WWE Roadblock: End of the Line 2016 Review - December 18, 2016

Two champions collide in the main event.

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Rusev def. Big Cass (Kickoff Match)

This feud has unfortunately done to damage to everyone involved. Rusev is far from the monster he was even a few short months ago, whereas Enzo Amore came off like a bully toward Lana in his pre-match promo. What did she ever do to him exactly? He was the one making moves on a married woman! It's difficult to call the contest a disappointment when I wasn't expecting much going in, but at only a few minutes long, this was a waste of time. The count-out finish was lame and anticlimactic, and worse yet, I fear we have yet to see the end of this angle.


Cesaro and Sheamus def. The New Day to Win the Raw Tag Team Championship

Say what you will about New Day not being booked to look strong as champions over the course of their reign, but in the recent months especially, they have defintiely been delivering good to great matches. Cesaro and Sheamus still aren't coexisting apparently, but when they're on the same page, they're a tremendous tandem. This match was perfectly positioned as the opener and it was likely the loudest the crowd got all night (which was disappointing considering how rowdy Pittsburgh has been known to be before). The final few nights were extra entertaining and the finish was fantastic with Cesaro and Sheamus managing to outsmart New Day. Although they shook hands afterward, it wouldn't surprise me to see New Day go full-fledged heel sooner rather than later. The Club have been dead in the water for a while, so it was wise to put the belts on the hotter act of Cesaro and Sheamus instead. We were way overdue for a new set of champs.

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Who was the ultimate Iron Woman?

Sami Zayn def. Braun Strowman by Surviving the 10 Minutes

I liked how Zayn was made to look like a resilient underdog throughout the bout, but the match itself was largely a bore. Strowman didn't embarrass himself in those 10 minutes, so that was good, but they wasted way too much time on the outside with Mick Foley. Yes, him teasing to throw in the towel was cool since they were in the same city where he had that historic Hell in a Cell match with The Undertaker, but other than that, it led to Zayn picking up a win he probably shouldn't have gotten because Strowman would have beaten him had he not picked him back up so many times. By the way, Strowman said on Chris Jericho's podcast a while ago that he had never been covered in WWE other than one instance at Night of Champions 2015. Why was Zayn's pinfall cover on Strowman in this contest not treated like a bigger deal?


Seth Rollins def. Chris Jericho

Rollins and Jericho have always worked well together and produced excellent matches, so I was not surprised in the slightest this was another above-average outing from them. Despite there being nothing on the line, they kept the crowd engaged and the second half of the bout was strong. Thankfully, Kevin Owens' interference didn't hinder the quality of the match and it led to Rollins scoring a much-needed win on pay-per-view. Here's hoping Rollins continues to further develop his face character as his feud with Triple H draws closer.


WWE Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann def. T.J. Perkins and The Brian Kendrick in a Triple Threat Match

Once again, the crowd couldn't have cared less about the Cruiserweights, and that was sad to see. WWE has done a better job as of late of giving them stories to work with on 205 Live, though I understand it will take time for fans to warm up to them and pay attention to their feuds on that new program. It was a well-wrestled match, albeit nothing special. However, Neville's return afterward and subsequent heel turn were absolutely awesome. That was exactly what he needed, and I have no clue why he wasn't involved in the Cruiserweight division from the get-go. Already he feels like the biggest heel they have in that division.


Charlotte Flair def. Sasha Banks in a 30-Minute Iron Man Match to Win the Raw Women's Championship

I have seen universal praise for this match across the internet, and while I thoroughly enjoyed it myself, I didn't at all think it was an instant classic, and I might have liked the innovation they incorporated in their previous encounters more. Perhaps it was the botched falls from both women down the stretch or the dead crowd, but either way, the match was made great by the overtime. No, I was not at all thrilled by Charlotte winning the belt back again because I'm not sure what it's supposed to set up (in addition to it essentially solidfying Banks as a fluke champion), but I will say I'm happy there won't be a rematch between them any time soon. Their feud was phenomenal, but it's time for some new blood in the women's division on Raw to get a shot.


WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens def. United States Champion Roman Reigns by Disqualification (United States Championship Was Not Defended)

I assume WWE thought it was imperative they closed with the WWE Universal Championship match because it has headlined only one event prior to this point (Clash of Champions), but I personally would have gone with the women's match. That truly fit the "End of the Line" tagline for the show, and was a far better bout on the whole. This was solid, but lasted longer than it should have. The non-finish lame as well and Jericho and Owens reuniting yet again was kind of a letdown. Granted, I don't want them to break up, but how is anyone going to take their tension seriously in the future after this? Two-thirds of The Shield reuniting afterward to put Jeri-KO through tables was cool, but it appeared to set up a Raw match. And that's fine, but it didn't do much for me as a way to close out your final pay-per-view of 2016.

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​Overall Show

I didn't have high hopes coming into Roadblock, and in retrospect, I'm glad I didn't. This was a mediocre event at best, and that isn't of course out of the ordinary for a Raw-exclusive event. The women's match was the most memorable match on the show, but everything else other than that along with the tag title match and Neville's return, nothing left me looking forward to what's next. It wasn't the worst pay-per-view of 2016, but there were a minimal amount of things that were worth watching in my opinion.

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