WWE Fastlane 2023 Preview: Here's What To Expect

Life comes at you fast, but not as quickly as WWE Fastlane, which is coming at you Saturday night from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana! With just five matches announced for the card, we're expecting everyone involved to have plenty of time to show out in the ring — while also leaving time for any number of potential debuts, returns, big finishes, and post-match angles. Let's take an in-depth look at what you can expect when WWE hits the jets and enters the Fastlane.

While there is a world championship match on the card, the biggest names on Fastlane will be competing for pride rather than titles, as John Cena and LA Knight will take on Solo Sikoa and Jimmy Uso of The Bloodline. There are numerous storylines playing into this match, both inside and outside the ring. Cena is nearing the end of the dates reported for his brief return run in WWE as studios enter negotiations to end SAG-AFTRA strike, while Knight is WWE's fastest-rising star; it's hard to see a Cena/Knight team losing at a premium live event right now. That having been said, The Bloodline storyline continues to be an endless web of intrigue with an ever-widening network of players. Is Jimmy really back in The Bloodline for good? What role will will the newfound alliance between The Bloodline and The Judgment Day play after the events of "SmackDown?" And perhaps most importantly, this entire storyline as played out in the absence of Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, who hasn't been seen in weeks. With "The Tribal Chief" making his return to "SmackDown" next Friday, how will his absence (or even, potentially, his presence) impact this match?

Fastlane's five-match card features three championship defenses, each with its own unique storyline. It wasn't exactly IYO SKY's idea to defend her WWE Women's Championship in a triple threat match against Asuka and Charlotte Flair, two multi-time champions who also happen to be former tag team champions together, but that is certainly what she finds herself doing on Saturday thanks to the machinations of her Damage CTRL partner, Bayley. Meanwhile, in a battle of regular "Raw" main-eventers, Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso attempt to take the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship from Finn Balor and Damian Priest, striking a blow against the new Judgment Day/Bloodline alliance. And in the world title picture, Seth Rollins and Shinsuke Nakamura duke it out for a second time, as Nakamura has sworn to break Rollins completely — and become World Heavyweight Champion in the process — via a Last Man Standing match.

Finally, the six-man tag team match between Bobby Lashley's new faction with the Street Profits and the more established Latino World Order received a bit of a twist on "SmackDown," as the Profits took out two of the LWO's four male members, leaving them down a competitor. But Rey Mysterio made a phone call, and it seems like we're in for a big surprise come Saturday (it's probably not Bad Bunny, but it might be Carlito). Will the LWO stand strong, or will the Profits prove themselves to Lashley once and for all?