bought on traditional pay-per-view. 43,000 traditional PPV buys for the show were reported, with 18,000 of those being domestic and 25,000 being international. At the time, it is the lowest buyrate for a PPV in company history but, of course, that’s because the focus is on the WWE Network.

(Recently, WWE announced that they had signed a deal to move WWE Network over to the Peacock App. Do you think someday, Vince will sell the company to NBC or Disney?)

News

One of the biggest stories from around February, 2016 was an incident on Raw during the Daniel Bryan retirement announcement. As Vince McMahon was walking to the back, Titus O’Neil playfully grabbed him by the arm, as if to say “ladies first” (Vince was walking ahead of Stephanie). Vince shoves him, which was seen on camera. But it just looked like a playful moment between two friends.

However, maybe the timing wasn’t right. And it certainly wasn’t in the eyes of management. Vince was mad. Titus was sent home from Tuesday night's taping of SmackDown and was suspended for "unprofessional conduct." The suspension was for 60 days. That means no Wrestlemania payday. But reportedly, it was almost much worse.

Vince apparently had to be talked out of FIRING Titus O’Neil for this. And might I remind you...this is in Black History Month, which many brought up at the time.

(What do you remember about this incident? Did you see Vince angry backstage? Did you talk to Titus about it?)

The situation pissed off one of Titus O’Neil’s friends in Dave Bautista. He said that Vince McMahon and O’Neil should have been a man-to-man conversation, not a suspension and a fine, and that the fine aspect is worsened by taking WrestleMania from him. He said O’Neil should quit because he doesn’t need to be there. He said O’Neil is an educated and talented guy who can make more money doing other things, but he’s there because he loves it.

(What was the reaction to Vince’s punishment of Titus O’Neil here? Too much? Why did he get so upset about this?)

Another big story around this point was the return of Shane McMahon to the WWE.

Metlzer wrote: Until the day of the show, very few people were aware Shane McMahon was returning. The deal between Vince and Shane was legitimately struck about four weeks ago, when Vince believed that the original plan of John Cena vs. Undertaker wasn’t going to happen.

There have been a ton of key injuries in the past year, including Seth Rollins when he was the only heel wrestler getting any kind of focus, as well as company favorite Randy Orton.

But it’s said that when Cena went down, Vince was devastated, because he had his heart set on the “Legend vs. Legend” match to carry the big show. This led to him going way out of the box for a deal amidst criticism that this WrestleMania was going to have the weakest lineup and least interest in years. The reality is, while the show would not have had the special thing to create record interest, WrestleMania as a brand name is so big, like a Super Bowl or Final Four, that even with an admittedly uninspiring lineup, it already had sold a ton of tickets (although they are very far from a sellout right now) and would significantly increase network subscriptions.

At this point, the deal is just for Shane to be a short-term performer and work through WrestleMania. But even those closest to the family and near the top recognize the way Vince thinks. Already people are noting that the family soap opera behind the scenes is likely to become far more interesting than the one playing out on the screen.

(Cena vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania would have been monumental, right? Who would have won that (at this time, as a full match; Not the deal two years later)? Do you think Shane vs. Undertaker in a Cell carried the same drawing power?)

(What can you say about the backstage dynamic between Shane, Vince, Steph and Hunter?)

A note on WWE talent when it comes to autograph signings is that they are not allowed to do signings if there is a ring up for third parties, or at least that’s the general rule. For instance, Michaels, who comes at a very high price, can sign in conjunction with an indie show, but he can’t be there once the ring is put up or be there when the show takes place

(Do you have any insight into that rule? Did it apply to you, too? Why did WWE do this?)

The company held a press conference on 2/22 in Tokyo for the announcement of Nakamura signing. In Japan, it was pushed big as Nakamura signing with WWE, and was a major sports story there. There were more than 100 reporters, photographers and videographers at the Tokyo Hard Rock and the feeling in Japan is that it was a major press conference. None of the main WWE brass from the U.S. attended, with the WWE Japan staff and Chris Marsh, who runs the Asia and Pacific Division, as the office people who put it together. They first showed a five minute video clip that showed Nakamura flying from Tokyo to Stamford to meet with Vince, Paul Levesque and Stephanie at Titan Towers. They also filmed him at the Performance Center with Balor, Matt Bloom and Owens all talking about how great he is. It was treated very similar from the sports side to Kenta Maeda’s signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

(What were your impressions of Nakamura when working with him?)

Senior management got some major stock grants this year based on the company’s 2016 performance. Kevin Dunn received 354,039 shares (worth $5,438,039 at press time), as did George Barrios and Michelle Wilson. Dunn now has 527,416 shares ($8,101,110), Barrios has 572,244 ($8,789,668) and Wilson has 413,147 ($6,345,938). Paul Levesque and Stephanie McMahon-Levesque each got 34,262 (worth $526,264 each)

(Arn, did you ever get any of that stock from the company?)

The event itself

WWE FAST LANE POLL RESULTS

• Thumbs up 114 (50.7%)
• Thumbs down 56 (24.9%)
• In the middle 55 (24.4%)

Let’s begin with the Kickoff Show…

At the Royal Rumble, Kalisto defeated Alberto Del Rio to win the WWE United States Championship. Del Rio then invoked his rematch clause to face Kalisto for the title at this event.The match was later moved to the Fastlane Kickoff pre-show, with Del Rio challenging Kalisto to a two-out-of-three falls match.

1. Kalisto won 2/3 falls from Alberto Del Rio in 15:14 to retain the U.S. title. They were brawling outside the ring when Kalisto went for a springboard move off the barricade and Del Rio hit him with a chair for the DQ in 4:38. They took a commercial break so didn’t start the second fall for several minutes. Del Rio attacked Kalisto between falls and then pinned him with a double foot stomp while Kalisto was draped over the ropes in just :18. They quickly went to the third fall. Del Rio went for the mask at one point. Kalisto was in position to take Del Rio’s double foot stomp, but instead got out of it an used a huracanrana off the top rope. He did that same short huracanrana where Del Rio sells it even though he comes nowhere close to the mat. Del Rio did a double foot stomp while Kalisto was draped off the barricade. Kalisto just got in before the ten count. Del Rio then missed a double foot stomp and Kalisto flipped Del Rio into the turnbuckles and schoolboyed him for the pin at 7:56 of the fall. ***¼

(How does Del Rio feel about putting over Kalisto here, any issues? Is Del Rio expressing any frustration backstage, like he would in shoot interviews later about how he was used?)

Next up, the women’s revolution continues…

Here’s the build: On the February 1 episode of Raw, Brie Bella defeated WWE Divas Champion Charlotte in a non-title match, earning a title match against Charlotte at the event. On the same episode of Raw, Sasha Banks split from Team B.A.D., thus turning face, causing her former teammates Naomi and Tamina to attack Banks during her match against Becky Lynch. Lynch assisted Banks, setting up a tag team match between the two teams for the event.

2. Becky Lynch & Sasha Banks beat Tamina & Naomi in 9:41. Lynch and Banks at first teased not getting along. Some of the stuff was sloppy. Lynch was worked on. Naomi used the Speedball Mike Bailey kicks. Banks used the back stabber and bank statement on Naomi but Tamina pulled Banks off her and out of the ring. Naomi hit Banks with the rear view but she kicked out. Lynch came off the top rope with a missile dropkick on both and then they used a double submission, with Lynch using the disarmer on Naomi and Banks using the bank statement on Tamina. **½

(Sasha was getting big babyface pops here, including at the Rumble we just covered. Did it just make sense to turn her face?)

Up next, our program for the Intercontinental championship. Here’s the background: Kevin Owens won his second Intercontinental Championship on the February 15 episode of Raw in a fatal five-way match also involving Tyler Breeze, Dolph Ziggler, Stardust and then-champion Dean Ambrose. Ziggler, who had defeated Owens in the previous two weeks on Raw, then challenged Owens to an Intercontinental Championship match at the event, with the match being confirmed for the event despite Owens refusing the challenge.

3. Kevin Owens beat Dolph Ziggler to retain the IC title in 15:10. Ziggler braided his hair to look like Urijah Faber in a fight. The crowd was real hot for this. Ziggler is from Cleveland but they were hot for Owens. Owens made constant smartass comments during the match, including telling Ziggler that he was more popular than Ziggler even in Ziggler’s home town. Ziggler took a really hard whip into the turnbuckles. Owens used a fisherman buster off the middle rope for a near fall. Both used some superkicks back and forth. The finish saw Ziggler miss a superkick and Owens got the pin with a power bomb. ***¼

(Is it really a superkick if everyone hits it? Can we start calling it the Crescent Kick like GORILLA MONSOON?)

(Kevin Owens likes to talk smack to his opponents in the ring. We don’t see that very often anymore. Do you like that?)

In the words of Gary Michael Cappeta, next up...Six Man Tag Team Action!

Here’s the build: The Wyatt Family began feuding with Big Show, Kane and Ryback, with The Wyatt Family attacking the trio, after Bray Wyatt's victory over Kane on the January 25 episode of Raw, Big Show's victory over Erick Rowan on the February 1 episode of Raw and Wyatt's victory over Ryback a week later. On the February 15 episode of Raw, Big Show defeated Braun Strowman by disqualification after the Wyatt Family attacked Big Show. During the post-match, Ryback and Kane came out to assist Big Show, setting up a six-man tag team match for the event, with Big Show, Kane and Ryback facing Rowan, Strowman and fellow Wyatt Family member Luke Harper for the event

4. Big Show & Kane & Ryback beat Luke Harper & Erick Rowan & Braun Strowman in 10:36. The match was better than expected. JBL compared Strowman to Bill Kazmaier and Jeep Swenson. I can see the Swenson comparison, but it’s not flattering because Kazmaier and Swenson were two of the worst pro wrestlers ever. Then again... The finish saw Show throw Strowman out of the ring and then picked Harper up and threw him over the top rope onto Rowan and Strowman. Show gave Strowman a great spear on the floor, while in the ring Ryback pinned Harper after the shellshock. ***

(I was legitimately surprised when watching this show that the Wyatt Family lost, but then I remembered...they always lost back then. Why was that? Why couldn’t they be built as unstoppable monsters?)

We’re still in the era of the Divas Championship, although that changes at Wrestlemania

5. Charlotte retained the Divas title over Brie Bella in 12:26. At one point Brie Bella mocked Charlotte by doing the strut. There was a funny story there, as when Reid Fliehr was in high school, he lost a match and the kid who beat him did the strut. Fliehr then attacked the kid and there was a big-time scene. Charlotte was cut on her nose. She put Bella in a triangle and kept slamming her on the mat. Brie did the Nikki Bella forearm for a near fall. The finish saw Brie hit a missile dropkick, but started selling her left leg. She used Daniel Bryan kicks and it should be noted she was wearing the furry stuff that Bryan wore on his boots. The crowd was super into it the last few minutes although it was rough early. Charlotte tried a figure four but Bella reversed into the Yes lock. Then she turned it into a half crab. The crowd was at this point the hottest it had been the whole show. The story is that, because of her earlier leg injury, she couldn’t put full pressure on the half crab. Charlotte kicked out and Bella’s neck got caught on the ropes. Charlotte used the figure eight for the submission. **3/4

(Charlotte and Brie got the crowd into this one. Did you enjoy their match?)

We’re building off of the hot Royal Rumble debut of AJ Styles next. This is to be the rubber match in a series of three between Jericho and AJ Styles. After Styles debuted at the Rumble, on the following night on Raw, Styles defeated Chris Jericho. Jericho then defeated Styles in a rematch on the February 11 episode of SmackDown. On the following episode on Raw, Styles challenged Jericho to a third match at Fastlane, which Jericho accepted on the following episode of SmackDown.

6. A.J. Styles pinned Chris Jericho in 16:22. Crowd was really into this one as well, with loud dueling chants. JBL tried to put this over as a huge star from Japan coming to WWE, saying it was like if somebody like Kobashi, Kawada, Hansen or Inoki came in during their primes. Well, Hansen and Inoki actually did. At times they were slightly off, but the actual match layout and intensity were tremendous and the crowd was super into it. One highlight was Styles doing a plancha to the floor and Jericho catching him with a dropkick. Styles did his quebrada into a reverse DDT but Jericho seemed a step away. In a great spot, Styles went for a springboard move, and he literally could only stand on the top rope a split second while Jericho caught him with a springboard dropkick. Jericho threw him off the apron and I think to the barricade but Styles landed just short, landing on the back of his head on the floor. Jericho used the Walls of Jericho on the floor. He used a codebreaker. Styles came back with the KENTA series, which is notable given KENTA is under contract here. Styles used the Styles Clash, but Jericho kicked out. I was really surprised they did that this early in Styles’ run. Styles then used the calf crusher for the submission. Jericho did a super sell job of that move, struggling, and refusing to tap until finally tapping. Jericho got up and stared down Styles and teased attacking him. They both had their fists ready to throw but then Jericho offered his hand and Styles shook it. ****

(What did you think of the performance of these two? How is it that AJ Styles is able, during this time, to impress the machine and keep them behind him?)

Next was the Edge & Christian segment with The New Day. They plugged their new show, and then Edge said, “If I could get serious for a moment” and referenced Lance Storm. The New Day came out and the place was chanting “New Day Rocks.” Edge said he’s never seen so much chocolate sound so vanilla. Edge & Christian talked about how The New Day copies every Edge & Christian segment. They made fun of Kingston dropping his Jamaican accent. The New Day made fun of The Ascension, The Usos, The Dudleys and the “League of Booty.” Xavier Woods said the League of Nations were hot garbage. The League of Nations came out. Sheamus said that Edge & Christian were hip replacement candidates and Justin Bieber candidates. Del Rio told Edge that he kicked his ass and forced him to retire. Edge joked that he’s done more in the ring retired in the last five years than Del Rio has. Edge & Christian left the ring and called them the International House of Dumbasses. There were some cool lines but this segment went way too long.

(Is this just to fill time while also giving the show a little added star power?)

Our next match, clearly, is a filler match. But even at 2 minutes and 17 seconds, it managed to be the worst on the card.

7. Curtis Axel pinned R-Truth in 2:17. All the Social Outcasts were at ringside. Goldust came out tripped Axel, threw Heath Slater into the barricade and then threw Adam Rose into the ring. That distracted R-Truth and Axel pinned him with a schoolboy, holding the trunks. R-Truth was mad at Goldust for costing him the match. DUD

(What did you think about the Social Outcasts group?)

Now, let’s get to the main event. But first, the background:

At the Royal Rumble, Triple H won the Royal Rumble match by eliminating Dean Ambrose to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. On the following night on Raw, Stephanie McMahon scheduled a triple threat match featuring Ambrose, the previous champion Roman Reigns, and Brock Lesnar at the event, with the winner facing Triple H at WrestleMania 32 for the title.

8. Roman Reigns won a three-way to get the WWE title shot at WrestleMania over Dean Ambrose and Brock Lesnar in 16:48. Super match with great heat. Fans booed Reigns a lot. Lesnar was throwing everyone around with German suplexes. Lesnar continued to destroy both guys early. He threw Reigns into the barricades. Ambrose hit a tope on Lesnar, but Lesnar caught him and threw him with a belly-to-belly on the floor. Fans were going wild with “Suplex city” chants. Lesnar did two more German suplexes and hit the F-5 on Reigns, but Ambrose saved. Lesnar started killing Ambrose with knees. He hit a German suplex on Ambrose and the crowd chanted “One more time,” so Lesnar gave him two more. He had Ambrose up for the F-5 when Reigns speared Lesnar for a near fall. Reigns hit the Superman punch on Lesnar, who rolled out of the ring. Lesnar went out of the ring after Reigns and set up another F-5, but Ambrose stopped Lesnar with a low blow. Ambrose & Reigns did a double team power bomb through the English announcers table. With Lesnar taken out, Reigns and Ambrose started battling. The crowd was way behind Ambrose. They ended up back outside the ring and were beating up Lesnar. They did a double team power bomb onto another announcers’ table, which collapsed. They both buried Lesnar under all the broken tables. This left more Reigns vs. Ambrose. Ambrose came off the top but was hit with a Superman punch. Reigns went for a spear, but Ambrose nailed him with a knee. Ambrose hit Dirty Deeds but Reigns kicked out. Reigns had Ambrose up for a Samoan drop. But before Reigns could do the move, Lesnar was back in and German suplexed both at the same time. Ambrose landed right on Reigns’ head. That was a nasty looking landing. The finish saw Reigns spear Lesnar, but as Reigns went for the pin, Lesnar got him in a Kimura. Reigns stood up while being held in the move, but never broke it. Ambrose came back in and hit Lesnar with five hard chair shots to the back. Ambrose then nailed Reigns with three chair shots to the back. Ambrose went back to hitting Lesnar with a chair until he rolled out of the ring. Reigns then speared Ambrose to pin him. After the match, HHH came out and he and Reigns had a stare down with the WrestleMania sign in the background. ****½

(Super big match to end the show. What did you think?)

BEST MATCH POLL

• Reigns vs. Lesnar vs. Ambrose 132
• A.J. Styles vs. Chris Jericho 78
• Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler 13

WORST MATCH POLL

• Curtis Axel vs. R-Truth 161
• Charlotte vs. Brie Bella 31
• Show & Kane & Ryback vs. Wyatts 18

Meltzer said this about the show…

The show got mixed reviews. I thought most matches were good, but the period from after the ending of Jericho vs. Styles until the main event, a long segment involving The New Day, Edge & Christian and the League of Nations, and an R-Truth vs. Curtis Axel match, took the show down. It’s completely baffling the idea of the “cool down” before the main event that takes people out of the show needed to be so long, or even needed to be there at all. Almost no other promotion, whether it be in MMA or wrestling, tanks the period leading to the main event. On this show, they moved a very good Kalisto vs. Alberto Del Rio 2/3 fall match to the pre-show, while putting Truth vs. Axel on right before the main event.

The main event was fantastic and most matches were good. I would have expected more things to build WrestleMania, but they saved that until Raw.

(What did you think of Fastlane 2016?)