Roman Reigns in Fastline to WrestleMania 32 with Triple Threat triumph
Published:
Jamie Clark | February 21, 2016
WrestleMania season in full swing with Fastlane
There is one more pay-per-view stop on the road to WrestleMania 32, and punters can expect the card for ‘The Grand Daddy of Them All’ to be shaped hugely by WWE Fastlane.
Although the richest prize in professional wrestling, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, isn’t being defended at the February showcase for a second successive year, a spot in the main event of WrestleMania is on the line.
A good old-fashioned three-way dance between former world champions Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar, and Dean Ambrose headlines the Fastlane card. The winner will go on face current holder Triple H for the WWE title.
Triple Threat should belong to the Roman Empire
Reigns won a number one contender’s match at Fastlane 2015, and The Big Dog is a strong odds-on 1/5 favourite with Coral to do likewise here and advance to WrestleMania 32.
His former tag team partner Ambrose is a 5/1 shot, but the seeds of a rivalry between Reigns and Triple H were already sown some months ago and only intensified after The Game won the Royal Rumble and WWE World Heavyweight Championship in January.
Punters can expect interference in this Triple Threat match from Bray Wyatt and his eponymous Family to cost 10/1 outsider Lesnar victory.
Again, the Royal Rumble proved a key to hinting at WWE’s creative plans for WrestleMania when The Wyatt Family combined to eliminate The Beast Incarnate from that 30-man annual over-the-top-rope battle royal.
Walls of Jericho will fall to a Styles Clash
AJ Styles makes his WWE pay-per-view singles debut against Chris Jericho in a match that connoisseurs of the old Cruiserweight division should enjoy. He’s odds-on for victory at 1/8 over Y2J (9/2 outsider).
This feud is the perfect way to start getting Styles over with the WWE Universe, though more astute wrestling fans will already know his history. The Phenomenal One proved a headline act for rival promotion Total Nonstop Action (TNA) for more than a decade.
While with Impact Wrestling, as TNA is also known, Styles scooped five world championships, defeating the likes of Jeff Jarrett, Kurt Angle and Bubba Ray Dudley (known as Bull Ray during his time away from WWE).
Also TNA’s first Triple Crown winner and Grand Slam champ, Styles taking on Jericho is something of a fantasy match that fans could only dream of as recently as last year. The Phenomenal One has worked with wrestling legends like Ric Flair before, so this one might steal the show.
Owens to silence The Showoff
Kevin Owens recently regained the Intercontinental Championship from Ambrose, and he will swiftly defend it against Dolph Ziggler.
It’s the self-styled Prizefighter, Owens, whose reign should continue at 1/7, while four-time former IC champ Ziggler is 4/1 outsider to have the belt put on him here.
Wyatt Family to take six-man tag
With WrestleMania momentum to build and stable leader Bray’s vow to bring the titans of WWE crashing down, The Wyatt Family are firm 1/8 favourites to beat the hastily assembled trio of The Big Show, Kane and Ryback.
Wyatt’s acolytes Luke Harper, Erick Rowan and Braun Strowman are the top heel group in WWE right now, so it would be surprising to see them job to their opponents and that explains why they are 9/2 to lose.
Del Rio looking at US title defeat
Masked star Kalisto has traded the United States Championship with fellow Hispanic wrestler Alberto Del Rio throughout 2016, and now the rivalry will be settled in a two-out-of-three-falls match.
A successful defence for Kalisto is a 3/10 chance, while Mexico’s Del Rio is a 12/5 outsider to begin his third run with the US belt.
Kalisto is the one getting the push, though, and there are merchandise opportunities with replica masks sales likely to be greater through Kalisto’s growing profile.
Women’s matches look cut and dried
Divas Champion Charlotte tackles Brie Bella, but is a 1/8 favourite to keep the title. The Bella twin is a 9/2 outsider to take if from Ric Flair’s daughter.
In tag team action, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks are overwhelmingly odds-on at 1/14 to beat Naomi and Tamina of Team BAD (6/1).
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