WWE Roadblock 2016 Winners: Biggest Stars of the Night

The last pay-per-view of the year was aptly named WWE Roadblock: End of the Line. And for the Raw Superstars, it must have felt like the last chance to prove themselves before career-making and career-breaking creative decisions are made.

After Roadblock is the Royal Rumble, and that's where the big gears get set in motion for the build to WrestleMania.

Who killed it on Sunday night? Who showed that they have what it takes to carry WWE through its most profitable quarter? Here are the biggest stars from Roadblock: End of the Line.

Cesaro and Sheamus

When Raw general manager Mick Foley first paired Cesaro and Sheamus together, it felt like a creative cop-out.

"Hey, we don't have anything for these two guys to do. Let's make them a tag team!"

But lo and behold, the two of them have a solid comedic partnership, and their powerful fighting styles mesh well. Cesaro, in particular, has found a way to be both goofy and charismatic, and he keeps things light with his spotlight-hogging shenanigans.

Sunday night's Raw Tag Team Championship match put an end to The New Day's record-breaking title reign, and Cesaro and Sheamus turned in yet another solid performance in the process. They're so crisp and well-composed that it's easy to take them for granted.

They clinched victory with one of the most creative finishes of the year. Cesaro only pretended to tag in, which meant that Sheamus, the legal man, was able to sneak in a small package for the win.

Braun Strowman

Credit: WWE.com

Braun Strowman is a perfect example of a guy who's doing the best with what he has. He's a scary, humongous monster, and everything about him serves to emphasize his size (6'8", 385 lbs) and strength.

Sunday's match against Sami Zayn had a David vs. Goliath feel to it, and Strowman—with just a few clotheslines and body splashes in the corner—was able to make their showdown look one-sided and painful.

Strowman is also getting better at the little things, taunting Zayn by lifting his head to look at the countdown clock and taking his time between clotheslines to taunt the crowd and his opponent. He's light-years away from his days as the "black sheep" of The Wyatt Family, when he could perform little more than a bear hug.

Zayn deserves credit for selling all of Strowman's offense. It takes two to tango. But we already knew that Zayn was a soldier in the ring.

Strowman went into the match with lower expectations, and he proved that he can go for longer than a two-minute squash match. At this rate, he could be an excellent enforcer—like Kane or Big Show—for years to come.

Neville

Credit: WWE.com

The cruiserweight division has been a lesson in the value of storytelling. It turns out that all the flips and tricky twirls don't matter if the wrestlers don't emotionally connect with the crowd. Rich Swann has managed that better than either TJ Perkins or The Brian Kendrick.

But that's still not enough to carry a match, let alone a division.

But right after the match ended, in came Neville like a house on fire. As a face, he was a bland superhero. But as a ruthless heel? He's a breath of fresh air in a division that needs a little bit of grit and a little bit of nastiness to get some fresh feuds going.

Charlotte Flair

Credit: WWE.com

Charlotte Flair put on one of the better matches of her career on Sunday night, and she did it at the expense of Sasha Banks, who can never seem to close the deal during PPV performances.

Flair's athleticism has never been in doubt, but her storytelling and ring psychology have always been somewhat lacking. She screams at her opponents instead of letting her actions do the talking.

But on Sunday, Flair was all action with a brutal-looking Natural Selection off the ropes and deliberate targeting of Banks' legs before the Figure Eight. The Iron Man match was a violent, bloody affair, and it was a perfect conclusion to one of the all-time great women's feuds.

Kevin Owens

The match between Seth Rollins and Chris Jericho was uneventful. Despite being two of the best workers in the company, Rollins and Jericho have a surprising lack of chemistry, and every one of their spots seemed overly rehearsed—like two guys just going through the motions.

The best part of the match was actually Kevin Owens, who put on a great performance as the spurned lover in the Jeri-KO bromance.

From the failed holiday gift during the pre-show to the poorly planned run-in near the end of the Rollins-Jericho match, The Prizefighter was so desperate for Jericho's love that you couldn't help but root for him. After the match, he cut a promo to Jericho's dressing room door that was more effective than any other promo that evening.

The main event between Owens and Roman Reigns was a bit of a letdown after the Raw Women's Championship match. But Owens—who won via disqualification—did a great job as usual, and the Jericho run-in at the end brought the entire show full circle, giving Owens' mini-storyline a sense of closure.

The bromance continues. But for how much longer?