WWE Roadblock 2016: Final Picks and Predictions for Entire Match Card
WWE Roadblock: End of the Line will be the company's final pay-per-view of 2016 and air live Sunday night from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh at 8 p.m. ET.
In their final faceoff for the Raw Women's Championship, Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair will collide in a colossal 30-minute Iron Man match. Which woman will walk out with the defining victory in their storied feud?
Although his United States Championship won't be up for grabs, Roman Reigns could potentially walk away with two titles when he contends for Kevin Owens' WWE Universal Championship. Will Owens retain his title without the help of his best friend, Chris Jericho?
Speaking of Jericho, he will have his hands full with Seth Rollins earlier in the evening in one-on-one action. Can Rollins return to his winning ways on pay-per-view by eliminating the threat of Jericho once and for all?
Prior to this Raw-exclusive event, let's look at which Superstars will reign supreme and cement their spots on the flagship show. These are the predictions that matter most.
Big Cass vs. Rusev (Kickoff Show)
1 of 7
I was no fan of Rusev's drawn-out program with Dolph Ziggler last year, and his feud thus far with Enzo Amore and Big Cass has been equally deplorable. Once again, he comes off like the valiant, loving husband, whereas Amore and Cass don't have many redeemable qualities to speak of.
That said, this match is exactly where it belongs on the pre-show, although it is a shame how far Rusev has fallen in a mere matter of months. At Hell in a Cell in late October, he battled Roman Reigns for the United States Championship inside Satan's Structure, so what happened?
It seems WWE builds Rusev up as a ruthless monster, only to have him relentlessly conquered by the likes of John Cena and Reigns. That isn't to say he can't go back to being a legitimate threat down the line, but less-than-stellar storylines such as this one do damage to his credibility.
It doesn't matter who wins this match. It would be one thing if the feud was engaging, but with nothing on the line, it's difficult to care who gets his hand raised here.
Cass has yet to be made to look weak since coming to the main roster, whereas Rusev has lost in decisive fashion quite a few times this year. Regardless of whether Amore returns to aid his teammate to victory, Cass will emerge victorious over The Bulgarian Brute.
Prediction: Big Cass wins.
Rich Swann vs. TJ Perkins vs. The Brian Kendrick (Cruiserweight Championship)
2 of 7
Although WWE's cruiserweight division started out shaky, it's great to see the company is finally coming around to using the wrestlers to their full potentials. The creation of 205 Live has helped them develop their characters, and it serves as a platform where feuds are given more focus than they would be on Raw.
In fact, it was on the premiere episode of the program where Rich Swann defeated The Brian Kendrick to capture the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. Although he successfully retained his title against The Man with a Plan on the subsequent show, Kendrick has remained a thorn in the side of Swann in recent weeks.
Meanwhile, Perkins has re-entered the title scene, beating Swann in a non-title match on the Dec. 13 edition of 205 Live. All three men will be vying for the strap at Roadblock, though only one can emerge victorious with the title in tow.
Swann has settled nicely into the role of champion, and it is far too early in his reign for WWE to take the title off him. Kendrick will likely take the fall in this match to set the stage for a feud between Swann and Perkins.
During the course of that program, Perkins should start to show signs of turning heel, which would be the best thing for him at this point. He could even begin to plant the seeds of villainy in this matchup, but either way, Swan will walk out as champion.
Prediction: Rich Swann retains the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.
Sami Zayn vs. Braun Strowman
3 of 7
WWE deserves credit for building up Braun Strowman as well as it has since the dawn of the brand split. He has run rampant over the Raw roster to the point where even a credible competitor such as Sami Zayn isn't a legitimate threat against him.
This is another feud that has subtly been brewing in the background on the flagship show for months and is an excellent addition to a lackluster Roadblock card. The stipulation that there will only be a 10-minute time limit is also interesting and could lead to several possible outcomes.
Strowman making quick work of Zayn—similar to how he did the night after Survivor Series on Raw—is plausible. But it is likely that the two men will make the most of that 10-minute time limit, with Zayn refusing to give up and barely managing to survive Strowman's onslaught—albeit not unscathed.
As a result, Zayn shows tremendous heart in remaining resilient, and Strowman isn't harmed by being beaten by pinfall or submission. Either way, Zayn decisively defeating Strowman would be the worst finish because now is not the time for the big man to be conquered.
As the ultimate underdog, Zayn's standing will not at all be damaged by the loss to Strowman. That said, WWE should give him more focus coming out of this feud and heading into WrestleMania 33.
Prediction: Sami Zayn survives against Braun Strowman.
The New Day vs. Cesaro and Sheamus (Raw Tag Team Championship)
4 of 7
The New Day and Cesaro and Sheamus are no strangers to each other, having clashed several times prior to this point. In each of their encounters, The New Day maintained possession of its Raw Tag Team Championships, although Cesaro and Sheamus were able to earn one more shot at the straps with a win at Tribute to the Troops.
One can only assume that The New Day has held the titles for this long because WWE wanted it to break Demolition's long-standing record of 478 days. Now that it has successfully done that, it's time for a new pair of champions to shake up the Raw tag team scene.
If isn't Cesaro and Sheamus, then who is it? Enzo Amore and Big Cass are tied up with Rusev, and The Club has lost almost all of its credibility following its string of losses to The New Day.
WWE must justify putting Cesaro and Sheamus together by having them win the twin titles. Besides, they have developed awesome chemistry together as partners and could produce some fun matchups with the rest of the division.
There isn't anyone left for The New Day to dominate, so with the record now broken, this feels like the time for it to drop the straps to the European duo.
Prediction: Cesaro and Sheamus win the Raw Tag Team Championships.
Seth Rollins vs. Chris Jericho
5 of 7
Had Chris Jericho beaten Roman Reigns for the United States Championship a few weeks back on Raw, this match would have been more meaningful. At the least, Jericho and Seth Rollins do have history dating back to August, so this matchup makes sense from a storyline standpoint.
As I mentioned in a separate piece this past weekend, Rollins has been searching for his first pay-per-view victory since Money in the Bank in June. Thus, it would be asinine for him to suffer yet another loss here to someone who wouldn't benefit from winning.
Rollins said his sights are set on exacting revenge against Triple H, though in order to draw him back to WWE, he must beat Kevin Owens for the WWE Universal Championship. And he can't do that as long as Jericho is around.
Of every match on the card, this seems to be the most predictable—but not in a bad way. Rollins must emerge victorious, and he will. Jericho can still go on to contend for the title against Owens at the Royal Rumble if that's the direction WWE is headed.
These two have had a handful of matches against each other in the past and always work well together. Expect them to deliver yet another enjoyable in-ring outing at Roadblock.
Prediction: Seth Rollins wins.
Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns (WWE Universal Championship)
6 of 7
Most assumed the whole point of putting the United States Championship on Roman Reigns was to have him work his way through the midcard while also giving him a much-needed break from the main event scene.
Well, he was only out of the WWE Universal Championship picture long enough for Seth Rollins to lose to Kevin Owens a handful of times. The long-term plan should be for Owens to defend against Chris Jericho sooner rather than laterpreferably at the Royal Rumble.
As the reigning United States champion, Reigns would not at all benefit from winning the world title right now. Instead, he should focus on making the title he already has as prestigious as possible.
There is a chance Reigns wins his fourth world title at Roadblock, but WWE has invested so much time in building up Owens that it would be counterproductive to ruin that momentum right now. Thus, he should be the reigning champion heading into WrestleMania season at the earliest.
Furthermore, the fact the universal title is up for grabs and not the star-spangled prize is a dead giveaway that WWE isn't doing a title change here. Otherwise, both belts would have been on the line, right?
Prediction: Kevin Owens retains the WWE Universal Championship.
Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair (Iron Man Match, Raw Women's Championship)
7 of 7
WWE would be crazy to go with anything but this bout as the main event for Roadblock. Nothing else comes close to feeling as important as this Iron Man match, so the women should close out the evening with their history-making matchup.
I have enjoyed the ruthless rivalry between Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair as much as the next person, but it's time for WWE to start incorporating some fresh faces into the title mix. Thankfully, WWE has made it clear that, regardless of who wins, there will be no rematch clause for the loser.
That has put an end to the speculation of WWE going with a draw, as that would be the worst possible finish, if only because the feud should culminate here and not be drawn out any longer. Additionally, if there was ever an appropriate time to break Flair's undefeated pay-per-view streak, it would be at Roadblock.
Putting the belt back on Flair would make no sense, as it would essentially establish Banks' latest title victory as a fluke. She should be champion heading into WrestleMania 33, where she can defend against her current friend and former foe, Bayley.
There isn't anyone left to challenge Flair, whereas Banks has a long list of opponents she can feud with, including Nia Jax, Dana Brooke and Emmalina (assuming she ever returns, that is).
Prediction: Sasha Banks retains the Raw Women's Championship.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a Digital Journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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