LIVE Fast Lane thoughts - February 22, 2015

10:54 - Well, most of me is happy that they went with a single decisive winner.  I was honestly a bit surprised they went with Reigns -- based on all of the booking leading up to this match, and even the match itself, it seemed like Bryan was the one being poised to a title match.  And the general booking of Reigns has been curious (struggling to beat guys like Big Show and Kane, or even straight up losing to them).  So.....what happens to Bryan now?

10:32 - Daniel Bryan is wearing some new gear but for some reason has chosen to continue with those furry boots.  Sadly.

10:31 - The order of entry is always significant.  Reigns is coming out first.  Typically the more popular/bigger star comes out second.  He's also wearing the Shield version of this gear.

10:23 - The right winner but as others have noted, we will now (in all likelihood) have at least four matches at WrestleMania that will be a rematch from tonight (Rusev/Cena, Ambrose/Barrett, Stardust/Goldust, and Usos/Cesaro and Kidd).  That's a little lame.

10:18 - Just had a brief brown out but I'm back in action.

10:04 - I like the in-ring introductions for the United States title.  Did they do that for the Intercontinental Title match too?  It adds a lot of prestige.

10:01 - Back!  The Walking Dead was great, of course.  Did the Undertaker return?

9:38 - I'd really like to see Dean Ambrose win the title here.  I know logic dictates that Ambrose gets screwed out of the title for him to get the big win at WrestleMania, but the guy desperately needs a big PPV win.

9:29 - At what point did the Paige face turn become an actual real thing?  I would've sworn it was set up to be a feud with Nattie.

9:16 - As many others have already noted, Sting's hairstyle is doing him no favors.  There's a lot he could do to disguise his hairline.  He seems to accentuate it.

9:07 - Will the entire hour away be spent with a Triple H promo???

8:52 - My warning -- about to go into the other room to watch The Walking Dead.  I'll be back in an hour or so, but may slip in during commercials.

8:44 - Obviously, a weak ending there.  That just shows you how important the role of the referee is.

As I said, when, like, three of your matches are just stepping stones to WrestleMania, it just comes across as a bit lackluster.

8:32 - Interesting new take on the Stardust attire.

8:29 - In some form or fashion. we've been waiting for the Goldust/Cody Rhodes one-on-one match for, like, four years.  It seems awfully anticlimactic for it to happen 35 days before WrestleMania.

8:25 - So Orton vs. Rollins is an obvious pick for WrestleMania.  I'm feeling like they should do Ziggler/Ryback vs. Big Show/Kane as well, to give Ziggler and Ryback's story against the Authority a climax at WrestleMania.

8:23 - I'm guessing an Orton return?

8:22 - So this match that was supposed to make a star out of Seth Rollins see Kane get the pin off of a Big Show move?

8:17 - While not the most technically proficient performer, Rowan's matches are far more bearable now that they've given up on making "Big Red" a thing.

8:08 - Some new gear for the babyfaces.  We had Ziggler with a sleeveless hoodie, Ryback in this green little number, and Rowan with an "R" on his jumpsuit.  I'm still shocked we haven't seen a gray version of Rollins' gear, though.

8:02 - Just as a forewarning, there will be an hour break at 9:00 as I go to watch The Walking Dead.  But other than that, sit back, relax, and enjoy my LIVE thoughts of Fast Lane.

In and of itself, this is a fine show with a lot of interesting matches that could deliver.  But overall, it's just unnecessary.  Matches either feel rushed when they would make far more impact happening at WrestleMania (like Rusev/Cena, Stardust/Goldust, and to a lesser extent Ambrose/Barrett, Usos/Kidd and Cesaro, and even the Ziggler/Ryback vs. Big Show/Kane confrontation).  Other matches are seemingly out of no where because the Superstars have other plans for WrestleMania.  The only two things that really NEED to happen to set the seeds for WrestleMania are Bryan/Reigns and Sting/Triple H.  Not a whole lot of reason to have a show, though.