{"id":120691,"date":"2023-10-15T08:00:56","date_gmt":"2023-10-15T12:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=120691"},"modified":"2023-10-15T02:39:34","modified_gmt":"2023-10-15T06:39:34","slug":"the-3-count-wwe-fastlane-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2023\/10\/15\/the-3-count-wwe-fastlane-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"The 3 Count: WWE Fastlane 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The 3 Count: WWE Fastlane<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">Indianapolis &#8211; The Capital city of the fine state of Indiana and home of racing and basketball lore, this Indianapolis crowd was given the hosting duties of a surprisingly solid but short \u201cB Show\u201d in <em><strong>WWE Fastlane<\/strong><\/em>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">A show typically known as one of the final stops heading into <em><strong>WrestleMania<\/strong><\/em>, <strong>WWE<\/strong> changed up their format with this show being the final stop before two of WWE&#8217;s biggest shows in<em><strong> Crown Jewel<\/strong> <\/em>and a three-hour drive up Interstate 65 North to Chicago for the Thanksgiving tradition in <em><strong>Survivor Series<\/strong><\/em>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">As preparations are set for <em>Crown Jewel<\/em> is we are here to bring you the<em> WWE Fastlane<\/em> edition of the 3 Count.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">1.) The Judgment Day has run its course <\/span><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0GsgQrNPKF4?si=D0IeugDbqIin8Q7F\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">Unpopular opinion, but over the weeks heading into <em>WWE Fastlane<\/em>, it feels that this faction has just become stale. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">If we are going to break it down, let\u2019s get to it. The group has suffered from the control-C, and control-V elements of being in repetitive rivalries against the likes of<strong> Cody Rhodes<\/strong>, <strong>Kevin Owens<\/strong>, and <strong>Sami Zayn<\/strong>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">The North American and World Women\u2019s Championships have ultimately suffered while being in the hands of <strong>Dominik Mysterio<\/strong> and <strong>Rhea Ripley<\/strong> respectively, and speaking of these championships, what was the point of having Dominik lose the title at <em><strong>No Mercy<\/strong><\/em> in the first place if it was going to ultimately cause <strong>Trick Williams<\/strong> short term character damage, and Rhea Ripley as champion has been middling at best and lackadaisical at worst.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">The blowoff between Balor and Priest has been awful and taking too long to materialize and it just feels like the people who are suffering between all of this are Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, and the NXT North American championship division in its entirety. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">There\u2019s so much missed opportunity for the likes of Balor, Priest, and Ripley, the only person that really benefits from the <strong>Judgement Day<\/strong> is Dominik because from a character standpoint, he\u2019s the most over as a heel but is it really heat or go away heat. Rhea as a character isn\u2019t hurt per se but her reign as champions has ultimately been suffering.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">2.) LA Knight (Yeah) is the clear choice to challenge Roman Reigns<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LWuGW4jwqKE?si=PCfYMeG-94JUt2xd\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">The popularity and rise of the former <strong>Eli Drake<\/strong> has been a revelation that the WWE has experienced in a similar vein to <strong>Diamond Dallas Page<\/strong> during his tenure in <strong>WCW<\/strong>. <\/span><span class=\"s2\">Knight has become the people\u2019s choice to the point where even <strong>Paul Heyman<\/strong> and <strong>John Cena<\/strong> had to acknowledge (pun intended) the \u201cmegastar\u201d as the next big thing in WWE.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">Knight has been riding a lot of positive momentum since <em><strong>Money in the Bank<\/strong><\/em> despite not winning the briefcase, but it has seemed to be that WWE is going with it having Knight in high-profiled matches, storylines and with Knight being in the midst of this supposed third inning, Reigns vs Knight looks to be the money match for Riyadh. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">It makes sense, granted WWE won\u2019t put the title on Knight but it\u2019s a test for the main event picture, and it could easily be rewarded with a secondary title along the lines.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">Kick Out: Where is the Damage CTRL storyline going?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tnRDwSoV1zo?si=xVG-buwh83VKFC3M\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">Hate to say it, but it seems directionless without any tension. Maybe it\u2019s <strong>Triple H\u2019s<\/strong> long-term booking going forward with <strong>IYO SKY<\/strong> and <strong>Bayley<\/strong> being in between the very thing that Bayley failed to win. It was over a year ago that this group was formed, <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">Bayley wasn\u2019t able to win the title as <strong>Bianca Belair<\/strong> had a stranglehold on the <em><strong>Raw<\/strong><\/em> Women\u2019s Division at the time. Bayley losing the title is more so an indictment on her not being able to get the job done, and IYO having the title is a reflection of Bayley\u2019s failure since returning from her injury back in the Summer of 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">Right now, it may be a slow burn, even to the point where Indiana\u2019s All-Star PG, <strong>Tyrese Halliburton<\/strong> called out the circumstances at hand in the <em>WWE Fastlane<\/em> post-conference. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">It\u2019s only a matter of time, but the question is, when?<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">3.) Seth Rollins\u2019 championship reign is becoming a casualty of fan base disapproval<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Qgf1ylsjLXY?si=oQOqbfatvUfP5Ucm\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">As much as it is appreciated that we have a consistent champion within the company, it\u2019s been relatively a mixed bag with <strong>Seth Rollins<\/strong> as the Worlds champion. Nothing against Seth Rollins, as of this past Monday, it seems that Rollins will be facing off against <strong>Drew McIntyre<\/strong> for the title at <em>Crown Jewel<\/em>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">However, it does seem that the consensus is already turning against Rollins in a similar vein to his Universal Title run in the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2019. The issue is more so, it\u2019s not that Seth Rollins is the champion, it\u2019s more so that there are people that the fans feel that should\u2019ve been champion, or the one to dethrone Rollins. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">Starting with <strong>Finn Balor<\/strong>; the story made sense for Balor to get their revenge. However, with Judgment Day shenanigans that are going to shenan, Balor ultimately suffered big losses halting his momentum into the main event picture.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">As for <strong>Shinsuke Nakamura<\/strong>, the issue with Shinsuke was how dumb he was made to be. Nakamura in storyline was trying to quote on quote, pick his spot, but ended up looking stupid refusing the challenges that the champion was calling for. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">Nakamura seemed like a skip-over feud after so much promise with their heel turn on the post-<em><strong>SummerSlam 2023<\/strong><\/em> edition of <em><strong>Monday Night Raw<\/strong><\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p3\"><span class=\"s2\">Rollins is just a product of ill timing. Nothing against his work, nothing against his gimmick, and absolutely nothing against him as a wrestler. However, Rollins at this point is facing the same uphill battle as a champion, and with McIntyre challenging for the title at <em>Crown Jewel<\/em>, it might just be a consensus of wanting Drew to win above Rollins retaining.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/h3>\n<p><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Stay tuned to the\u00a0<\/span><\/em><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/span><\/em><\/a><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the\u00a0<\/span><\/em><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/watch.wwe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WWE Network<\/span><\/em><\/a><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><\/em><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Peacock<\/span><\/em><\/a><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 3 Count: WWE Fastlane Indianapolis &#8211; The Capital city of the fine state of Indiana and home of racing and basketball lore, this Indianapolis crowd was given the hosting duties of a surprisingly solid but short \u201cB Show\u201d in WWE Fastlane. A show typically known as one of the final stops heading into WrestleMania, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2484,"featured_media":120698,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,2192,4,3],"tags":[8458,7482,76,8611,599],"class_list":["post-120691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-north-america","category-wrestling","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-damage-ctrl","tag-la-knight","tag-seth-rollins","tag-the-judgment-day","tag-wwe-fastlane"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2484"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120691"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120691\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}