WWE Roadblock 2016 Matches: Full Predictions for Each Contest at Event

The WWE pay-per-view year will come to a close Sunday night when the Raw brand presents Roadblock: End of the Line, a C-level event headlined by Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship.

While the significance of the show is questionable, the likelihood that the Superstars of Monday nights will produce a quality show is decently high. Just take a look at the talent that makes up the card.

The question, though, is who will walk out of Pittsburgh with championship gold. Who will emerge riding a wave of momentum into 2017?

Will there be any shocking returns or storyline developments?

Can The New Day extend its historic reign with the tag team titles?

Will Chris Jericho finally add bestie Kevin Owens to the list?

We may have to wait until Sunday for those answers, but for now, enjoy this preview of the show and predictions for every match on the card.

Kickoff Match: Big Cass vs. Rusev

Credit: WWE.com

Messing with another man's wife will do strange and dangerous things to a man, as Enzo Amore found out the hard way in the weeks leading to Roadblock.

Amore came on to Lana numerous times, culminating in a hotel-room rendezvous that ended with The Certified G laid out on the floor.

Big Cass attempted to avenge his partner's beatdown but caught one himself on the Dec. 12 episode of Raw. He made up for it two days later during WWE's annual Tribute to the Troops special, when he and Roman Reigns defeated The Bulgarian Brute and universal champion Kevin Owens in tag team action.

Sunday, they will battle in the night's first match, a contest that will be integral to setting the pace of the show and creating a fun and electric atmosphere for the remainder of the broadcast.

Prediction

Big Cass will pick up the win here, especially after he was left lying on the mat Monday night. WWE too often reverts to 50-50 booking, tipping its hat to the Superstar who will leave the final match with their arm raised in victory days in advance.

Factor in what is sure to be an appearance from Amore at some point, and you have a scenario in which the big babyface vanquishes the heel, even if Rusev is far too talented to be continually wasted in the way he has been.

Sami Zayn vs. Braun Strowman

Credit: WWE.com

Sami Zayn has long been the consummate underdog. A babyface whose heart is bigger than his head, he has found himself in numerous situations that resulted in a beatdown—not because he is stupid but because his intestinal fortitude does not allow him to recognize a difficult situation and back down from it.

That was the case when he became the first recognizable star to stand up in the face of the mammoth, indestructible Braun Strowman and was beaten down for his trouble.

On the Nov. 21 episode of Raw, Zayn was brutalized as he battled the gigantic competitor. He was knocked silly and had his match end prematurely on the orders of general manager Mick Foley. Enraged, Zayn stood up to Foley, suggesting the hardcore legend had lost his edge in the role of authority figure.

Disenfranchised with Raw, Zayn demanded a trade to SmackDown Live, to which Foley responded by saying he would trade the former NXT champion for someone of equal value: Eva Marie. Insulted, Zayn wanted one more match with Strowman, and he got it for Roadblock.

The one little hitch?

A 10-minute time limit.

Prediction

The beauty of the gimmick behind this one is that Strowman can lose the match without losing the match. All Zayn has to do is survive the ordeal, lasting 10 minutes with the big man, and he is declared the victor.

Common sense would say he does just that, proves his doubters wrong and lives happily ever after. His character's plight does not feel like it is over, though. Wrapping up the story at Roadblock would feel too premature.

Let Zayn's journey to higher-profile matches and spots on the card play out a little longer to allow fans to buy into his character and his evolution. Only then will he be the star so many believe he can be.

Triple Threat Match for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship

Credit: WWE.com

Rich Swann's victory over The Brian Kendrick on the inaugural episode of 205 Live not only netted him the WWE Cruiserweight Championship—it also set the internet abuzz, particularly among those fans lucky enough to have watched him grow from independent darling to legitimate WWE star.

Above all, it lit a fire under the dangerous Kendrick and sparked a change in TJ Perkins, the first champion and Swann's longtime friend. Not as happy for his buddy as he probably should have been, Perkins made his desire to regain the title apparent. 

Frustration set in for TJP even more on the Dec. 12 episode of Raw, when he lost clean to Kendrick in a preview of Sunday's bout.

Prediction

Rich Swann is not losing his title this early. He is the charismatic young star who the entire division can be built around. He is dynamic, exciting and fresh—something fans deserve if they are to invest themselves in any meaningful way.

What may happen, though, is a heel turn by Perkins. Fans have watched as he has gradually become more envious of Swann, and recent losses should provide just enough frustration for him to betray his pal.

Raw Tag Team Championship: The New Day vs. Sheamus and Cesaro

Credit: WWE.com

The New Day became the longest-reigning WWE tag team champions ever on the Dec. 12 episode of Raw by way of two successful defenses against four of the most talented teams on the WWE roster.

Sunday, it will have to once again prove its superiority to Sheamus and Cesaro when it meets the European duo with the gold on the line.

The Celtic Warrior and The Swiss Superman have had numerous opportunities to dethrone the champions in the past. At Hell in a Cell, they were too inexperienced and dysfunctional to take the gold. Most recently, they were outsmarted. Now, they are a more cohesive tandem and riding a wave of momentum.

Can Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Big E weather the storm one more time, or has the week that was exhausted them to the point that their opponents can finally do what no other team has been capable of for well over a year?

Prediction

It is over.

Sunday night, The New Day will lose its tag titles, with Sheamus and Cesaro's story paying off in the form of a championship victory.

Where that leaves Kingston, Woods and Big E is the big question, as they have become defined by the titles they sport.

Iron Man Match for the Raw Women's Championship: Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair

Credit: WWE.com

The epic rivalry between Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair will hopefully reach its conclusion Sunday night in a 30-minute Iron Man match.

It will be the second major gimmick match the two influential women have contested on pay-per-view, the first being Hell in a Cell back in October. Sandwiched between is the Falls Count Anywhere match from Raw, which saw Banks regain the title.

The championship may switch hands rapidly, but unlike other scenarios in which the rapid-fire title changes would hurt the credibility of the gold, this feud has boosted the importance of the title, with each woman at her peak and battling intensely for the right to call herself the best in the business.

Sunday night, they will have 30 minutes to silence doubters and once and for all prove who is the best in the division.

Prediction

Flair has never lost a singles match on pay-per-view. She is the definition of a big-match competitor, and she has brought her best to the most important bouts she has competed in. She rises to the occasion, which is the sign of a true champion.

Management loves the narrative that she is unbeatable in these situations, and even though Banks only recently regained the title, expect to see the second-generation competitor reclaim the belt as she prepares for a program with Bayley, which has been teased more than once since Survivor Series.

Seth Rollins vs. Chris Jericho

Credit: WWE.com

Seth Rollins repeatedly watched his opportunities to capture the WWE Universal Championship from Kevin Owens slip out of his grasp, thanks to interference from Chris Jericho, most notably inside Hell in a Cell and in a No Disqualification match on Raw.

Since then, Rollins and Jericho have repeatedly crossed paths in tag team matches and unscheduled brawls, with The Architect's one measure of revenge coming in the form of a Pedigree on the top of a car.

While Rollins should be focused on the future Hall of Famer, he has concentrated his attention on Triple H and avenging the betrayal that occurred this past summer.

Will that distraction prove costly, preventing Rollins from scoring a big victory Sunday night?

Prediction

The use of Triple H in promos suggests The King of Kings may make a return Sunday night, costing Rollins a win and igniting a WrestleMania program between the former mentor and protegee.

It feels like a red herring—something thrown out there to attract the attention of fans when, in reality, the momentous return of The Game will not come just yet.

Rollins will beat Jericho here, picking up a much-needed babyface pay-per-view win while Y2J continues to deliver in what is the most unexpectedly great run of 2016.

Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens

Credit: WWE.com

Roman Reigns is the United States champion and holds a victory over universal champion Kevin Owens.

That is the basis for their entire rivalry, which will culminate Sunday in a match for the latter's gold.

Reigns has been rolling of late, picking up huge victory after huge victory and leaving Owens lying on the Dec. 12 episode of Raw. He held both titles high overhead as fans in Philadelphia reacted, mostly negatively, though there was something about the image that was aesthetically pleasing.

Whereas Owens has been mishandled and haphazardly booked as champion, Reigns looked and felt like a champion every time he held the gold.

Sunday night, he could end the year as he started it: the top star in the industry.

Better yet, he could be a double champion, the lead babyface on Raw and, once again, The Guy.

At the same time, a victory over Reigns, especially clean, would give Owens the credibility he has lacked as champion. It would announce to the WWE Universe that the company is serious about presenting the Canadian star as the heel around whom it will build its premier show.

Prediction

This piece began with a discussion about WWE's 50-50 style of booking and will end there.

When Reigns flattened Owens with a spear Monday night and held those titles high overhead, he sealed his fate. Any chance The Big Dog had of ruling WWE went out the window the moment he made contact with KO.

Owens will retain, but it remains to be seen how. It still feels like WWE is wholly invested in protecting Reigns, so a clean win is out of the question. At the same time, Owens cannot continue to win in the flukiest of manners because his credibility as champion will be shot.

It may already be too late.