Fastlane (2021)

Last updated
Fastlane
Fastlane 2021 poster.jpg
Promotional poster featuring Drew McIntyre
Promotion WWE
Brand(s) Raw
SmackDown
DateMarch 21, 2021
City St. Petersburg, Florida
Venue WWE ThunderDome at Tropicana Field
Attendance0 (behind closed doors) [Note 1]
WWE Network event chronology
← Previous
Elimination Chamber 		Next →
NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver
Fastlane chronology
← Previous
2019 		Next →
2023

The 2021 Fastlane was the sixth Fastlane professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on March 21, 2021, from the WWE ThunderDome, hosted at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was WWE's final pay-per-view presented from Tropicana Field during the COVID-19 pandemic as the ThunderDome was relocated to the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida due to the start of the 2021 Tampa Bay Rays season. It was the first Fastlane event held since 2019 and the last until 2023. It was also WWE's first pay-per-view event to air on Peacock in the United States, and the last to be available on the standalone version of the American WWE Network before its shutdown on April 4.

Contents

Eight matches were contested at the event, including one on the Kickoff pre-show. In the main event, Roman Reigns defeated Daniel Bryan to retain SmackDown's Universal Championship with Edge as the special guest enforcer. In other prominent matches, Drew McIntyre defeated Sheamus in a No Holds Barred match, Seth Rollins defeated Shinsuke Nakamura, Big E defeated Apollo Crews to retain SmackDown's Intercontinental Championship, and Alexa Bliss defeated Randy Orton in an intergender match thanks to the return of "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt following a three-month storyline absence.

Production

Background

Fastlane is a pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network event first produced by WWE in 2015. The name of the event was a reference to its position on the "Road to WrestleMania", being held in the two-month period between the Royal Rumble and WWE's flagship event; [1] the first two Fastlane events were held in February before moving to March. The event was held annually until 2020 when Fastlane was removed from the schedule to allow WWE to hold that year's Super ShowDown pay-per-view, but on January 17, 2021, Fastlane was reinstated in 2021. The sixth Fastlane was held on March 21, 2021, and featured wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. [2]

On January 25, 2021, WWE announced that the WWE Network would become exclusively distributed by Peacock in the United States as part of a new agreement with NBCUniversal, which airs Monday Night Raw and NXT on the USA Network. On March 18, the WWE Network became a premium channel under Peacock, with premium subscribers to the service receiving access to the WWE Network at no additional cost. As a result, Fastlane was the first pay-per-view to air on Peacock's WWE Network channel. [3] [4] After a brief transitional period, the standalone version of the WWE Network in the U.S. shut down on April 4, with future events only available via Peacock's WWE Network channel and traditional PPV, which in turn also made Fastlane the very last in-ring event to air on the standalone version of the American WWE Network before its shutdown. This did not affect other countries, which maintain the separate WWE Network service distributed by WWE. [5] [6]

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic that began affecting the industry in mid-March 2020, WWE had to present the majority of its programming from a behind closed doors set. Initially, Raw and SmackDown's television shows and PPVs were done at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. [7] A limited number of Performance Center trainees and friends and family members of the wrestlers were later utilized to serve as the live audience. [8] [9] In late August, these programs were moved to a bio-secure bubble called the WWE ThunderDome. The select live audience was no longer utilized as the bubble allowed fans to attend the events virtually for free and be seen on the nearly 1,000 LED boards within the arena. Additionally, the ThunderDome utilized various special effects to further enhance wrestlers' entrances, and arena audio was mixed with that of the chants from the virtual fans. [10] After being hosted at Orlando's Amway Center, [11] the ThunderDome was relocated to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida in December. [12] [13]

Due to the start of the 2021 Tampa Bay Rays season, as Tropicana Field is the home venue of the Tampa Bay Rays, on March 24, 2021, WWE announced that they would relocate the ThunderDome to the Yuengling Center, located on the campus of the University of South Florida in Tampa, beginning with the April 12 episode of Raw. Fastlane was in turn the final WWE pay-per-view produced from the ThunderDome at Tropicana Field. [14] [15]

Storylines

The event comprised eight matches, including one on the Kickoff pre-show, that resulted from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results were predetermined by WWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands, [16] [17] while storylines were produced on WWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown . [18]

At Elimination Chamber, Daniel Bryan won SmackDown's Elimination Chamber match, which earned him an immediate Universal Championship match against Roman Reigns, who quickly defeated Bryan to retain the title. Following the match, men's Royal Rumble winner Edge appeared and performed a Spear on Reigns, indicating his choice to challenge Reigns for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 37. [19] On the following SmackDown, Reigns, accompanied by his special counsel Paul Heyman and cousin Jey Uso, claimed that Edge ruined his win over Bryan, who interrupted. Bryan mocked Reigns for defending his championship against him right after he had won the Elimination Chamber match, and was confused as to why Reigns wanted to defend the title in the second match of the event instead of in the main event. Bryan then challenged Reigns to another championship match at Fastlane. Jey interjected and stated that Bryan lost and would have to earn another opportunity like everyone else and then challenged Bryan to a match. Backstage, Edge confronted WWE official Adam Pearce and took issue that Bryan may receive a title shot before him, even though he had won the Royal Rumble match that Bryan also competed in. Pearce decided that Bryan would only get a Universal Championship match at Fastlane if he could defeat Jey in their match that night. In the main event, however, Bryan and Jey's match ended in a double countout. [20] A rematch the following week was contested in a Steel Cage match where if Bryan won, he would receive the title match, but if Jey won, Bryan would have to acknowledge Reigns as the Tribal Chief and Head of the Table; Bryan defeated Jey to earn the Universal Championship match against Reigns at Fastlane. [21] After the official contract signing for the match on the March 12 episode, a match between Edge and Jey was scheduled for the following week to determine who would be the special guest enforcer during the championship match, [22] which was won by Edge. [23]

After failing to defeat Big E for the Intercontinental Championship in January, [24] [25] Apollo Crews turned heel and began to embrace his royal Nigerian roots, including speaking with a Nigerian accent. [26] [27] On the February 19 episode of SmackDown, after Crews' loss against Shinsuke Nakamura where Big E was on commentary, Crews attacked Nakamura after the match. Big E aided Nakamura, however, Crews attacked Big E with the steel steps, taking him out of action for a couple of weeks. [28] Big E returned on the March 12 episode and called out Crews, who did not answer. Big E then issued an open challenge for the Intercontinental Championship where he retained the title against Sami Zayn. After the match, Crews blindsided Big E and attacked him with the steel steps once again. [22] Big E was subsequently scheduled to defend the Intercontinental Championship against Crews at Fastlane. [29]

On the February 1 episode of Raw, Sheamus turned on his friend Drew McIntyre, declaring that he was not his friend anymore and wanted the WWE Championship. Later that same night, McIntyre accepted Sheamus' challenge for a one-on-one match. [30] McIntyre was then scheduled to defend the title in Raw's Elimination Chamber match at Elimination Chamber in which Sheamus was also a participant; McIntyre retained the championship but then lost it to The Miz, who cashed in his Money in the Bank contract after McIntyre was attacked by Bobby Lashley. [19] McIntyre returned on the March 1 episode of Raw, where he finally faced Sheamus in their promised one-on-one match that McIntyre won. [31] A rematch the following week was contested as a No Disqualification match; however, it ended by referee stoppage. [32] Another match between the two was scheduled for Fastlane as a No Holds Barred match. [33] [34]

At TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in December 2020, Randy Orton defeated "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt in a Firefly Inferno match. After the match, Orton doused The Fiend's lifeless body in gasoline and set him on fire. [35] Following this incident, Alexa Bliss, who had aligned with The Fiend months earlier, began to haunt Orton on a weekly basis, including causing him to lose multiple matches. On the March 15 episode of Raw, Bliss challenged Orton to an intergender match at Fastlane, and Orton accepted in the hopes of ridding Bliss from his life. [33]

Incensed at being left out of Raw's Elimination Chamber match, Braun Strowman took issue with WWE officials Shane McMahon and Adam Pearce. In an attempt to rectify things, Shane scheduled Strowman to team with Pearce to face The Hurt Business (Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin) for the Raw Tag Team Championship. Strowman had the match won, however, after performing a Running Powerslam on Benjamin, Shane signaled to Pearce to tag in for the pin only for Benjamin to perform a roll up on Pearce to retain the titles, which enraged Strowman further. [31] Shane then began to insult Strowman's intelligence. [31] Strowman then challenged Shane to a match on the March 15 episode of Raw. The match, however, never officially started and the two instead brawled with Shane calling Strowman stupid. This led to a match being scheduled between the two at Fastlane. [33]

At Elimination Chamber, Riddle won the United States Championship. [19] On the March 1 episode of Raw, Retribution's Mustafa Ali defeated Riddle in a non-title match. [31] Ali then received a United States Championship match against Riddle on the March 15 episode where Riddle retained. [33] Following the show, Ali posted a video on Twitter challenging Riddle to another title match, which was scheduled for the Fastlane Kickoff pre-show. [36]

At Elimination Chamber, Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax defeated SmackDown Women's Champion Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair to retain the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship. [19] On March 4, a championship rematch between the two teams was scheduled for Fastlane. [37]

On the March 19 episode of SmackDown, while Seth Rollins was talking about Cesaro being the biggest waste of talent in WWE, Shinsuke Nakamura appeared and laid out Rollins. A match between Rollins and Nakamura was subsequently scheduled for Fastlane. [23]

Event

Other on-screen personnel
Role:Name:
English commentators Michael Cole (SmackDown)
Corey Graves (SmackDown)
Tom Phillips (Raw)
Samoa Joe (Raw)
Byron Saxton (Raw)
Spanish commentators Carlos Cabrera
Marcelo Rodriguez
Ring announcers Greg Hamilton (SmackDown)
Mike Rome (Raw)
Referees Danilo Anfibio
Shawn Bennett
Jessika Carr
John Cone
Dan Engler
Darrick Moore
Chad Patton
Rod Zapata
InterviewerSarah Schreiber
Pre-show panel Kayla Braxton
Jerry Lawler
Peter Rosenberg
Booker T

Pre-show

During the Fastlane Kickoff pre-show, Riddle defended the United States Championship against Mustafa Ali (accompanied by his Retribution stablemates T-Bar, Mace, Slapjack, and Reckoning). In the end, Riddle performed a Bro-Derek on Ali from the top rope to retain the title. Following the match, Ali yelled at Reckoning and Slapjack, causing them to walk out on him, after which, Mace and T-Bar attacked Ali with a double Chokeslam. [38]

Preliminary matches

The actual pay-per-view opened with Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler (accompanied by Reginald) defending the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship against SmackDown Women's Champion Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair. In the climax, as Banks applied the Bank Statement on Baszler, Belair attacked Jax to prevent Jax from breaking the submission, however, Jax shoved Belair onto Banks, voiding the submission. As Banks was arguing with Belair, Baszler took advantage and performed a roll-up on a distracted Banks to retain the titles. Following the match, Banks blamed Belair for their loss and slapped Belair before departing backstage. [39]

Following the match, the commentators spoke about the scheduled match between Shane McMahon and Braun Strowman, after which, footage was shown from earlier in the day that Shane injured his leg during his training. After the footage, Shane came out of the trainer's room wielding a crutch and with his knee wrapped up. Elias and Jaxson Ryker then approached Shane about doing a concert at WrestleMania. Shane then stated that he has an idea. [39]

Next, Big E defended the Intercontinental Championship against Apollo Crews. Big E reversed a pin attempt by Crews into his own pin attempt to retain the title. Following the match, Crews attacked Big E. [39]

Backstage for an Old Spice advertisement, Akira Tozawa was in search of 24/7 Champion R-Truth, who was hiding in the Old Spice display. Old Spice representative Joseph Average (portrayed by NXT and WWE Performance Center trainee Erik Bugez) then accidentally pinned R-Truth to win the championship after the shelf of deodorants fell over. R-Truth then performed a roll-up on Average to win back the title for his record 51st 24/7 Championship. [39]

After that, Shane McMahon came out to the ring and introduced Elias (accompanied by Jaxson Ryker). Shane allowed Elias to preview his WrestleMania concert, however, after Elias began playing his guitar, Shane cut him off and announced that Elias would be taking his place in his scheduled match against Braun Strowman, who then made his entrance. Strowman performed a Running Powerslam on Elias to win the match. [39]

In the following match, Seth Rollins faced Shinsuke Nakamura. In the climax, Rollins performed a Black Magic Kick and a Curb Stomp on Nakamura to win the match. [39]

After this, Drew McIntyre faced Sheamus in a No Holds Barred match. McIntyre performed a Future Shock DDT on Sheamus onto a television monitor before performing the Claymore Kick to win the match. [39]

In the penultimate match, Randy Orton faced Alexa Bliss in an intergender match. Before the match started, Orton began to spit up a black liquid. During the match, Bliss used supernatural powers, such as causing a lighting rig to fall which nearly landed on Orton and shooting a fireball at Orton. In the end, "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt—who had not been seen since Orton set him on fire at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in December 2020—tore through the ring canvas, appearing very grotesque with charred skin. Bliss, who was perched atop the turnbuckle, pushed Orton into The Fiend, who then attacked Orton with a Sister Abigail, allowing Bliss to pin Orton to win the match. [39]

Main event

In the main event, Roman Reigns (accompanied by Paul Heyman) defended the Universal Championship against Daniel Bryan with Edge as the special guest enforcer. In the climax, Bryan accidentally incapacitated the referee, after which, Reigns performed a Spear on Bryan, which prompted Edge to take over as the official. While Bryan applied the Yes! Lock on Reigns, Jey Uso entered the ring and performed a superkick on Edge and Bryan, after which, Jey retrieved a steel chair. As Jey attempted to attack Bryan, Bryan countered and attacked Jey with the chair. Bryan tried to attack Reigns with the chair, however, Reigns ducked and Bryan accidentally struck Edge. As Bryan then applied the Yes! Lock on Reigns once again, Reigns visibly tapped out, however, there was no referee to notice and in response, an enraged Edge attacked both Bryan and Reigns with the steel chair before departing backstage. A second referee came down and Reigns pinned Bryan to retain the title. [39]

Aftermath

In October 2021, WWE revealed their PPV calendar for 2022 and Fastlane was not included. [40] While there had been a to be announced event for February, this event was later revealed as Elimination Chamber. [41] After a two-year hiatus, Fastlane was reinstated for 2023, but for October, subsequently dropping its "Road to WrestleMania" theme. [42]

Raw

On the following night's episode of Raw, Randy Orton attempted to summon "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt after what had transpired at Fastlane. Alexa Bliss appeared on the stage holding a jack-in-a-box signaling the return of The Fiend, after which, the lights went out. When they returned, The Fiend was standing in the ring. Orton performed an RKO on The Fiend, after which, Bliss walked to the ring to taunt Orton. The Fiend then rose to his feet and attacked Orton with a Sister Abigail. Bliss then pointed to the WrestleMania sign and a match between The Fiend and Orton was scheduled for WrestleMania 37. [43]

Also on Raw, Shane McMahon, along with Elias and Jaxson Ryker, continued to taunt Braun Strowman, who came out and defeated Elias in a rematch. Shane then attacked Strowman with his crutch, revealing that Shane had feigned his injury. Shane then retreated and Strowman challenged Shane to a match at WrestleMania 37 and Shane accepted. [43] The following week, Strowman chose a Steel Cage match as the stipulation. [44]

SmackDown

On the March 26 episode of SmackDown, Adam Pearce announced that Roman Reigns would defend the Universal Championship against both Edge and Daniel Bryan in a triple threat match at WrestleMania 37. [45] The following week, Bryan faced Jey Uso in a street fight, where Bryan was victorious. After the match, Bryan rammed Edge into the ring post before applying the Yes! Lock on Reigns to stand tall. [46] On the WrestleMania edition of SmackDown, Reigns, Edge, and Bryan gave their final WrestleMania messages, while Jey Uso won the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. [47] At WrestleMania 37, Reigns defeated Edge and Bryan to retain the Universal Championship. [48]

Also on SmackDown, Apollo Crews pinned Big E in a six-man tag team match. A rematch between the two for the Intercontinental Championship was subsequently scheduled for WrestleMania 37, [45] which was later changed to a Nigerian Drum Fight. [46] At the event, Crews defeated Big E to win the title after interference from a large man, later revealed to be Commander Azeez. [48]

Seth Rollins faced and defeated Shinsuke Nakamura in a rematch on the following SmackDown. Afterwards, Rollins was attacked by Cesaro, leading to a match between Rollins and Cesaro at WrestleMania 37, [45] which Cesaro won. [49]

Results

No.ResultsStipulationsTimes [39]
1P Riddle (c) defeated Mustafa Ali (with Mace, Reckoning, Slapjack, and T-Bar) by pinfall Singles match for the WWE United States Championship [50] 9:16
2 Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler (c) (with Reginald) defeated Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks by pinfall Tag team match for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship [51] 9:45
3 Big E (c) defeated Apollo Crews by pinfall Singles match for the WWE Intercontinental Championship [52] 5:45
4 Braun Strowman defeated Elias (with Jaxson Ryker) by pinfall Singles match [53] 3:50
5 Seth Rollins defeated Shinsuke Nakamura by pinfall Singles match [54] 12:55
6 Drew McIntyre defeated Sheamus by pinfall No Holds Barred match [55] 19:40
7 Alexa Bliss defeated Randy Orton by pinfall Intergender match [56] 4:45
8 Roman Reigns (c) (with Paul Heyman) defeated Daniel Bryan by pinfall Singles match for the WWE Universal Championship [57]
Edge was the special guest enforcer.		30:00
(c) – the champion(s) heading into the match
P – the match was broadcast on the pre-show

Notes

  1. ↑ The event was held without a paying audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, though it featured a live crowd of virtual fans via WWE's ThunderDome viewing experience.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Reigns</span> American professional wrestler (born 1985)

Leati Joseph Anoaʻi is an American professional wrestler and former American football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Roman Reigns. He is the current and longest-reigning WWE Universal Champion in his second reign and the current WWE Champion in his fourth reign. He is also the leader of The Bloodline stable and a member of the Anoaʻi family. Reigns's ongoing reign of 1,272 days as Universal Champion is the fourth-longest world title reign in WWE history and the longest championship reign since 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania 36</span> 2020 WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

WrestleMania 36 was the 36th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and NXT brand divisions. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was filmed on March 25 and 26, 2020, at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida and was broadcast as a two-night event on April 4 and 5. This marked the first time the event was broadcast over two nights as well as aired on tape delay. On pay-per-view, the two productions were sold as individual shows, with both available as a package deal. National Football League (NFL) player Rob Gronkowski served as the host of the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania 37</span> 2021 WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

WrestleMania 37 was the 37th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event was held as a two-night event, taking place on April 10 and 11, 2021, at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Following the merger of the WWE Network under Peacock in the United States in March 2021, WrestleMania 37 became the first major WWE event for which U.S. subscribers could only livestream the event via Peacock. WWE Hall of Famers Hulk Hogan and Titus O'Neil served as the hosts of the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SummerSlam (2019)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2019 SummerSlam was the 32nd annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and 205 Live brand divisions. The event took place on August 11, 2019, at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and was the second SummerSlam held at this venue after the 2004 event and the first held outside of New York since 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fastlane (2019)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2019 Fastlane was the fifth Fastlane professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on March 10, 2019, at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, and was the second Fastlane held at this venue after the 2016 event. An event was not held in 2020 due to the scheduling of that year's Super ShowDown event, but Fastlane returned in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Survivor Series (2020)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2020 Survivor Series was the 34th annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on November 22, 2020, from the WWE ThunderDome, hosted at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. It was WWE's final PPV presented from the Amway Center during the COVID-19 pandemic as the ThunderDome was relocated to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida due to the start of the 2020–21 ECHL and NBA seasons. The theme of the event was brand supremacy and featured wrestlers from the two brands against each other—unlike the 2019 event, NXT was not included at this year's event. The event also celebrated the 30th anniversary of The Undertaker's WWE debut—his retirement ceremony closed the event. This was the fourth Survivor Series event to take place in the state of Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Rumble (2020)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2020 Royal Rumble was the 33rd annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on January 26, 2020, at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elimination Chamber (2019)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2019 Elimination Chamber was the ninth Elimination Chamber professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and 205 Live brand divisions. The event took place on February 17, 2019, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Rumble (2021)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2021 Royal Rumble was the 34th annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on January 31, 2021, from the WWE ThunderDome, hosted at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was the first Royal Rumble event held since the death of Pat Patterson, who created the Royal Rumble match. This is the only Royal Rumble event to not have live fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SummerSlam (2020)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2020 SummerSlam was the 33rd annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on August 23, 2020, from the WWE ThunderDome, hosted at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, and was WWE's first pay-per-view to be broadcast from the ThunderDome bio-secure bubble. It was also the first SummerSlam since 2011 to not feature Brock Lesnar, who competed in the main event match for the past six years and in 2012. Additionally, it was the first SummerSlam since 2009 to feature MVP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super ShowDown (2020)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2020 Super ShowDown was the third annual and final Super ShowDown professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by the American company WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on February 27, 2020, at the Mohammed Abdu Arena on the Boulevard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was the fifth event that WWE held in Saudi Arabia under a 10-year partnership in support of Saudi Vision 2030. It was the last event held by WWE in Saudi Arabia until Crown Jewel in October 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic began severely restricting travel only weeks after Super ShowDown, with WWE holding all events behind closed doors until July 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2020)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2020 TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs was the 12th annual and final TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on December 20, 2020, from the WWE ThunderDome, hosted at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was WWE's first PPV to present the ThunderDome from Tropicana Field during the COVID-19 pandemic, following a four-month residency at Orlando's Amway Center. The 2020 event would in turn be the final TLC PPV as the 2021 event was canceled in favor of an event called Day 1.

The Bloodline is a villainous professional wrestling stable that performs in WWE on the SmackDown brand. The team is led by Roman Reigns, and features Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa, and The Rock, who are all members of the renowned Anoaʻi family. They are managed by Paul Heyman. Jimmy's twin brother Jey Uso was also a member until June 2023 when he turned on Reigns and was then traded to the Raw brand in September. Jimmy had also briefly left the group right before his brother did but reinserted himself into the group in September. Sami Zayn was also an honorary member from May 2022 to January 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Money in the Bank (2020)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2020 Money in the Bank was the 11th annual Money in the Bank professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event aired on May 10, 2020. While the majority of the event aired live from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, the show's eponymous ladder matches were pre-recorded on April 15 at WWE's Titan Towers global headquarters building in Stamford, Connecticut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hell in a Cell (2020)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2020 Hell in a Cell was the 12th annual Hell in a Cell professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on October 25, 2020, from the WWE ThunderDome, hosted at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. This was the final Hell in a Cell held during the month of October, as the 2021 event moved the event series up to June.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Backlash (2020)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2020 Backlash was the 15th Backlash professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event aired on June 14, 2020, with all the matches taking place at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. While the majority of the event aired live, the main event match between Edge and Randy Orton was pre-recorded on June 7. It was the first Backlash event held since 2018 and the final to be titled "Backlash" until 2023; the 2021 and 2022 events renamed the event series to "WrestleMania Backlash".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clash of Champions (2020)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2020 Clash of Champions was the fourth and final Clash of Champions professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on September 27, 2020, from the WWE ThunderDome, hosted at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. An event was planned for 2021, but its September date was instead given to Extreme Rules. As per the theme of the event, all championships available to the Raw and SmackDown brands at the time were defended with the exception of the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship, which was originally scheduled to be defended; however, the match was canceled as the champions were not medically cleared to compete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania Backlash (2021)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2021 WrestleMania Backlash was the 16th Backlash professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on May 16, 2021, from the WWE ThunderDome, hosted at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida. It was WWE's first pay-per-view to present the ThunderDome from the Yuengling Center during the COVID-19 pandemic, following a four-month residency at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was also the first Backlash to livestream on Peacock. From 1999 to 2009, the concept of the Backlash pay-per-view was based around the backlash from WWE's flagship event, WrestleMania. The 2021 event returned Backlash to this original position as the post-WrestleMania pay-per-view, and it was in turn renamed to "WrestleMania Backlash" as it was based around the backlash from WrestleMania 37.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Payback (2020)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2020 Payback was the sixth Payback professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on August 30, 2020, from the WWE ThunderDome, hosted at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. It was the first Payback held since 2017 and the final until 2023. The theme of the event was wrestlers seeking payback against their opponents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elimination Chamber (2021)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2021 Elimination Chamber was the 11th Elimination Chamber professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on February 21, 2021, from the WWE ThunderDome, hosted at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was WWE's final pay-per-view to be available to livestream on the standalone version of the American WWE Network before the launch of Peacock's WWE Network channel in the United States on March 18; the standalone version of the American WWE Network itself shut down on April 4.

References

  1. ↑ Caldwell, James (December 8, 2014). "WWE News: February PPV gets a new title (w/Poll)". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on January 15, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  2. ↑ Johnson, Mike (January 17, 2021). "WWE Fast Lane PPV update". PWInsider. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  3. ↑ Spangler, Todd (January 25, 2021). "NBCU's Peacock Pins WWE Network Exclusive U.S. Streaming Rights". Variety. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  4. ↑ Hayes, Dade (January 25, 2021). "Peacock Adds Wrestling In WWE Network Streaming Exclusive". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  5. ↑ "FAQs about the Peacock and WWE Network Announcement". WWE . Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  6. ↑ WWE.com Staff (March 8, 2021). "WWE Network to launch on Peacock March 18". WWE . Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  7. ↑ Johnson, Mike (March 21, 2020). "WWE taping updates". PWInsider. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  8. ↑ Casey, Connor (May 25, 2020). "WWE Fans Are Thrilled to See Crowds Back on WWE Raw". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  9. ↑ Oestriecher, Blake (June 17, 2020). "WWE Live Events With Fans Could Reportedly Return Very Soon". Forbes . Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  10. ↑ WWE.com Staff (August 17, 2020). "WWE introducing new state-of-the-art viewing experience with WWE ThunderDome". WWE . Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  11. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (August 17, 2020). "WWE Announces ThunderDome Arena; Enhanced Fan Experience, Residency At Amway Center; First Look Video Shown". Fightful. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  12. ↑ WWE.com Staff (November 19, 2020). "WWE ThunderDome will head to Tampa Bay's Tropicana Field beginning Friday, Dec. 11". WWE . Archived from the original on November 19, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  13. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (November 19, 2020). "WWE ThunderDome Moving To Tropicana Field On December 11". Fightful. Archived from the original on November 19, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  14. ↑ Williams, Randall (March 24, 2021). "WWE Moves ThunderDome to USF's Yuengling Center". Sportico.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  15. ↑ "WWE ThunderDome takes over Yuengling Center". WWE . March 24, 2021. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  16. ↑ Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
  17. ↑ "Live & Televised Entertainment". WWE . Archived from the original on February 18, 2009. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  18. ↑ Steinberg, Brian (May 25, 2016). "WWE's 'Smackdown' Will Move To Live Broadcast On USA (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on May 26, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Powell, Jason (February 21, 2021). "WWE Elimination Chamber results: Powell's live review of Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus vs. Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston vs. AJ Styles vs. Jeff Hardy in an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship, Roman Reigns faces an Elimination Chamber match winner for the WWE Universal Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on February 22, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  20. ↑ Brookhouse, Brent (February 26, 2021). "WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: Daniel Bryan makes challenge, Bianca Belair chooses WrestleMania foe". CBSSports . Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
  21. ↑ Brookhouse, Brent (March 5, 2021). "WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: Daniel Bryan punches ticket to universal title shot at Fastlane". CBSSports . Archived from the original on March 6, 2021. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  22. 1 2 Brookhouse, Brent (March 12, 2021). "WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: Fastlane special enforcer match set, Big E issues open challenge". CBSSports . Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  23. 1 2 Brookhouse, Brent (March 19, 2021). "WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: Roman Reigns sends final Fastlane message, Edge faces Jey Uso". CBSSports . Archived from the original on March 20, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  24. ↑ Brookhouse, Brent (January 8, 2021). "WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: Shocking contender determined for Roman Reigns' universal title". CBSSports . Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  25. ↑ Brookhouse, Brent (January 22, 2021). "WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: Kevin Owens ends wild show as the last man standing". CBSSports . Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  26. ↑ Barrasso, Justin (March 12, 2021). "New Character Gives Apollo Crews an Added Dimension". Sports Illustrated . Archived from the original on March 12, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021. As his new character—accompanied to the ring with two guards and speaking in a Nigerian accent—presents Crews in an entirely new light.
  27. ↑ Blanchard, Matthew (April 3, 2021). "WWE Fans Still Puzzled About Apollo Crews Sudden and Illogical Nigerian Accent Change". The Overtimer. Archived from the original on April 3, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  28. ↑ Crosby, Jack (February 19, 2021). "WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: Edge laid out by Roman Reigns on Elimination Chamber go-home show". CBSSports . Archived from the original on February 21, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  29. ↑ Guzzo, Gisberto (March 13, 2021). "Intercontinental Championship Match Set For WWE Fastlane". Fightful. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  30. ↑ Brookhouse, Brent (February 1, 2021). "WWE Raw results, recap, grades: Edge battles Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre's next challenger emerges". CBSSports . Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  31. 1 2 3 4 Brookhouse, Brent (March 2, 2021). "WWE Raw results, recap, grades: Bobby Lashley overcomes Miz shenanigans to win first WWE championship". CBSSports . Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  32. ↑ Brookhouse, Brent (March 8, 2021). "WWE Raw results, recap, grades: Bobby Lashley defends title, Shane McMahon taunts Braun Strowman". CBSSports . Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  33. 1 2 3 4 Brookhouse, Brent (March 15, 2021). "WWE Raw results, recap, grades: WWE championship match set for WrestleMania, two title changes". CBSSports . Archived from the original on March 16, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  34. ↑ Currier, Joseph (March 19, 2021). "No Holds Barred stipulation added to WWE Fastlane match". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online . Archived from the original on March 20, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  35. ↑ Powell, Jason (December 20, 2020). "WWE TLC results: Powell's review of Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens in a TLC match for the WWE Universal Championship, Drew McIntyre vs. AJ Styles in a TLC match for the WWE Championship, The Fiend vs. Randy Orton in a Firefly Inferno Match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  36. ↑ Harris, Jeffrey (March 16, 2021). "WWE News: Mustafa Ali Challenges Matt Riddle to US Title Rematch at Fastlane, More Raw Video Highlights". 411Mania . Archived from the original on March 16, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  37. ↑ Jenkins, H (March 4, 2021). "WWE adds title match to Fastlane". Ringside News. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  38. ↑ Moore, John (March 21, 2021). "WWE Fastlane Kickoff Show results: Moore's live review of the pre-show". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  39. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Powell, Jason (March 21, 2021). "WWE Fastlane results: Powell's live review of Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan for the WWE Universal Championship with Edge as special enforcer, Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus in a No Holds Barred match, Big E vs. Apollo Crews for the Intercontinental Title, Randy Orton vs. Alexa Bliss". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  40. ↑ Labert, Jeremy (October 25, 2021). "WWE Announces Pay-Per-View Schedule For 2022, WrestleMania 38 Set To Be Two Nights". Fightful. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  41. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy (January 17, 2022). "WWE Confirms Elimination Chamber Event In Saudi Arabia". Fightful. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  42. ↑ Keller, Wade (June 20, 2023). "WWE bringing back Fastlane event, date and location announced". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on June 20, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  43. 1 2 Brookhouse, Brent (March 22, 2021). "WWE Raw results, recap, grades: Multiple WrestleMania matches made as The Fiend is summoned". CBSSports . Archived from the original on March 23, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  44. ↑ Brookhouse, Brent (March 29, 2021). "WWE Raw results, recap, grades: SmackDown star answers call from Bobby Lashley to lay out Drew McIntyre". CBSSports . Archived from the original on March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
  45. 1 2 3 Brookhouse, Brent (March 26, 2021). "WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: Huge changes made to WrestleMania card in action-packed show". CBSSports . Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  46. 1 2 Bengel, Chris (April 2, 2021). "WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: Daniel Bryan gains WrestleMania momentum, Logan Paul debuts on TV". CBSSports . Archived from the original on April 3, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  47. ↑ Bengel, Chris (April 10, 2021). "WWE SmackDown results, recap, grades: Edge, Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan make final WrestleMania statements". CBSSports . Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  48. 1 2 Keller, Wade (April 11, 2021). "4/11 WWE WrestleMania 37: Keller's report on Reigns vs. Bryan vs. Edge, Orton vs. Fiend, Asuka vs. Ripley, Owens vs. Sami". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on April 12, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  49. ↑ Keller, Wade (April 10, 2021). "4/10 WWE WrestleMania 37 results: Keller's report on Banks vs. Belair, Lashley vs. McIntyre, Bad Bunny & Damien Priest vs. Miz & Morrison, Strowman vs. Shane McMahon". Pro Wrestling Torch. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  50. ↑ Garretson, Jordan (March 21, 2021). "United States Champion Riddle def. Mustafa Ali (Kickoff Match)". WWE . Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  51. ↑ Garretson, Jordan (March 21, 2021). "WWE Women's Tag Team Champions Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler def. SmackDown Women's Champion Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair". WWE . Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  52. ↑ Garretson, Jordan (March 21, 2021). "Intercontinental Champion Big E def. Apollo Crews". WWE . Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  53. ↑ Garretson, Jordan (March 21, 2021). "Braun Strowman def. Elias". WWE . Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  54. ↑ Garretson, Jordan (March 21, 2021). "Seth Rollins def. Shinsuke Nakamura". WWE . Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  55. ↑ Garretson, Jordan (March 21, 2021). "Drew McIntyre def. Sheamus (No Holds Barred Match)". WWE . Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  56. ↑ Garretson, Jordan (March 21, 2021). "Alexa Bliss def. Randy Orton, The Fiend re-emerged". WWE . Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  57. ↑ Garretson, Jordan (March 21, 2021). "Universal Champion Roman Reigns def. Daniel Bryan". WWE . Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.