WWE Fastlane facts for kids
Quick facts for kids WWE Fastlane |
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 WWE Fastlane logo used since 2019
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| Information | |
| Promotion(s) | WWE |
| Brand(s) | Raw (2017, 2019, 2021, 2023) SmackDown (2018–2019, 2021, 2023) |
| First event | 2015 |
| Last event | 2023 |
WWE Fastlane was a special professional wrestling event created by WWE. WWE is a company that puts on wrestling shows. Fastlane was shown live on TV and could be watched through pay-per-view (PPV). It was also available to stream online on the WWE Network starting in 2015. Later, it was also available on Peacock from 2021.
The Fastlane event began in 2015. It took the place of another event called Elimination Chamber in February. Elimination Chamber then moved to May that year. In 2017, Fastlane moved to March. This made it the first WWE pay-per-view in March that was not WrestleMania. In 2023, the event happened in October.
WWE has different groups of wrestlers called "brands." Fastlane was only for the Raw brand in 2017. In 2018, it was only for the SmackDown brand. After 2018, WWE stopped having pay-per-views just for one brand. Fastlane happened every year until 2020. It was skipped that year for another event. Fastlane returned in 2021 but was then stopped again. The 2021 event was the first WWE pay-per-view available on Peacock in the United States. After a break of two years, Fastlane came back in 2023.
The name "Fastlane" used to mean it was a quick stop on the "Road to WrestleMania." This meant it happened between the Royal Rumble and WWE's biggest event, WrestleMania. However, when Fastlane returned in 2023, it was held much later in the year. So, it was no longer part of the "Road to WrestleMania" theme.
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The Start of Fastlane
The wrestling company WWE held the first Fastlane event on February 22, 2015. It took place in Memphis, Tennessee. Fans could watch it live on pay-per-view and stream it on the WWE Network. For 2015, Fastlane replaced the Elimination Chamber event, which used to be in February. The name "Fastlane" was chosen because it was a key event on the "Road to WrestleMania." It happened between the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania.
Changes Over the Years
The event returned in 2016, also in February. This made Fastlane a yearly event for WWE. In 2017, Fastlane moved to March. Elimination Chamber went back to its February spot. This made Fastlane the first pay-per-view in March that was not WrestleMania. The 2017 event was also only for the Raw brand. This was because WWE had split its wrestlers into different groups again.
The 2018 event was only for the SmackDown brand. This was the last time WWE had a pay-per-view just for one brand. After WrestleMania 34 that year, all pay-per-views included wrestlers from both brands. In 2020, Fastlane was not held. This allowed WWE to have another event called Super ShowDown. However, Fastlane came back in 2021.
Fastlane During the Pandemic
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 event was held in a special safe area. This area was called the WWE ThunderDome. It was set up at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The 2021 Fastlane was the first WWE pay-per-view to stream on Peacock in the United States. This happened after the American WWE Network joined Peacock. Fastlane was shown on both Peacock and the American WWE Network for a short time. It was the last pay-per-view to air on the American WWE Network before it closed on April 4, 2021. Other countries still had the WWE Network.
Fastlane's Return and Future
In October 2021, WWE announced its pay-per-view schedule for 2022. Fastlane was not on the list. Another event, Elimination Chamber, took its place in February 2022. Fastlane was stopped without a big announcement.
However, on June 20, 2023, WWE announced that Fastlane would return. It happened on October 7, 2023. This time, it was not part of the "Road to WrestleMania" theme. This was because it took place six months after WrestleMania 39. Since WWE started touring again in July 2021, the 2023 Fastlane was held at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. It replaced the Extreme Rules event in the October spot. Fastlane was not scheduled for 2024. Another event called Bad Blood took its place.
Fastlane Events
| Raw-branded event | SmackDown-branded event |
| # | Event | Date | City | Venue | Main Event | Ref. | |||
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| 1 | Fastlane (2015) | February 22, 2015 | Memphis, Tennessee | FedExForum | Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns for a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania 31 | ||||
| 2 | Fastlane (2016) | February 21, 2016 | Cleveland, Ohio | Quicken Loans Arena | Brock Lesnar vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns in a triple threat match for a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania 32 | ||||
| 3 | Fastlane (2017) | March 5, 2017 | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Bradley Center | Kevin Owens (c) vs. Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship | ||||
| 4 | Fastlane (2018) | March 11, 2018 | Columbus, Ohio | Nationwide Arena | AJ Styles (c) vs. Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. John Cena vs. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn in a Six-Pack Challenge for the WWE Championship | ||||
| 5 | Fastlane (2019) | March 10, 2019 | Cleveland, Ohio | Quicken Loans Arena | The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns) vs. Baron Corbin, Bobby Lashley, and Drew McIntyre in a six-man tag team match | ||||
| 6 | Fastlane (2021) | March 21, 2021 | St. Petersburg, Florida | WWE ThunderDome at Tropicana Field | Roman Reigns (c) vs. Daniel Bryan for the WWE Universal Championship with Edge as the special guest enforcer | ||||
| 7 | Fastlane (2023) | October 7, 2023 | Indianapolis, Indiana | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | Seth "Freakin" Rollins (c) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in a Last Man Standing match for the World Heavyweight Championship | ||||
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See also
- List of WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming supercards
