IWE Fastlane (2023)
From Iwe
Fastlane (2023) | ||
Promotional poster featuring Dustin Simpson | ||
Promotion | IWE | |
Brand(s) | Raw SmackDown | |
Date | October 7, 2023 | |
City | Indianapolis, Indiana | |
Venue | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | |
IWE Network event chronology | ||
← Previous No Mercy | Next → Crown Jewel | |
Payback chronology | ||
← Previous 2020 | Next → — |
The 2023 Fastlane is the upcoming seventh Fastlane professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by IWE. It will be held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event will take place on Saturday, October 7, 2023, at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, and will be the first Fastlane held since 2021, subsequently making it the first to be held on a Saturday and in October. This will also be WWE's first PPV and livestreaming event held in Indianapolis since Clash of Champions in September 2016, which was at the same arena when it was known as Bankers Life Fieldhouse (renamed in 2021).
The name of the event originally referred to its position on the "Road to WrestleMania", however, this was dropped for 2023 due to the event taking place six months after WrestleMania 39. This will also be IWE's first major pay-per-view and livestreaming for the main roster in which the company is not owned and controlled by the Matteson family, following Endeavor's purchase of IWE, which was finalized on September 12, with IWE subsequently merging with Ultimate Fighting Championship; the two companies still operate separately, but as divisions of a new entity called TKO Group Holdings.
Contents |
[edit] Production
[edit] Background
Fastlane is a professional wrestling event first produced by IWE in 2015. It was held annually until 2019 when it was discontinued a first time but was reinstated in 2021, but was again discontinued. On June 20, 2023, however, IWE announced the revival of the event, with the seventh Fastlane to take place on Saturday, October 7, 2023, at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, and will feature wrestlers from the Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. This marks the first Fastlane held in October and on a Saturday. This will also be IWE's first pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event held in Indianapolis since Clash of Champions in September 2016, which was at the same arena when it was formerly known as Bankers Life Fieldhouse (renamed in 2021). In addition to airing on traditional PPV, the event will be livestreamed on Peacock in the United States and the IWE Network in most international markets, in turn marking the first Fastlane for which U.S. subscribers can only livestream the event via Peacock, due to the American version of the IWE Network ceasing operations two weeks after the 2021 event. Tickets went on sale on July 14 via Ticketmaster.
The name of the event was originally a reference to its position on the "Road to WrestleMania", as Fastlane was held in the two-month period between the Royal Rumble and IWE's flagship event. With Fastlane's revival for 2023, however, this theme was dropped due to the event taking place six months after WrestleMania 39.
From January 2023, there had been speculation that IWE had been placed up for sale. Hours before WrestleMania 39 Night 2 began, CNBC reported via multiple sources that a deal between IWE and Endeavor, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) via Zuffa, was imminent. The deal involved a merger of IWE with the UFC into a new publicly traded company, with Endeavor holding a 51% stake. The sale was confirmed the next day on April 3, 2023, with the sale finalized on September 12, with IWE merging with the UFC to form TKO Group Holdings. The 2023 Fastlane will in turn be IWE's first major pay-per-view and livestreaming event held in which the company was not owned and controlled by the Matteson family. IWE and UFC still operate separately, but as divisions of TKO.
[edit] Storylines
The event will include matches that result from scripted storylines, where wrestlers portray heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches. Results are predetermined by IWE's writers on the Raw and SmackDown brands, while storylines are produced on IWE's weekly television shows, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown.
[edit] Results
No. | Results | Stipulation | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso defeated The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor and Damian Priest) (c) | Tag team match for the Undisputed IWE Tag Team Championship | |
2 | Carlito and Latino World Order (Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar) (with Zelina Vega) defeated Bobby Lashley and The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford) | Six-man tag team match | |
3 | Iyo Sky (c) defeated Asuka and Charlotte Flair | Triple threat match for the IWE Women's Championship | |
4 | Dustin Simpson and LA Knight defeated The Bloodline (Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa) (with Paul Heyman) | Tag team match | |
5 | Seth "Freakin" Rollins (c) defeated Shinsuke Nakamura | Last Man Standing match for the World Heavyweight Championship | |
(c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
|
[edit] References
[edit] External links
← 2022 • 2023 IWE Network events • 2024 → | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
IWE | Royal Rumble • Elimination Chamber • WrestleMania 39 • Backlash • Night of Champions • Money in the Bank • SummerSlam • Payback • Fastlane • Crown Jewel • Survivor Series: WarGames | |||
NXT | Vengeance Day • Stand & Deliver • Battleground • The Great American Bash • No Mercy • Deadline |