DVD Preview: WWE Double Feature: Elimination Chamber 2017 & Fast Lane 2017

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Fetch Publicity

The following story is courtesy of Fetch Publicity ...

Featuring not one but two Pay-Per-View events from the Road to WrestleMania, WWE Home Video presents over 6 hours of WWE action, Elimination Chamber 2017 and Fast Lane 2017 Double Feature!

WWE Champion John Cena hopes to continue his championship reign against AJ Styles, Baron Corbin, Dean Ambrose, The Miz and Bray Wyatt inside the punishing structure known as the Elimination Chamber! “The Viper” Randy Orton continues his Road to WrestleMania as he takes on Luke Harper! And the WWE Smackdown Women’s Championship is on the line as Alexa Bliss takes on Naomi. Who will escape with their hand raised at Elimination Chamber?

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Fast Lane 2016

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Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 181 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: April 25 2016

Watching Fast Lane 2016 again on DVD, it feels like WWE has changed a lot since this card was held. Indeed, from new NXT call-ups to a shift in face/heel alignments to a general change in the flavour of the show, it feels like a lot more than a few months have passed since Fast Lane was held. Mind you, revisiting the card here, it's easy to see why: while the action is largely commendable, the event doesn't do much to boost anticipation for WrestleMania 32, nor is it a particularly memorable show in its own right.

After a decent opener pitting Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch against Naomi and Tamina, we get a really good Kevin Owens-Dolph Ziggler clash, albeit one which isn't much different from any other match involving either man. After a forgettable six-man tag that pits Big Show, Kane and Ryback against The Wyatt Family (which has a baffling result, incidentally), we see Brie Bella attempt to defeat Charlotte for the Divas Championship in the wake of Daniel Bryan's retirement. To be fair, it's one of Brie's better matches, but the gulf in class between the Bella-era "Diva" and the new, fresh women with previous experience on NXT is like night and day.

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Fast Lane 2015

Image Source: Amazon

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Running Time: 188 Minutes
Certificate: 12
Number Of Discs: 1
Studio: Fremantle Home Entertainment
Released: May 4 2015

The February PPV event is rarely the highlight of the year in WWE, with a greater focus on promoting WrestleMania than putting on a classic show in its own right. That is the case once again when reliving Fast Lane on DVD: there are some enjoyable matches and important angles, but they are less effective upon second viewing than they were in the time (and matters aren't helped by a crowd which seems to be half-asleep).

The opening six-man tag, pitting Ryback, Erick Rowan and Dolph Ziggler against Seth Rollins, Big Show and Kane, is okay but nothing out of the ordinary, and is more notable for post-match capers. Stardust vs. Goldust simply doesn't get going, and the botched finish (although the error was made by the referee, not the wrestlers themselves) and the aforementioned disinterested audience make the match seem worse than it actually is. On the bright side, The Usos vs. Tyson Kidd and Cesaro is a really good doubles encounter, and the angle between Triple H and Sting effectively sets up The Stinger's first WWE bout against HHH at WM 31.

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WWE Fast Lane 2016

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Genre: Wrestling
Produced By: WWE
Format: Pay-Per-View
Date: February 21 2016
Location: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Attendance: 14,406

The final WWE Pay-Per-View event before WrestleMania 32 took on greater importance this year. Since the Royal Rumble match had been for the WWE Title, this PPV would determine the challenger to the top title at WM. Most predicted a Roman Reigns win beforehand, with an increasingly high number of fans hoping that Dean Ambrose would get the opportunity to headline Mania instead. As it turned out, the safe bet was the smart one to take, although the (not unexpected) reaction to the outcome of the main event means that it will be another tough Road To WrestleMania for Roman.

The Kick-Off Show featured a Two Out Of Three Falls bout for the United States Title between Kalisto and Alberto Del Rio, which followed the usual 2/3 formula: heel loses the first fall so that he can cheat to gain an advantage and win fall two, weakening the babyface to help him try and win fall three. It was more entertaining than that, though: an ADR chairshot and Stomp CHECK (delivered quickly over the ropes this time to make it look more believable) caused the first two falls, and after some nifty exchanges (including a Stomp over the ringside barricade), a roll-up by Kalisto earned him the win (I thought a Salida Del Sol would have been more appropriate to truly draw a line under this dragged-out feud).

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WWE Fast Lane 2015

Image Source: WWE

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Genre: Wrestling
Produced By: WWE
Format: Pay-Per-View
Date: February 22 2015
Location: FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Attendance: 13,263

For the first time since 2007, WWE's final Pay-Per-View stop-off before WrestleMania did not involve the Elimination Chamber. Instead, a new PPV called Fast Lane was held as the February supershow. It went down this past Sunday in Memphis, Tennessee, and whilst some first-time matches seemed appealing beforehand, everyone recognised that this was going to be one big preview for WrestleMania 31. As it turned out, it provided more hints for potential WM matches than expected but, besides a shocking number of mistakes, it still provided enough worth in-ring action to merit a purchase in its own right (mind you, few viewers probably bought it; this month is free on the WWE Network, and Fast Lane was shown for free on Sky in the UK too).

The pre-show Kick Off featured an episode of Miz TV with Paul Heyman discussing the main event here and at Mania. It also saw more dissension between The Miz and his stunt double-turned-personal assistant Damien "Sandow" Mizdow. A showdown between these two is inevitable, and the roof will blow off when Mizdow finally turns on Miz, but I am still unsure of how fans will greet Mizdow once he becomes his own man again. Still, both deserve the chance to settle this in the ring at WrestleMania; their chemistry has been one of the funniest things on WWE TV in the last few years, and has made Mizdow a bigger star than he has ever been.

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