Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Triple Threat from Smark Out Moment, where three of us get together to discuss three questions based on one big topic going down in the week of professional wrestling.

This week, Robert DeFelice, Jordan Chaffiotte, and Callum Wiggins will be giving their thoughts on what happened at WWE Fastlane 2019!

WWE Fastlane 2019 is in the books! It's full steam ahead to MetLife Stadium, but how will the events of this past Sunday help shape WrestleMania 35? Let's discuss...


DeFELICE: Kofi Kingston is the most compelling character on SmackDown right now and it's because they're keeping it simple. There's nothing wrong with simplicity in pro wrestling. Admittedly, he feels like a reverse Edge to me. Whereas Edge started out with wacky, comedy tag team antics, Kofi Kingston adopted those later in his career and is still managing to live up to his potential as a singles competitor. 24 days until Kingston gets his moment and I can't wait.

WIGGINS: It might be a rip-off of the Daniel Bryan storyline, but I can't help but find this the most compelling story heading into WrestleMania. Often the greatest moments in WWE history have come through chance and not design, and credit to them for taking the momentum Kofi Kingston generated from the gauntlet match and Elimination Chamber to fuel a WWE Championship picture that was likely to be lost in the shuffle otherwise. The irony that Bryan is now the established enemy in this situation just makes it even more enticing. I can't wait to see what Kingston and The New Day do at WrestleMania.

CHAFFIOTTE: Clearly, they're leaning into this evil Vince McMahon idea. That's the overarching theme of WrestleMania this year. Is it perhaps a little bit overkill? Yes, but I don't mind all the roadblocks as long as it ends with Kofi standing tall at WrestleMania. This is a really special moment so I hope to see them make the most of it. I'm also really looking forward to Xavier Woods' manager skills in full action, it's one of his strongest points and that entrance will be one to remember.


CHAFFIOTTE: I have to admit the United States Championship is as about as far from my mind as possible. That said, the best way to get mine and everyone else's attention is to put on the best wrestling match possible. To me, that means Mustafa Ali needs to challenge in a one-on-one match. He and Joe have outrageous chemistry and their styles are really fun to watch play out in the ring. It wouldn't take much to build a story and create excitement around the match.

DeFELICE: Again, in the spirit of keeping it simple, my guess is Rey Mysterio. I love the idea of John Cena vs Samoa Joe, but it seems like it might be John Cena may face Kurt Angle and honestly, Mysterio vs Samoa Joe isn't the worst idea in the world when Rey has been performing at such a quality level.

WIGGINS: In my mind, it boils down to two choices for Samoa Joe at WrestleMania - John Cena or Kurt Angle. The match between him and Cena has been rumored for years now, and Joe and Angle have a strong history to lean on. As WWE doesn't seem to be too bothered about brand crossover right now, I think Joe would carry Angle expertly in his retirement match and give a huge boost to the United States Championship picture that was dead in the water even a few weeks ago. The match with Cena would also give it a prominent spotlight.

I hope she wins clean, but I could see Ronda getting involved as part of her “I want to face Becky” schtick. I think the latter would really help keep Charlotte strong, which is WWE’s M.O.


WIGGINS: Personally, I would have sown the seeds for a Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns feud heading into WrestleMania, but I was happy The Shield's last ride had a happy ending. I think the most we'll see of Ambrose at Mania is potentially helping Reigns or Seth Rollins win their matches to give him a good send-off, as until I hear otherwise I'll believe that Ambrose is leaving at the end of April. I don't think the match with Drew McIntyre has written him off quite yet, but I don't see his stay in WWE lasting longer than that. For Reigns, as an immediate returning singles feud, you can do a lot worse than McIntyre.

CHAFFIOTTE: Probably not, I've been a tad suspicious from the jump given that they announced it to the world. What I do believe is that Ambrose has been unhappy and expressed that he was going to ditch if they didn't fix things creatively, and fast. Reign's return has opened up the doors for him to do a more nuanced story. I'd like to see them face each other at Mania, but I need it to be a little bit more than just Ambrose changing his mind. Maybe what we can do is have Reigns try to convince him to stay without much success until he finally changes tact. He can challenge Ambrose to a match at WrestleMania, if Ambrose wins he gets to walk away from his brothers. If he loses, Ambrose has to stay and try to make it work with Rollins and Reigns. That could work.

DeFELICE: Honestly, I may be proven wrong this Monday night but I do think this was the end for Dean Ambrose. To me, it was a fitting end. He managed to get a happy ending and still go out on his sword the following night, so I'm all good with it.

As for Roman Reigns, I think a match against Drew McIntyre can work out really well for both men if given enough time. They are two men of quality ability and great size and I really think they could stand to steal the show on any other card, so they are a good fit for WrestleMania.