Posted in: Sports, TV, WWE | Tagged: fastlane, sports, tv, wwe
WWE Fastlane – Once Again Sasha and Bianca Get in Their Own Way
WWE's Fastlane is the last pay-per-view event before Wrestlemania 37, kicking off in the Florida ThunderDome at Tropicana Field. The evening kicked off with the women's tag team championship title match between Bianca Belair & Sasha Banks vs. Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax. Bianca and Sasha have been at odds with the former's consistent challenging of Jax, who, time and time again, has proved her strength as a formidable opponent, especially with the assistance of her tag-team partner.
Following Baszler's misplaced kick to Jax on the previous Friday Night Smackdown, the current reigning champions entered the arena, sharing words and clearly frustrated with one another. Bianca and Sasha took advantage of Baszler and Jax's internal discourse, easily taking control of the match early on. Bianca went for back-to-back tap-outs against Baszler early on, which disrupted her momentum against her opponent, who managed to strong-arm her way out of the pins and tag in her partner Nia Jax. Bianca wisely tagged in Sasha, who did not seem completely prepared for Jax's brute strength. Rather than going toe to toe in strength, Sasha utilized a subtle tag with her partner, disrupting Nia's ability to rally against her opponent.
Nia and Shayna caught their second wind after the short and successful run of their challengers, and Bianca did not seem to be prepared for her opponents' grappling expertise. Nia's pace was calculated and merciless, using her abilities to flatten her opponents rather than tire herself out trying to match Bianca's acrobatics and speed. As soon as Nia felt even the slightest fatigue, she would tag in Shayna, who was quick to keep Bianca controlled on the mat, away from her partner's awaiting tag.
Bianca did prove her ability to create space and managed to squirm her way out of Nia's grip, who was no match for her opponent's speed. A fresh Sasha entered the ring and was met with immediate chaos as escort Reginald caused enough of a distraction that all women eventually lay in the center of the Fastlane ring, fighting about who caused the match to go so wrong. Unfortunately for Sasha, she took her eyes off Shayna too long while scolding Bianca and was pulled into a submission and pinned for three. Once again, Sasha and Bianca could not get out of their own way, finishing the match by blaming one another for their loss. Sasha was met with disapproval from the crowd, who booed her from the ring after she slapped Bianca in the center of the ring. The two women are scheduled to go head to head at WrestleMania with no love lost after their pathetic display of lackluster teamwork during the opening match of Fastlane 2021.