WWE Roadblock 2016 Matches: Full Predictions for Each Champion at PPV
WWE Roadblock: End of the Line is booked solid with seven matches thus far, and of those seven, four are title matches. That's good news for fans who love an exciting championship battle, and that's exactly what they should get Sunday.
But the three remaining matches are nothing to laugh at.
Big Colin Cassady will face Rusev in the Kickoff Show in a bout that many fans have been waiting for. The heat between Rusev and Cass' partner Enzo Amore has reached epic proportions, with Amore being the victim of a vicious set-up at the hands of Rusev and Lana.
The popular scrapper has tried to keep up, but Rusev has done nothing but crush him. Now it's time for Big Cass to step up and give Rusev a real challenge.
Another underdog on the Roadblock card is Sami Zayn, who will attempt to last 10 minutes against Braun Strowman. The big man may be the unstoppable monster in this storyline, and fans seem to have accepted him. However Zayn appears to have lost some of his connection to the WWE faithful, which makes this match much more interesting.
Zayn could come out of it as the lovable hero or as a man who has lost his way as a top babyface on Raw.
The top non-title match of the night will be Seth Rollins vs. Chris Jericho. The two men may not be feuding over a championship, but their bout is a potential show-stealer. Of course, it does have some stiff competition from the title matches booked for the night.
Any time championships are on the line, anything can happen. Fans could see multiple title changes or none at all. The same will be true of Roadblock, and now fans can only speculate as to what will happen when WWE goes live Sunday night.
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann
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Many WWE fans love the cruiserweight division. But just as many fans would love it to work better than it has so far. Maybe Rich Swann is the man to make that happen.
Swann is charismatic, fun and entertaining. He has a presence that demands attention, and he cuts a promo that causes fans to stop and listen. He's exactly what WWE loves in a Superstar, and the best part is, he's starting to get over.
But there is a ceiling on the cruiserweight division, and no one has been able to crash through it yet.
The problem is not really with the talents but with the lack of proper promoting from WWE. The company gives them time on the air and has even created a new show for them on the WWE Network called 205 Live.
But the majority of casual fans likely don't know who they're watching in the ring.
It's up to WWE to do more in terms of backstage spots, weekly vignettes and personal interviews with the workers. If fans get the chance to connect with the Superstars they're seeing, perhaps more of an emotional investment would finally happen.
As for Swann, he needs a great showing at Roadblock.
He will be in the ring with TJ Perkins and The Brian Kendrick, two guys who are the cornerstones of the division. There will be an abundance of high spots, reversals and risky moves. But as long as the guys tell the story, then fans will have the opportunity to fully connect.
Considering Swann was just recently crowned champion, there's no reason to take the belt from him now. He should keep the tile and continue to work on getting over while WWE continues to work on getting the entire project over.
Raw Women's Champion Sasha Banks
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In what could be considered an unforeseen twist, some fans have checked out of the rivalry between Sasha Banks and Charlotte.
It's unexpected because of just how far women's wrestling has come over the past year. At one time, a women's match meant a bathroom break. It wasn't necessarily because fans didn't care about the women but because WWE had not given fans a reason to care in the first place.
It seemed as though Trish Stratus vs. Lita was just an aberration and nothing more.
So when the same fans who dreaded the women on TV came to love them thanks to the new revolution, everything seemed perfect. Banks and Charlotte were tearing it up on Monday Night Raw, while Becky Lynch was getting a bigger reaction than many of the male Superstars on SmackDown Live.
The women had finally realized their full potential in WWE.
But when Banks and Charlotte's main event on Raw was soon followed by Hell in a Cell, which was then followed by no count-outs and no disqualifications, some people began to groan. Now all of that is being trumped by a 30-Minute WWE Iron Man match at Roadblock.
Maybe the revolution was more about fast-tracking history for the sake of doing it rather than doing it because it was the right thing to do.
But fans have the opportunity to reinvest at Roadblock. Despite any criticisms of WWE's booking, the fact remains that Banks and Charlotte make magic in the ring. The same will be true Sunday when Charlotte wins the Raw Women's Championship.
The ending may be up for debate, and Banks could well leave with the title. But Charlotte has always been promoted as the face of the women's division, and if this is their last match, then Charlotte should go over. The match will likely be the best of the night—that much is not up for debate.
Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day
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The New Day is on top of the world.
They recently broke Demolition's all-time record for longest title reign. They're still fun. They're still entertaining, and most importantly they're still over. Everything The New Day touches turns to gold, and they show no signs of stopping now.
But then there's Cesaro and Sheamus.
At first glance, The New Day shouldn't have a problem putting away their challengers at Roadblock. Every time the two teams have crossed paths, Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Big E have had the advantage over Cesaro and Sheamus.
But now that the record has been broken, some fans are waiting for New Day to lose.
The fact is that Cesaro and Sheamus are good together. It took a while for fans to get on board with them as a team, but it's finally worked. The two have done a great job of jelling as a unit, and now they seem ready for the next step.
Of course, it could be that the team was put together merely for the sake of giving New Day a serious threat to their championships.
However, if that's not the case, then New Day could be looking at a title loss at Roadblock. Maybe WWE feels the time is right and that Cesaro and Sheamus deserve a chance with the straps. After all, New Day did break the record and are still over, so a title loss now would not hurt them to any serious degree.
But perhaps the team that's meant to take The New Day down has not yet debuted on the main roster.
The Revival would be a great fit on Raw and an even better fit as tag team champions. So until the time comes when Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder debut on Raw, The New Day should continue to wear tag team gold.
WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens
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Kevin Owens is the WWE Universal champion, but he has The Big Dog knocking on his door.
Few fans want to see Roman Reigns win the title at Roadblock. After all, he's still not fully over as a babyface, and the WWE faithful have had a problem with the company's booking of him for quite some time.
But that's never stopped WWE from moving forward with Reigns before.
The biggest issue here is the third man in the storyline. Chris Jericho has been on the outs with Owens, and now it appears the two have parted ways as best friends. But while Jericho has his hands full with Seth Rollins at Roadblock, that's not the match many want to see.
Fans want KO vs. Y2J, and they want it for the WWE Universal Championship.
The title doesn't necessarily need to be involved in their inevitable feud, but it would add more intrigue in the long run. Seeing Jericho actually win the title from Owens would add much more excitement as well.
But if Y2J were to interfere at Roadblock, then KO is likely going to lose the championship.
The fact is that Owens should retain the title at Roadblock. There's more drama in his eventual feud with Jericho, just as there's more drama if Brock Lesnar decides he wants the belt for himself. Owens vs. Lesnar would be a match of the prizefighters, and many fans would love to see it.
Reigns may come up short, but that will not stop him or negatively impact his standing in WWE.
Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Bleacher Report. His podcast, Tom Clark's Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online here.
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