It’s been announced that Roadblock 2026 will take place at The Theater at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, March 31. The show will air as a special episode of NXT and should serve as a big stop for NXT on the road to WrestleMania weekend.
The Roadblock event is happening one night after Madison Square Garden itself hosts WWE Raw. The theater is a smaller venue connected to MSG that seats a few thousand people. It also hosted Roadblock in 2025 and was most recently the venue for NXT Gold Rush last November.
“NXT Roadblock returns to the Infosys Theater at MSG on March 31,” the venue’s announcement said. “Be there LIVE to see your favorite NXT superstars including NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne, NXT North American Champion Ethan Page, NXT Women’s North American Champion Izzi Dame, NXT Tag Team Champions DarkState and many more!”
Tickets are going on sale to the general public this Thursday (February 5) at 10 a.m. Eastern. A pre-sale is set to begin on Wednesday at that same time.
WWE has yet to officially announce NXT’s plans for WrestleMania weekend in Las Vegas this April, but NXT’s Stand & Deliver PLE traditionally happens then. The brand has a big TV episode tonight where a new NXT Champion will be crowned. Oba Femi vacated the title last month as he prepared for his main roster call-up.
Wrestling Observer Live is back with Bryan Alvarez going solo to discuss YOUR FAVORITE OBSCURE WRESTLER GROWING UP, plus all of the news over the past few days, upcoming line-ups, your calls and more. A FUN show as always so check it out~!
Eight days out from TNA’s next app special, the best segment on Impact was spent hyping up a big show for another promotion.
The face-to-face confrontation between NXT champion Oba Femi and TNA X-Division champion Moose, the two combatants in the main event of NXT’s Roadblock, stole the show this week. So what about TNA Sacrifice? Well, the presumed main event—the ladder match between Moose and Jeff Hardy—was virtually ignored. The participants in the 10-man tag were finalized, and a stip was added. Masha Slamovich’s title defense against Cora Jade was pushed, assuming Jade will be medically cleared to compete by then. And the NXT trio of Wes Lee, Tyson Dupont, and Tyriek Igwe continue to ruin the days of Ace Austin and the Rascalz.
Elsewhere, Savannah Evans battles Xia Brookside, the Elegance brand spends more time as the personal servants of Spitfire, Eric Young tries again to earn the trust of Steve Maclin, Mike Santana poisons Mustafa Ali, and the Colons wrestle the Hardys in a main event that, technically, happened. We’ll explain on the latest Big Vinny V Show!
The WWE Universal Championship will be defended at the Royal Rumble with the champion Kevin Owens going against Roman Reigns. Mick Foley ordered that Chris Jericho be suspended in a shark cage above the ring. It was a night of some new programs possibly coming to light. Nia Jax attacked a hobbled Sasha Banks, one night after Banks’ match Ironman match against Charlotte. Speaking of Charlotte, Bayley defeated her for the third time in three months. They’re teasing a possible title match between the two. And Bruan Strowman interferred in the main event, going after Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, leaving them both laying.
Owens and Jericho opened the show in the ring. Owens started to welcome fans to the Kevin Owens Show, but corrected himself to the “Chris and Kevin Show.” Owens said there was nothing he wouldn’t do to keep the Universal Championship, even if it means taking a codebreaker from his best friend. Owens admitted he didn’t know what was going to happen when Jericho hit the ring, but no matter how bad the codebreaker hurt, it couldn’t compare to how much it hurt knowing Jericho wasn’t his best friend anymore.
Jericho said he had to make all the “muttonheads” believe. Jericho said he was going to prove to Owens they were stronger than ever by giving him “The Hug of Jericho, bring it in, man.” Jericho brought up Santa Claus, calling him a stupid idiot. Jericho accused Santa Claus of stealing his list gimmick and added him to the list. This brought out Mick Foley, saying Santa knows who’s been nice and who’s been naughty, and Jericho has been naughty. Foley replayed Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins laying out Owens and Jericho in the postmatch at Roadblock. Owens said Reigns could have ended his career.
Foley was wearing a leather sportscoat, which Jericho called the worst thing he’s ever seen. Foley said he would show Jericho the worst thing he’s ever seen. Foley took off the jacket, where he wore the ugliest long-sleeved shirt. Foley said he ordered a tag team match with Owens/Jericho vs. Rollins/Reigns “right here in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.” They were in Columbus, Ohio, which Foley sheepishly admitted afterwards. Jericho and Owens talked over each other making fun of Foley over that one.
Owens said they would overcome the odds again. Foley noticed that Owens kept beating the odds because of Jericho’s help, so he ordered Owens to defend the Universal Championship against Reigns again. However, Jericho would be suspended above the ring locked in a shark cage, which was a throwback to an angle that Jericho did leading up to his first WWE program with Ken Shamrock. A shark cage was lowered in from the . Jericho was incensed that he was being forced to go inside the cage and tried to get heat saying the cage was secure because it read “Made in Ohio” written on it.
Jericho stepped in the cage to test how secure its footing was. Foley locked the cage with Jericho inside, despite Owens’ demands that Jericho get out of the cage. Jericho ordered Foley to let him out. Foley said he had the key in his fanny pack and pulled out old Dude Love merchandise, various New Day t-shirts, a Santa Claus badge. But he didn’t find the key. Foley said Jericho was secure because the cage wouldn’t rise above the ring until he gave the signal, which was pointing upwards. Foley started to point upwards and the cage rose to the rafters. Jericho went up and pitched a fit. Foley wished him a nice day and Jericho was left hanging up there.
After a commercial, Jericho somehow got down, with emergency technicians helping him. Jericho had trouble breathing and acted like he was going to have a seizure because he was supposedly afraid of heights. Jericho was priceless, as he’s been all year.
Enzo Amore and Big Cass came out to face Rusev, who got heat interruptin Cass’ catchphrase.
Rusev defeated Big Cass by DQ (:59)
Cass showed off his more aggressvie side, refusing to break while he delivered knees to the head of Rusev, leading to the DQ.
Sasha Banks limped out with a crutch wearing a brace on her left knee from her match against Charlotte at Roadblock. The announcers stood and applauded as she came out. They also said the rivalry between Charlotte and Banks was “at the end of the line.” Banks said she gave her blood, sweat and tears, literally. But to tap out not once, but twice, then have her leg broken, led to her heart being broken. She admitted that the better woman won, as much as it pains her to say it. She calls herself the Boss, but she doesn’t feels like the boss right now. She called out Charlotte so she could look right in Charlotte’s eyes and congratulate her.
Instead, Nia Jax came out. Jax walked around Banks and said Banks would never be the Boss to her. She said Banks was weak, was wounded and just a little girl. Jax kicked the crutch out from underneath Banks and gave her a hip toss against the ropes. Jaxx teased using the crutch as a weapon, but threw it down and left.
Sheamus and Cesaro had the Raw Tag Team belts over their shoulders. Sheamus didn’t want Cesaro’s hand on his shoulder. Foley walked in and congratulated them, then unveiled the new Raw Tag Team titles. Sheamus thought it was beautiful, but asked for something in green. Sheamus and Cesaro started arguing while a referee walked in and told Foley that officials needed him because it was an emergency.
Out in the hallway, Braun Strowman was throwing people and various items around, upset that Sami Zayn lasted ten minutes with him last night. Foley told him he told Zayn to take the night off two hours ago and he’s at least 100 miles away from the arena. Strowman said it’s going to be a long night for everyone on Raw and it’s all on Foley’s head.
Cedric Alexander defeated Noam Dar (5:11)
Austin Aries was on commentary. It’s a new program with Cedric Alexander and Noam Dar. Last week on 205 Live, Dar defeated Alexander, then dedicated his victory to Alicia Fox, who is now Alexander’s girlfriend in storyline. Well, at least for now. Alexander got the win with the Lumbar Check followin a flying clothesline and a handspring enziguiri.
Dar did a promo afterwards saying they’re now even, but thought better of it. He admitted that Alexander got the better of him because he has Fox. Dar said that all he wanted for Christmas was Fox, which got Alexander mad.
The New Day came out melancholy without the Raw Tag Team titles. Xavier Woods said their reign ended after 483 days. Kofi Kingston said they can’t mourn forever because Ric Flair couldn’t have become a 16-time champion without losing 15 times. Big E. said “And that will become Charlotte in a month.” Woods vowed to win the belts back.
Sheamus and Cesaro came out. Sheamus started to make fun of the New Day’s ring entrance, but Cesaro told him not to because they discussed it earlier. Sheamus and Cesaro announced each other as the new champions. Kingston couldn’t believe they’ve given Cesaro and Sheamus new belts when they had to walk around with copper belts for over a year. Kingston said at some point, they had to lose the belts and if it had to be anyone, he was glad it was to him. Sheamus said thanks, but Woods said Kingston was talking to Cesaro.
Kingston compared Cesaro to various strong animals. Cesaro said he had to be strong to carry Sheamus and his big ego. Sheamus fired back he didn’t care what the fans throught. Fans chanted “shame.” Sheamus said the New Day’s reign of terror has come to an end, and 483 days of disgracing the Raw Tag Team Championships are over. Cesaro muttered they didn’t disgrace the belts. Sheamus said if the New Day can hold the belts for 483 days, then he can hold the tag team belts for over 20 years.
Woods said over 483 days, they had dozens of different t-shirt designs, sold cereal and even had the Old Day. Big E. asked him not to mention the Old Day. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows came out and said when he looks inside that ring, he sees a bunch of nerds. Anderson didn’t know what the bigger joke is, the fact the New Day think they’re the greatest tag team in WWE history, or the fact that Cesaro and Sheamus won the belts by themselves. Gallows said if it wasn’t for them handing out lots of beatdowns on the New Day, Sheamus and Cesaro wouldn’t be tag champions.
The Shooting Stars came out. Epico had the perfect holiday gift for them. Primo tried to sell them Time Shares for the Shining Star Resort and Hotel. Cesaro tore it up and all six men starting brawling.
Cesaro, Sheamus, Kofi Kingston and Big E. defeated The Shooting Stars, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows via submission (10:46)
Anderson and Gallows gave Kingston the boot of doom for a near fall. Kingston thew Gallows out of the ring for the hot tag to Big E, who gave a belly-to-belly suplex on Anderson. Sheamus tagged in as Big E went for a splash. Sheamus gave Epico ten beats of the Bodhran. It led to everyone doing their big moves until Cesaro gave Epico a 10-rep Giant Swing, then got the tap out with a Sharpshooter. Sheamus grabbed the belt right out of Cesaro’s hands after the match.
Enzo told Cass backstage he was worried he was costing Cass wins. Cass told him not to worry about it. A stagehand gave Enzo a letter. The letter said that on November 21, Enzo exposed himself in the workplace and he was ordered to attend sensitivity training. Enzo thought he had to go back to class. Cass wished him a good night.
Neville came out for a rare in-ring interview. He talked about destroying Rich Swann and his buddy “P.J. Perkins” and the fans cheered him. He said that was rich because the fans don’t cheer for him unless he’s getting beaten up. He said he doesn’t need their pity. He said if the fans’ favorite wrestles on 205 Live, it’s too bad because he’s going to oblierate the division.
Swann came out and wondered what happened to the man who he once looked up to. Neville told Swann to shut up because it was him who took Swann under his wing in Japan. Since then, Swann’s star has soared, but where was the respect for him, the King of the Cruiserweights. Swann said Neville could call himself anything he wants, but he’s the best in the cruiserweight division and Neville couldn’t handle this.
They were about to face off until Brian Kendrick came out. Kendrick defended Neville, saying they were a lot alike and if it weren’t for them, none of this would be possible. That’s why Neville and Kendrick respect each other. Neville said Kendrick was right because they’ve both earned their spots in the WWE, unlike Swann. It seems that someone should teach Swann his place. Swann went after Neville, but Kendrick jumped Swann. Neville put the boots to Swann until T.J. Perkins ran out for the save, but Neville quickly floored him, as well. Neville stomped on Perkins repeatedly and left to Kendrick’s applause. Kendrick gave Perkins a Sliced Bread #2.
Backstage, Darren Young, Bob Backlund, Bo Dallas, and Jinder Mahal sat down for sensitivity training. The instructor asked him to identify himself. Enzo started to give his usual spiel, but stopped and said he was here because he gave everyone a look at his Italian “Sausage.” But it wasn’t his fault because his partner locked him out of the locker room. The instructor asked him how long he had been having problems with his partner. Enzo thought she was saying he was in a same-sex relationship. She asked him to take a seat. He picked up a chair and asked “Where should I take it?”
The instructor turned to Mahal and asked who he was. He identified himself. She asked him to spell his name. Enzo screamed out “SAWFT!”
Sin Cara and Titus O’Neal went to a no contest (:40)
Strowman came out and laid out both Sin Cara and Titus O’Neal. Cara tried to give Strowman a tope, but Strowman dropped him and tried to make it look like a belly-to-belly suplex. Strowman carried Cara up the ramp. Foley came out, but Strowman said he told Foley it was all his fault. He threw Cara off the stage into a Christmas tree and an assortment of presents designed to break his fall. A shattered Cara remained on the floor while watched helplessly and Strowman left.
Jericho was pacing in the locker room. Owens asked if he was OK. Jericho was mad about being left in a cage, left in the air like a “sexy pinata.” Jericho said he had a fear of heights, he had “arachnophobia.” Owens corrected him and said that was a fear of spiders, Jericho had acrophobia. They gave each other a pep talk and said tonight, Reigns and Rollins would get “it.”
Charlotte came out and told the crowd to bow down to “your queen.” Charlotte said she would call Banks out, but after what happened earlier she doesn’t think Banks will make it. There was a reason why Banks was easy pickings for Jax. Charlotte said she had solidified herself as the greatest superstar the WWE had ever seen. You could put her in any era and she would be the greatest at any time. She brought up Trish Stratus and the Fabulous Moolah. She said fans subscribe to the WWE Network every month to see her lose, but they’re always disappointed. She said “Ohio…wait.” It’s like when Clemson is going to beat Ohio State in the College Football Playoff.
Bayley came out. Charlotte wanted to know why she was interrupting her. Bayley said she was there to congratulate her. It her opinon, Sasha vs. Charlotte would go down as the greatest women’s rivalry in WWE history, which says a lot because she’s been watching since she was ten years old. Charlotte says Bayley doesn’t belong in the ring, she belongs with the people watching her. Bayley said now that the Sasha-Charlotte rivalry is over, it was time to let the Bayley-Charlotte rivalry begin. Bayley said there was a scoreboard in Charlotte’s match last night, but she and Charlotte have their own scoreboard. It reads Bayley 2, Charlotte 0.
Charlotte said Bayley’s wins against her don’t count. She said she held up four fingers after her win last night to signify her fourth Raw Women’s Championship reign and the Four Horsewomen. She’s always been the top Horsewoman, while Bayley was #4. Bayley challenged her to a match then and there. Charlotte couldn’t believe that Bayley would challenge her to a match after what she went through last night, then ordered a referee to come out.
Bayley defeated Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte in a nontitle match (14:38)
First seven minutes were mainly exchanging armbars. Charlotte caught a beautiful moonsault for a good false finish. Bayley immiedately tried a crucifix for another two count. Bayley ducked a Charlotte punch and pinned Charlotte with a backslide for the Kerry Von Erich finish. They showed a replay where Charlotte’s shoulder was still up. They’re playing up Bayley as the new number one contender.
Back to sensitivity training for role reversal. Young and Backlund took turns impersonating each other. Backlund started doing Indian squats. Enzo offered to be Mahal. Enzo impersonated Mahal where he made a reference to being in 3MB, getting fired, getting his job backand still being a schumuck. Mahal said Enzo had little man’s syndrome and you can’t teach that. Enzo asked the instructor if it would be insensitive to smack the taste out of Jinder’s mouth. She said yes, but Enzo said he was already learning because he was growing more sensitive.
No Emmalina this week. Another vignette and a Tweet where she ran down the 4 Horsewomen.
At sensitivity training, Dallas promised to stop forcing his bo-liefs onto others. Young promised to stop being selfish and start listening to his coach. Mahal promised to think before his acts. After everyone left, Enzo started to hit on the instructor. Then Rusev walked in. Enzo looked to the other exit, but Mahal blocked him. Rusev beat up Amore again, held Amore in a full nelson so Lana could walk in and slap him. Then Rusev gave him a full nelson slam through a table.
U.S. Champion Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins defeated Chris Jericho and WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens by DQ (17:04)
Among the standout moments was Owens doing an illegal double team on Reigns, rolling out of the ring in front of the camera, then waving to it. Rollins got the hot tag and gave Jericho the Springboard knee. Reigns hit Owens with a Superman punch outside the ring. Rollins jumped off the top rope but Jericho caught him with a kick, then put him in the Walls of Jericho.
Rollins made the ropes. Reigns came in and gave Jericho a Superman punch. Then Strowman ran down and attacked Reigns. Strowman got in the ring, which led to Jericho and Owens running for cover. Strowman went after Rollins, clobbering him across the chest. Jericho and Owens rolled Reigns back in the ring, where Strowman gave him an Oklahoma Stampede.
WWE’s final pay-per-view of the year takes place tonight as Roadblock: End of the Line emanates from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
We’re looking for your thoughts on the show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
The smart money has come in for the show, so if you’re looking for the probable winners ahead of time, the daily update has that information.
The show will be headlined by matches for the WWE Universal Championship and Raw Women’s Championship. The Universal title will be on the line, while Roman Reigns’ US title will not be, as Reigns challenges Kevin Owens for Raw’s top championship.
In the other headliner, Sasha Banks will defend the Women’s title against Charlotte Flair in the first ever WWE main roster women’s Iron Man match.
The rest of the card will feature Seth Rollins taking on Chris Jericho, Sami Zayn finally getting his chance to step into the ring with Braun Strowman, The New Day putting their record-breaking tag title reign on the line as they defend against Cesaro & Sheamus, Rich Swann defending the Cruiserweight title in a triple threat match against TJ Perkins and Brian Kendrick, and Big Cass facing Rusev on the kickoff show.
Our live coverage begins with the first pre-show match before the main card kicks off at 8 p.m. ET.
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By Dave Meltzer
BIG CASS VS. RUSEV
After a bunch of mic work the match started. Cass dominated. Most of the match was during a commercial break which tells you how much they trusted the match. The two were brawling in the stands. Lana shoved Enzo and Rusev then blindsided Enzo with an elbow. Cass was tending to Enzo and got counted out of the ring. Not a good start to the show.
NEW DAY VS. SHEAMUS & CESARO FOR THE TAG TEAM TITLES
Really good match with lots of false finishes. The finish saw Cesaro not tag in and Kingston used trouble in paradise on him but Sheamus was the legal man and he tackled Kingston and pinned him. The New Day lhande Cesao the belt and hugged him. Sheamus then grabbed both belts and celebrated on his own. Cesaro then jumped into the stands and celebrated with the Cesaro section. Cesaro was hte star of the match doing all kinds of great moves, The New Day did a lot of heel spots where Cesaro made Kingston tap to the sharpshooter but Woods had distracted the referee. Woods interfered from the outside to set up the big ending but Cesaro kicked out. Another time Cesaro had the sharpshooter and Sheamus ran in and the idea was Kofi was supposed to sidestep but it looked like Sheamus just broke it up as Cesaro had it won.
Kevin Owens interview. He noted he was the longest reigning Universal champion in history. Of course it’s a short history. Charly Caruso asked Owens about Chris Jericho but blew it off. Owens said he and Jericho were unconditional best friends, tonight, tomorrow and forever. Jericho was there and gave Owens a nasty glare. Owens said we should be tag team champions but it was Seth Rollins’ fault. Owens said jhe wants to make things up and gave him a present. It was a holiday scarf. Jericho threw it on the ground.
SAMI ZAYN VS. BRAUN STROWMAN
Mick Foley, who was supposed to be off until 1/2, was evidently called in for this match after all. The original idea was Foley’s role in the angle was to end at Raw. The match saw Strowman throw him around for several minutes with the crowd pretty much dead. At about 7:30 or so, Mick Foley came out with a towel and wanted to throw it in. Zayn begged him not to. Zayn eventually grabbed the towel from Foley and threw him into the stands. Strowman went to tackle Zayn outside the ring, but Zayn moved and Strowman went through the barricade and nearly got counted out. Zayn did some speed moves and used a Helluva kick just as the 10:00 ended so Zayn was awarded the win because he lasted the ten minutes.
They announced the U.K. tournament dates on the network and showed the press conference including announcing Nigel McGuinness as the new announcer saying working for the WWE was his chiildhood dream.
SETH ROLLINS VS. CHRIS JERICHO.
This was a weird one. The crowd was dead most of the way, like the previous match. It started slow but ended up being what you’d expect out of these two, particularly the last five minutes or so with lots of near falls and reverses. They got the crowd finally in the last few minutes but it was a struggle. Rollins hit a frog splash but was selling it and Kevin Owens came out. Rollins went after Owens. Jericho cradled him but the ref was distraced by Owens so he was slow getting the count. Jericho was furious at Owens. Rollins did a jumping knee but Jericho went for the codebreaker, Rollins blocked it and hit the pedigree for the pin.
They announced Cass vs. Rusev in a rematch on Raw tomorrow.
RICH SWANN VS. BRIAN KENDRICK VS. TJ PERKINS FOR THE CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE
Austin Aries is in the commentary booth in Byron Saxton’s spot. He’ll probably blow Saxton away. Short match. There was no heat and the work looked smooth and solid. Swann superkicked Kendrick out of the ring and then used the spin kick to pin Perkins.
Neville came out after the match and turned heel on Swann. Perkins stood up for him and Neivlle laid out Perkisn and superkicked Swann and Neville did a running kick. Neville threw Swann to the floor and threw him into the barricade. As Neville was destroying Perkins and Swann, some of the crowd woke up and chanted “Thank you Neville.”
Owens tried to talk to Jericho but Jericho kept the door locked. Owens said he was just trying to help threw the door. Owens said our friendship is stronger than this and started pounding on the door. Owens said to put his name on the top of his list if it makes you feel better. Owens said that friends make mistakes but best friends forgive each other and aske if we’re best friends. Jericho still wouldn’t unlock the door. Owens said I guess I got my answer, we really aren’t best friends anymore. Owens said that hurts his feelings a lot. So I guess Jericho will be involved in the Owens vs. Reigns main event. They specifically said Owens vs. Reigns was the main event if there was a question.
Mick Foley is now scheduled for Raw tomorrow. He agreed to work after originally being given a few weeks off.
SASHA BANKS VS. CHARLOTTE FOR THE WOMEN’S TITLE
They worked what would have been a good match somewhere else but the crowd was so dead it really hurt it. Banks was up 2-1 with time running out but Charlotte got the tap with the figure four at 29:57. So they were tied after 30:00. They went to sudden death and Banks’ leg was hurting and her nose looked all busted up as well and Charlotte got the figure right on Banks. Banks tapped uot. They pushed it that this was the end of the rivalry that put the women’s division on the map. Charlotte won the first fall with natural selection off the top rope at 19:14. Banks won the second fall with what was supposed to be a La Magistral cradle or something similar but they kind of messed it up, but made it work at 21:36. Banks won the third fall at 23:55 with the bank statement after a missed moonsault. Charlotte was like the babyface trying to get the tying fall. In that sense, from a psychology standpoint, the last few minutes of regulation were booked backwards. It didn’t really matter since the crowd wasn’t really reacting anyway. It was a good performance but really this was not the crowd to do an Iron man match in front of.
KEVIN OWENS VS. ROMAN REIGNS FOR THE UNIVERSAL TITLE
Long match, with Owens winning via DQ when Jericho gave Owens a codebreaker after Reigns and Owens were laid out. Owens had gone for a belt shot and Reigns speared him but both were selling as Owens gave him a pop up power bomb but Reigns had gotten his foot on the ropes. They announced Owens as the winner via DQ and then Jericho smiled and hugged Owens, although Owens acted surprised. So after the match, Rollins came out and Reigns speared Owens and then they gave Jericho a Shield power bomb on the Spanish announcers table and the show ended with them giving Owens a power bomb on the English announcers table. So they did the Shield reunion spots to make people happy after a flat finish to a long match. As far as the match itself, once again the crowd was pretty flat although they did come up by the end. Owens did a splash off the barricade onto Reigns through one of the annnoucers tables, which didn’t break the first time, so Owens did it again and it broke the second time. It was like a typical Owens vs. Reigns match except less heat.
I was due to be entertained with the influx of how many talented, charismatic stars are on the RAW roster, but thumbs in the middle though.
Have to give the best match to the PPV opener: Sheamus and Cesaro vs. The New Day (c):
Not the first we’ve seen this match but a hot open and a match that didn’t feature a screwy finish. The title change was gonna garner some sort of reaction and it did just that, an almost pop even with Sheamus involved in the pin. Everyone played their role, down to Xavier. Cesaro shines to the casual eye with his seamless high flying and strength and is beloved by the hardcore fan all the same. Well deserved.
Next best, the women. I thought as a standalone match it had a nice layout, and a concrete finish, albeit in overtime. Can’t seem to get over the flip-flopping booking though going in and the crowd didn’t necessarily do this match any favors. I just liked Charlotte scoring the first pin 20 minutes in then ultimately the last two in close quarters in regulation/OT. Charlotte’s expressions and intensity were on point as well as Michael Cole’s call late in the match. The blood also helped the match and finish. Hard one to pull off.
Next, the main. Good result with Owens retaining. A DQ main event though is why I didn’t have this higher though. I think Owens is a master of feeding off the moment and was great here with his intensity and overall in-match performance. He and Styles are responsible for my faith in Roman Reigns matches, that guy CAN go it’s just putting the title on him out of nowhere would be shortsighted. A friend in a group chat of mine suggested the US should have been on the line here and Owens should have won it only to relinquish it to Jericho to prove his loyalty. A goofy thought; but in the context of this already goofy friendship-dynamic gave me a laugh.
Next I’ll go the Cruisers. Swann getting this title spotlight has been nice and the 3 work hard, almost that women’s spot on the main roster fighting to grab the crowds reaction. The Neville appearance and turn was one of my favorite moments of the night as it came off good and was well received by the Pittsburgh crowd (watching it).
Jericho / Rollins was fine. This run of Jericho has been the surprise of the year and he’s in the spot that fits when he’s wrestling. Rollins I find it hard to take serous when he’s not in a World/Universal Championship feud as he’s that damn good.
Zayn / Braun second to last. This feud is hard to pull off and Zayn I feel is chronically underpresented at the moment but still maintains likability no matter where on the card. Braun in a 10 minute match was a struggle, but he tries. The stalling was hard to get through and the Foley cameo was pretty useless although I think the I was already underwhelmed going in by Foley/Zayn’s RAW mic exchanges. And I love both guys.
Worst was the preshow waste. Love all 4 talent involved, just the finish was flat and the match was short and nothing. Rusev is a gem, though and plays the game no matter where on the card. Great expressions and a nice pop from me when he tried to skip the guardrail and run off right before the count out. Just a tired/been there done that affair feud that’s better off in 2002.
Thought the crowd was okay. Match order was fine but nothing too standout.
– Kevin Anderson | Salt Lake City
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Seemed like a 3 hour raw with title matches, none of the matches really made me sit on the edge of my seat like some other pay per views have this year. Most of the matches were just a snooze-fest until the end result.
The opening tag match had the most energy, especially with Cesaro doing what he does best. The crowd seemed to just die after Sami vs. Strowman and it made the cruiserweight match extremely awkward. After that I had lost pretty much all my investment in the pay per view.
No mid-card title match because the guy with the mid-card belt was in the main event. The US title just seems to be spiraling downhill with Reigns, as it just seemed irrelevant that night. Reigns isn’t keeping the belt at that level that Cena had it at with his most recent reign, but then again it never really compared to that after Del Rio’s win last year.
The Cruiserweight match had to be the worst match of the night, which is unfortunate because Rich Swann is so enjoyable but the crowd was really so far out of it. Neville’s return hopefully spices up the Cruiserweight division because now with 205 Live it almost seems like Cruiserweights being on Raw is pointless. They should stick to just 205 Live and maybe 205 Live gets a special event once every month or so.
Full of weak builds and just flop matches. This seems to exemplify everyone’s concerns of the brand split with repeat matches due to thinner rosters and also the pay per views every few weeks issue, but there was a few decent moments out of it. Getting to see Cesaro with a belt, Neville returning, Sami looking like an underdog who can take a bruising like usual while still making Strowman look quite strong and they both looked good.
– Marshall Denis
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Thumbs Down. One of the more terrible PPVs in recent memory.
Best match- None
Worst match- Cass vs Enzo
The ladies iron man match was extremely disappointing. Sloppy work by both and even worse psychology. It had a few decent moments (the trip off the apron into the stairs). Charlotte slouching around the ring most of the match was distracting. The Shield stuff means nothing and has been thrown off the wall enough it renders meaningless till Roman turns on Rollins.
– James Brown
**********
Thumbs Up
Best Match: Charlotte vs Sasha Banks
Worst Match: Sami Zahn vs Braun Strowman
I’d say it sucks to be Sami Zahn but really they’ve blown his character even since they finished the feud with Kevin Owens. And honestly if Finn Balor hadn’t gotten hurt, they would have botched the booking of Kevin Owens as well, since the entire Chris Jericho partnership happened organically without inteference from the booking.
I don’t think they’ll ever trust Sasha Banks with a long title reign simply because she’s been injured repeatedly and works a haphazard style. Pretty much the only thing they can pull out now is a heel turn once Bayley wins the title. But that just means flipping Charlotte as well next year and perpetuating this feud even further. Charlotte is the standard bearer for the women in the company now.
Many kudos for Kevin Owens. Without him, RAW would be floundering. He does strong matches, is great on promos, and doesn’t give away emotional tells (like Randy Orton) when he’s been told he’s losing prior to coming to the ring. WWE has to make the call on whether Reigns or Rollins will get the top spot at WM. But there’s probably the most potential keeping the belt on Owens and doing a double turn with Reigns.
– Jeff Cohen | Flushing, NY
**********
Thumbs in the Middle
Best Match: New Day vs. Sheamus and Cesaro
Worst Match: Big Cass vs. Rusev
Ten years from now, I won’t remember much of anything from this show, but I’ll definitely remember Ezekiel Elliott of the Cowboys jumping into an oversized Salvation Army red kettle after he scored a touchdown in the Tampa Bay/Dallas NFL game on NBC. It was spontaneous fun, the type of thing so greatly lacking in modern-day WWE.
Also, nothing on this show IMO was as good as the Lio Rush vs. Tony Nese match on Friday night’s House of Hardcore 22 show in Philadelphia on FloSlam.
I found it strange that the referee in the Sasha/Charlotte match didn’t put on gloves after Sasha started bleeding profusely.
– Lou Pickney
**********
Best Match: Tag Team Championship
Worst Match: Rusev vs. Big Cass
The pre-show match was lame. Quick and pointless with a count out. Pick one of these guys and give them a push. Rusev really should be pushed still. They need top heels and he is good. Cass can get a shot down the line. I don’t think he’s the guy to go to right now.
Main show started off great with an exciting Tag Title match. Just love Cesaro’s work here and as of late he has been on fire. While I am entertained by his work with Sheamus as a team, but he deserves a singles push near or at the top. Good match and I liked the creative finish.
Sami Zayn vs. Braun Strowman has been a good storyline, but the match itself didn’t do anything for me. Zayn needs to be in with good workers. Not fighting monsters.
Rollins vs. Jericho was very good. Good action and Rollins had to win. Too bad the crowd sucked for most of the show.
Cruiserweight Title didn’t seem to click. Swann and Kendrick had some rough spots in the match and no one seemed interested. I like the division, but it worked much better in front of the NXT crowd. They should have left it there. Finally Neville gets to do something. It’s about time. Turn the guy heel and the crowd thanks him. WWE doesn’t know what the fans want that’s for sure. At least he’ll get to do something. I’m sure he will take the title before long.
Banks vs. Charlotte was good. I guess Banks is out of the title picture for the foreseeable future. Not sure why they traded the title back and forth so much, but again crowd killed it.
Main event was another good match minus the DQ, but for storyline purposes it makes sense. Jericho and Owens friendship continues, but I’m sure it won’t last. They have to break up and meet at WrestleMania. That seems like the best bet for them. Maybe Jericho wins the Rumble and gets a shot at Owens.
Here’s hoping to a great Royal Rumble which has always been my favorite, but has been lacking the last number of years compared to the past.
– Robb Block
*********
Was there live.
Thumbs in the middle
Best match: new day vs cesaro and sheamus
Was surprisingly the best match to me
Worst match: cruiserweight triple threat Why have cruiserweights if they are going to wrestle the same style?
The final PPV event from WWE this year is a Raw production, as Roadblock: End of the Line will emanate from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In the main event, we’ll have WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens square off against United States Champion Roman Reigns. In another era, two champions going at it would be kind of important, but Reigns’ title will not be on the line, so it doesn’t matter much. We’ll also see Raw Women’s Champion Sasha Banks defend her title against Charlotte in a 30-minute Iron Man match. It promises to be a blow off of a feud that has lasted the better part of six months.
Other matches on the show feature The New Day looking to continue their record-breaking streak by defending the Raw tag team titles against Cesaro & Sheamus, Big Cass looking for revenge against Rusev, Cruiserweight title action featuring Rich Swann defending against TJ Perkins and Brian Kendrick, Sami Zayn battling Braun Strowman, and Chris Jericho squaring off against Seth Rollins.
Current tallies:
Kyle S. Johnson: (Columnist) (75 points)
Bryan Rose: (New Japan/205 Live reporter) (73 points)
Steve Khan: (WWE SmackDown Live recapper) (72 points)
James Cox: (WWE Main Event recapper & WWE DVD reviewer) (68 points)
Jeremy Peeples: (Lucha Underground recapper) (53 points)
Brian Hoops: (Daily Pro Wrestling History) (53 points)
Ryan Frederick: (UFC reporter) (45 points)
Paul “Gramps” Fontaine: (MMA writer and recapper and new grandfather) (27 points)
PeachMachine: (University of Phoenix Online Mascot) (17 points)
JJ Williams: (NXT reporter) (6 points)
Big Cass vs. Rusev
Bryan Rose: Hey, if they want to give Big Cass a push, then he should win. Simple as that.
Winner: Big Cass
Brian Hoops: Rusev should win but they love Cass.
Winner: Big Cass
James Cox: This could be a main event program later down the line, I think they could have Rusev win via some distraction.
Winner: Rusev
Jeremy Peeples: Rusev’s falling a bit on the card, but this just appears to be filler before they do something better with him. Credibility-wise, Rusev should win this, but they’re building up Cass, so I’ll go with him to win.
Winner: Big Cass
Paul Fontaine: Rusev has been one of the best parts of Raw lately and really deserves better than this. I think he’ll eventually win this feud but Cass will probably take the first match to keep it going, probably with interference from Enzo.
Winner; Big Cass
Steve Khan: As much as they like Big Cass, I don’t see him beating Rusev outright here. Cass picks up the win via countout or DQ or something.
Winner: Big Cass
Kyle S. Johnson: I’m not sure WWE realizes what they have in Rusev, but they seem to think they’ve got something big (pun intended, I guess) in Cass. Rusev should win here, but it seems more likely that they would give Cass a big singles win over a former champion to push the idea that he’s ready to vie for a title.
Winner: Big Cass
Ryan Frederick: They should give Rusev the win. I think they’ll give Cass the win, maybe due to interference from Enzo. Pre-show match so I don’t expect a clean win, maybe a countout win.
Winner: Big Cass
Sami Zayn vs. Braun Strowman
Bryan Rose: Everyone says Braun. Given how they have pushed this, I say Zayn gets some sort of countout win. Not pin Braun clean in the middle, but give him some sort of win so this can continue without Zayn looking like a total loser.
Winner: Sami Zayn
Brian Hoops: Zayn should win but they love Strowman
Winner: Braun Strowman
James Cox: It isn’t too early to beat Strowman, because he’s barely got any momentum and certainly isn’t over, but they won’t beat him yet. Zayn is too good with this nonsense.
Winner: Braun Strowman
Jeremy Peeples: Sami has shined brightly with his promo work on Raw, but he seems doomed to get a draw here — or just get squashed. The former seems far more likely, but since this doesn’t have a time limit draw and the idea is he can last 10 minutes — I’ll go with him lasting 10:01 before losing.
Winner: Braun Strowman
Paul Fontaine: It’s definitely not time to end Braun’s unbeaten streak. I feel like Sami is eventually headed to SmackDown and Mick Foley’s tease of that happening on Monday could be leading to something. Sami will last almost till the end of 10 minutes before falling to the behemoth.
Winner: Braun Strowman
Steve Khan: If this really is a 10-minute time limit match, they can either go the distance, or Zayn will come really close but just barely lose. 10 minutes isn’t really that long, and after everything they’ve done with him, Zayn can’t lose now.
Winner: Time limit draw
Kyle S. Johnson: Dropping in the idea of a hard 10-minute time-limit suggests that this is a no-win situation for Sami Zayn, which it basically is. The likelihood of Sami scoring an upset victory does not seem particularly good, but positing the idea that lasting more than 10 minutes is some kind of moral victory gives him a way to win while losing, sort of.
Unless, of course, he just gets ragdolled for 10 minutes and only manages to barely break the 600-second mark by will of instinct. The bigger question here seems to be whether Sami can drag a passable 10-minute match out of this guy.
Winner: Because I’m not entirely clear on the time limit stip, Braun Strowman if the match exceeds 10 minutes and a draw if it does not.
Ryan Frederick: I think the play is to have Zayn last as long as possible but not the full 10 minutes. No way they have Strowman lose to Sami as he’s being built for something bigger.
Winner: Braun Strowman
Raw Tag Team Titles: The New Day (c) vs. Cesaro & Sheamus
Bryan Rose: I say we get new tag team champions. Seems like Cesaro and Sheamus are just going around in circles, giving them the titles is the right step forward.
Winners: Cesaro & Sheamus
James Cox: Although everyone says they should lose the titles now they’ve broken the record, I think we might be strung along a little longer with this.
Winners: The New Day
Jeremy Peeples: Cesaro and Sheamus really need more time to actually get over before winning the titles, but they seem to want to end the reign ASAP — so I’ll give them the nod here.
Winners: Cesaro and Sheamus
Paul Fontaine: It seems to obvious that Cesaro and Sheamus win the titles now that the streak is broken. New Day will lose soon, probably at the Royal Rumble, but not here.
Winners: The New Day
Steve Khan: Before New Day were getting close to the record, I predicted their matches wrong pretty much every time. It feels like Cesaro and Sheamus will win here, but that would feel kind of cheap. I’ll stick with the New Day.
Winners: The New Day
Kyle S. Johnson: Pushing The New Day right past Demolition’s record only to have them drop the titles immediately seems like such a cop out that I would not be even remotely surprised if it happens. That said, I feel like Cesaro and Sheamus are the team to take the belts off of these guys, but I don’t think it should happen just yet. It’s not like it’s outside of the realm of possibility that we’ll just rematch at Royal Rumble, so let’s say that’s what we do.
Winners: The New Day
Ryan Frederick: It’s time to take the titles off of The New Day, but I really don’t see it happening here. I see more heel tactics being used by them, and them getting a cheap win by beating Cesaro, and then building up the loss more.
Winners: The New Day
Cruiserweight title: Rich Swann (c) vs. Brian Kendrick vs. TJ Perkins
Bryan Rose: Swann retains. Don’t see much of a point in switching the title right now..
Winner: Rich Swann
Brian Hoops: Would not make sense to continually change the title.
Winner: Rich Swann
James Cox: Rich Swann gets all their focus right now. It could be a good match but these Cruiserweights are already an afterthought and the new show is, unfortunately, just very underwhelming.
Winner: Rich Swann
Jeremy Peeples: It would make no sense to change the title…so that’s at least a possibility, except that neither TJP or Kendrick have any tangible momentum. I’ll pick Swann for an “outlandish” win.
Winner: Rich Swann
Paul Fontaine: The champ really needs to retain here. Kendrick and TJP feel played out already and it’s time for some new challengers.
Winner: Rich Swann
Steve Khan: I met Rich Swann once and he was real nice.
Winner: Rich Swann
Kyle S. Johnson: They’d be stupid to change the title here again. Let Rich Swann carry the thing and build him up for Austin Ares.
Winner: Rich Swann
Ryan Frederick: They can’t possibly be switching the title again, can they? I wouldn’t put it past them. However, Swann is the right guy to be holding that title right now, and I don’t think he loses it yet.
Winner: Rich Swann
Seth Rollins vs. Chris Jericho
Bryan Rose: Rollins makes the most sense if they are going with a future Triple H/Seth Rollins showdown.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Brian Hoops: Rollins needs the win, Jericho doesn’t.
Winner: Seth Rollins
James Cox: Seth has lost so much since he turned babyface. Logic says Jericho puts him over and I hope this is really good.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Jeremy Peeples: Seth is theoretically a top guy, while Jericho is lower on the totem pole and there to put guys over.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Paul Fontaine: Definitely Rollins here although I’d be very happy to be wrong in this case. I’m so beyond sick of Rollins, Reigns, Jericho, and Owens that I just want the four of them to be separated so badly. But I don’t think it’s happening any time soon.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Steve Khan: Chris Jericho is the best. Seth Rollins should win.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Kyle S. Johnson: Seth Rollins has to win this match.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Ryan Frederick: They can’t possibly have Rollins lose here, especially if the end game is Triple H at WrestleMania. Jericho can always afford losses. Rollins doesn’t need one.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Raw Women’s title, 30-minute Iron Man match: Sasha Banks (c) vs. Charlotte Flair
Bryan Rose: I say Charlotte. They’ve traded the title way too much, but they seem keen on a Bayley/Charlotte program next so it makes the most sense.
Winner: Charlotte
Brian Hoops: I think the next program is Bayley chasing the title from Charlotte, expect a title change here.
Winner: Charlotte
James Cox: A difficult one to call and not necessarily for good reasons. This is the blow off, we’re told, and Bayley is waiting in the wings. I see Charlotte as the obvious choice for that match, unless there is some kind of double turn.
Winner: Charlotte
Jeremy Peeples: Sasha really should have one single title defense amid three title wins — so I’ll go with a win for her here. I could see Ric turning on Sasha to give Charlotte the win though.
Winner: Sasha Banks
Paul Fontaine: Charlotte is going to keep her PPV strike alive and take the win over Sasha, probably in overtime. She won’t be beaten until a Mania (hopefully this year’s) as they’ve been pushing the streak to hard to end it on a random “B” show.
Winner: Charlotte
Steve Khan: Charlotte can’t possibly win again, can she?
Winner: Sasha Banks
Kyle S. Johnson: I don’t think it would be smart to change the title yet again, but I could foresee some circumstance where they do a swerve at the end and have Ric interfere on Sasha’s behalf, winning Charlotte the belt back by virtue of disqualification.
Or perhaps they’ll pay off this vague idea of other wrestlers revolting against the never-ending Sasha/Charlotte feud by having a big shmozz at the end that leaves no conclusive winner, which would be an even cheaper and less satisfying pay-off. Let’s have Sasha win here and cool it with the title changing hands until Mania or so, shall we?
Winner: Sasha Banks
Ryan Frederick: This has to be the end. They keep pushing Charlotte being unbeaten in PPV singles matches, but to hot shot the title again would be dumb. They’ve already rotated it five times since the brand split. Don’t do it for the sixth time.
Winner: Sasha Banks
WWE Universal title: Kevin Owens (c) vs. Roman Reigns
Bryan Rose: Owens wins somehow. I’m betting the latest Owens/Jericho rift may be yet another ruse to set up the finish of this match, but who knows. I don’t see Reigns leaving with two titles.
Winner: Kevin Owens
Brian Hoops: They so badly want Reigns to get over and get the title and fans continue to reject him. Seems like a rematch at Royal Rumble and a title win would be more meaningful.
Winner: Roman Reigns by DQ
James Cox: I would keep the title on Owens heading into WrestleMania, keeping it on a heel makes more sense. Therefore, Reigns can win here but won’t win the title and Owens and Jericho can continue their feud.
Winner: Roman Reigns via DQ
Jeremy Peeples: No chance Roman wins the title on Roadblock, so I’ll go with Owens retaining via some kind of shenanigans.
Winner: Kevin Owens by distraction cradle
Paul Fontaine: There’s one of two ways this goes and they both involve Chris Jericho. Either he interferes and costs Owens the title or he helps Owens win the title and this has been a ruse all along. Ratings have been hurt with Owens/Reigns/Jericho and Rollins in the main event picture so naturally Owens is going to take the blame for this. I think we get a title change.
Winner: Roman Reigns and he becomes the new champion
Steve Khan: I’m thinking Jericho will help his best friend and everything will be right again. Owens retains either way
Winner: Kevin Owens
Kyle S. Johnson: Is WWE really so diluted that they could think it would be a good idea to put the Universal Championship on Reigns right now? I would certainly hope not.
Still, I could imagine Jericho interfering in the conclusion and setting up a four-way at the Rumble, which would then provide a platform for 1) Roman to win the belt back after having a chance to drop the U.S. Title to someone 2) pushing forward with the Owens/Jericho feud 3) bringing Triple H back in and reigniting his thing with Seth. Doesn’t really matter who wins here, because this is the wrong show to change the title.
Winner: Kevin Owens
Ryan Frederick: I think Chris Jericho gets involved in the finish. They shouldn’t put it on Reigns here though that’s the obvious direction. Owens should keep the belt until Triple H comes back and states his motivation and intentions. I could see a DQ win.
The Big Takeaway: The New Day are the longest-reigning tag team champions in WWE history. They defended the Raw tag team titles twice in the show. First, they won a scheduled three-way match against Anderson/Gallows & Cesaro/Sheamus. During a celebration party, Xavier Woods accidentally sprayed Stephanie McMahon with champaign. So Stephanie ordered the New Day to face Owens/Jericho. Mick Foley later added Rollins and Reigns to the match to make it a three-way. In the main event, the New Day retained after Woods pinned Jericho.
The New Day cam out already set to celebrate becoming the longest-reigining WWE Tag Team Champions in history. Xavier Woods dedicated tonight to anyone who purchased a New Day t-shirt, and specifically mentioned his mother.
Raw Tag Team Champions The New Day defeated Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows and Cesaro & Sheamus to retain the Raw Tag Team Championship in a three-way match(11:55)
A very good match. Perhaps as a rib, Cesaro and Sheamus did Demolition’s old finisher on Kofi Kingston. Gallows and Anderson did the Boot of Doom on Kofi Kingston, but Cesaro made the save. Cesaro did a great hot tag sequence where he delivered a “Swiss-1-9” on Anderson, then in one motion jumped out of the ring for an uppercut on Kingston and a double stomp on Gallows.Cesaro did a Giant Swing on Anderson and put him in the Sharpshooter, but Gallows broke it up. Sheamus got a tag and gave Big E a Brogue kick while Cesaro held him up. But Kingston ran in and gave Sheamus Trouble in Paradise for the pin.
The celebration for the New Day started backstage. Stephanie McMahon, Mick Foley, Bayley, Bob Backlund and others were there. Stephanie proposed a toast to the longest-reigning WWE Tag Team Champions, but Woods unloaded the champaigne bottles right in Stephanie’s face. Stephanie was drenched and walked out of the party in a huff, turning over a punch bowl full of Booty-O’s that Big E was holding.
Later tonight, we’ll have Rusev and Lana Behind Closed doors.
A stagehand helped Stephanie dry off. Kevin Owens said he saw what happened to Stephanie and that New Day doesn’t deserve to be champions. He had a proposition for Stephanie. She agreed to listen when she got dressed.
Braun Strowman defeated Curtis Axel (1:14)
Bruan Strowman gave Curtis Axel the Torture Rack. Axel attempted a dropkick off the second rope, but Strowman clotheslined him instead, and got the pin with a Wheelbarrow Slam.
Byron Saxton tried to interview Strowman. He asked Strowman for a response to Sami Zayn’s tweet saying he wants a match with Zayn. Strowman said Foley is protecting Zayn because Zayn can’t last two minutes with him, and neither can anyone else.
Foley watched on from backstage when Zayn walked in. He demanded Foley give him a match with Strowman. Foley said he can’t do that. Zayn said Foley shouldn’t feel the need to save him because no one saved him. What if someone had tried to save Foley years ago against the Undertaker? Foley said there were times when he wished someone was there to save him. He said he would give Zayn a match against anyone on the roster, but not Strowman because he would end Zayn’s career. Zayn said if his childhood hero didn’t believe in him, maybe he didn’t belong on the Raw roster. Foley said he would call Daniel Bryan and try to arrange a trade.
Ariya Daivari defeated Lince Dorado by DQ (2:32)
After Ariya Daivari hit a clothesline, Jack Gallagher walked out. Instead of doing a run-in and jumping Daivari, he announced his intention to interfere in the match. He called Daivari a scoundrel and said he was there to give Daivari a thorough trashing. Daviari walked out of the ring, but Gallagher gave him a headbutt to the chest and dropkicked him all of the ring.
Rollins came out for an edition of the Rollins Report and reiterated his challenge to HHH. He knew that meant he had to go through Owens, but he can’t get rid of Owens until he beats Jericho at Roadblock. Rollins wondered if he was facing Jericho one-on-one, or facing Jericho with Owens’ help. He introduced Owens as his guest.
Owens started to come out, went backstage, then came back out with a stool and sat down on the ramp as opposed to the ring. Rollins wanted him in the ring, but Owens said he didn’t care about Rollins’ Report. Owens said he had an announcement to make. Rollins wanted to know about Owens friendship with Jericho. Owens started to bring up what he was talking to Stephanie about, but Rollins interrupted him. Owens told him not to worry about his friendship with Jericho. Owens said Jericho would have his back against Reigns, just like he would have Jericho’s match against Rollins. Owens announced that the New Day would have another tag team title match tonight on Raw against him and Jericho.
Jericho came out to the biggest reaction on the show so far with the List in hand. Jericho asked Owens if he was crazy? Jericho wondered if Owens really thought after costing him the U.S. Championship against Reigns last week and telling him to shut up two weeks ago if he would really consider being his tag team partner again. Owens said they could make history by becoming Raw Tag Team Champions and ruin the New Day’s chance of becoming the longest-reigning tag team champions in histroy. Owens said Stephanie had already made the match so it was going to happen one way or another.
Rollins interrupted and told Jericho it sounded like Owens was trying to tell Jericho was to do, saying it was like a reunion between Bon Jovi and Meat Leaf. Jericho told Rollins to shut up “you stupid idiot.” That got a huge pop too. Rollins asked if Jericho was going to put him on the list? Jericho did the build up to put him on the list, but didn’t. He said he would put Rollins on the list alright, the disabled list. Jericho started to go to the ring. Owens joined him. Owens and Jericho double teamed Rolliins outside the ring., threw him into the barricade. Jericho hit a stiff punch to Rollins’ nose while Owens kneed him in the groin. Reigns came out for the save to a classic Philadelphia reaction. Jericho jumped Reigns from behind, but Rollins put the fists to Jericho. Reigns gave Owens a big boot and Jericho a clothesline. Rollins tried to give Jericho a pedigree, but Owens pulled him away.
Charly Caruso did an interview with Rich Swann. They showed Swann’s match against Brian Kendrick from 205 Live when T.J. Perkins got involved, leading to Kendrick losing. Kendrick and Perkins brawled afterwards, leading to Swann getting iinvolved, but Perkins accidentally giving Swann a super kick. Swann faces Kendrick and Perkins in a three-way for the Cruiserweight Championship at Roadblock. Kendrick walked in and told Swann if it wasn’t for Perkind, he would be the cruiserweight champion. Kendrick said Perkins weasled his way into the title match. Perkins walked in and asked if Kendirck was trying to let Swann win again. Swann said Kendrick was trying to say Perkins was a traitor because Perkins kicked Swann on purpose. Perkins said Swann would find out how dangerous he was on Sunday, but Kendrick could find out right now.
Brian Kendrick defeated T.J. Perkins (8:33)
Perkins clotheslined Kendrick over the top rope. Kendrick landed face-first on the apron. It led to Kendrick hitting the Wrecking Ball Dropkick. Kendrick attempted the Captain’s Hook, but Perkins flipped over into a drop kick. Lots of drop kick variations from Perkins, including a springboard for a two count. Kendrick used a cradle back suplex for two and again teased the Captian’s Hook. But Perkins grapeined his leg and sank in the kneebar, but Kendrick got the ropes. Kendrick gave Perkins a drop toe hold into the turnbuckles, then earned the pin with the Sliced Bread #2. Fine match, but the crowd got bored late and started chanting for something that didn’t involved the match.
Reigns and Rollins walked backstage when Foley walked up to them. Foley said they reminded him of a brash young tag team who worked together and won the World Tag Team Champions, clearly referring to the Shield. Foley said tonight’s tag team championship main event is now a three-way, with the New Day defending again against Owens/Jericho and Rollins/Reigns. Rollins and Reigns didn’t really look excited to tag with each other and they both had other plans in mind for their careers, which they mentioned to Foley before he made the match.
There was another profile piece for a Charlotte/Banks Raw Women’s Championship match. Good video piece.
Bayley defeated Alicia Fox (2:45)
Another match set up by Alicia Fox’s crush on Cedric Alexander. Fox destroyed one of Bayley’s Bayely Bears and said that was payback for Bayley trying to move in on Alexander. Bayley denied that. Bayley won the match with a Bayley-to-Belly again.
Lana came out dressed in all camoflague. Rusev said ever since he’s arrived in the WWE, he’s destroyed all of the fans’ American heroes one-by-one. But last week was different, he took out American trash. Week after week, Amore runs his mouth about how he’s a Certified G, and it wasn’t until last week he understood what G stood for: garbage. After he threw the human garbage out in the hallway and closed the door behind him, he and Lana took care of business together. Rusev offered the fans a chane to see what he was talking about. He asked the fans if they wanted to see it. The footage was a little edgy and a little out there. Lana told children to close their eyes because it may be senative to them.
All they showed was Enzo getting crushed again and nothing behind lewd. Lana made fun over the fans thinking they would show her and Rusev getting it on. Rusev credited his wife for coming up with the plan that ended up with Enzo getting crushed. Lana stole Big Cass’ catchphrase “C-R-U-S-H. CRUUUSHHH!”
Cass came out and said Enzo was at home recovering after suffering the beating of a lifetime. Cass said Enzo runs his mouth, but he has the balls to back it up. Last week, Enzo got caught with his pants off, but tonight, Cass had his pants on and he wasn’t Enzo.
Cass and Rusev brawled around the ring. Cass tackled Rusev through the ropes to the floor. They brawled around ringside until Rusev threw Cass into the ringpost. Cass barely sold it while Rusev and Lana headed for the exit.
It was announced later that Rusev would face Cass at Roadblock.
Owens was upset about Rollins and Reigns being added to the tag team title match. Jericho looked like he had no use for Owens, who droned on about how they were going to be tag team champions.
The makeover of Emmalina premiere was postponed tonight. Despite the company promoting her premiere as recently as this morning for tonight’s show, it’s still “coming soon.”
Sami Zayn defeated Jinder Mahal (3:24)
The announcers played up like this was Zayn’s final match on Raw before he gets traded to SmackDown. Zayn pinned Jinder Mahal with the Helluva Kick.
Postmatch, Foley came out and said he got off the phone with Bryan for a “talent of equal value.” That wasn’t supposed to get a pop from the crowd. It did. Zayn still wanted the match with Strowman, but Foley still said no. Then Zayn agreed to go to SmackDown. Foley said Zayn would be the small fish in a big pond. Foley offered Zayn the chance to hear the talent that Zayn was traded for. It was Eva Marie. Zayn couldn’t believe his ears and said he was worth 1,000 Eva Maries and it blows his mind that Foley doesn’t see what he’s worth. All the times that Foley had people tell him he couldn’t do it. Zayn was incensed and screamed at Foley, who asked him what he wanted? Zayn screamed he wanted Strowman. Foley told Zayn he wanted Zayn to remember the anger he felt right now because he would need every bit of it when he faces Strowman on Sunday.
Foley said there was never any trade with SmackDown for Eva Marie because he would never trade him. He wanted a class act like Zayn to find the fire, the rage, the anger to beat Strowman. Foley said Strowman believed that Zayn wouldn’t last two minutes against him. Foley said he’s giving Zayn ten minutes to prove he can beat Strowman and prove the world wrong.
They showed highlights of John Cena hosting Saturday Night Live. Michael Cole mentioned how he loved Cena portraying Donald Trump’s mirror, which wasn’t shown.
Raw Tag Team Champion The New Day defeated Kevin Owens & Chris Jericho and Seth Rollins & Kevin Owens to retain the Raw Tag Team Championship in a three-way match (20:20)
First big spot was where Owens tried to set up a superplex on Woods. Jericho tried to make it a double superplex, but Rollins joined in. Before you knew it, all six men were involved for a Tower of Doom spot where Rollins and Woods landed with a thud after the big bump. Owens did a somersault legdrop on Woods. Some fan stole the show dressed in a Ric Flair robe holding up a sign saying “Charlotte, I am your father.” Big E. got the hot tag and gave Jericho three belly-to-belly suplexes. Rollins tagged himself in when Big E ran the ropes and gave Jericho a tope, when delivered another one on Big E. Rollins hit the springboard knee, Reigns tagged himself in and went for a spear on Jericho, who kicked Reigns. Jericho went for the Codebreaker, but Reigns caught him for the Liger Bomb for a near fall. Woods tagged Jericho and went to the top rope for a coast-to-coast elbow drop on Reigns for another near fall.
Fans started to get involved as Reigns and Woods squared off head-to-head. Rollins tagged in and gave Woods a knee to the jaw, then gave Jericho and Owens superkicks. But Jericho threw Rollins off the top rope and tagged himself in. Jericho hit a Lionsault on Wods for a two count while Owens gave Rollins a cannonball. Jericho put Woods in the Walls of Jericho, but Woods reversed it into a small package for a two count. Owens gave Woods a superkick, then Owens hoisted Woods into a codebreaker. Jericho covered Woods, but Rollins pushed Owens into Jericho just as he was about to get a three count on Woods. Jericho started arguing with Owens and the two got into a shoving match. Rollins gave Jericho a knee to the back. Jericho collided with Owens, and Rollins gave Jericho a pedigree. Big E. pulled Rollins out of the ring and Woods covered a lifeless Jericho for the pin. Great finish.
Postmatch, Jericho and Owens argued some more. Owens tried to explain that Rollins pushed him into Jericho. While they argued, Reigns put himself into position to spear Owens. The fans sensed that and started booing. Jericho told Owens that he didn’t want to hear it and left. Owens turned around and Reigns speared him.
Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair will again be making history at Roadblock later this month.
It was announced on tonight’s edition of Raw that Banks would defend the Raw Women’s Championship against Charlotte in a 30-minute Iron Man match at WWE’s final pay-per-view of the year. Banks issued the challenge to Charlotte and it was revealed that she had accepted later in the night.
Banks was previously involved in the only other women’s Iron Man match in WWE history, where she took on Bayley for the NXT Women’s Championship at TakeOver: Respect last year.
Dave Meltzer reported on the December 3rd edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that Banks was scheduled to face Charlotte in a stipulation match on the PPV. Banks and Charlotte have long been programmed against each other, with Banks most recently taking the title from Charlotte in the main event of last week’s Raw.
The updated card for Roadblock on December 18th is:
WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens defending against Roman Reigns
Raw Women’s Champion Sasha Banks defending against Charlotte Flair in a 30-minute Iron Man match
Though the match was apparent given their ongoing feud, it was officially announced on tonight’s episode of Raw that Seth Rollins would face Chris Jericho at Roadblock later this month.
Rollins opened the show by saying that he wanted Triple H, but the best way to send a message to him was to beat Kevin Owens. That brought Owens out to the stage, where Rollins challenged him to a Universal Championship match on tonight’s show. Owens declined the match and instead said that he had three gifts for Jericho.
The first gift was that Jericho would get a United States Championship match against Roman Reigns on Raw tonight, the second was that Jericho would take on Rollins at Roadblock, and the third was that Rollins would face Big Show tonight.
Roadblock: End of the Line is scheduled for December 18th at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. The updated card for the pay-per-view is:
WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens defending against Roman Reigns
The Big Takeaway: A night of breakups and heels getting heat. Sasha Banks will face Charlotte for the Raw Women’s Championship at Roadblock in a 30-minute Ironman match. In the main event segment, Charlotte called out her father under the guise of apologizing to him, but Charlotte slapped Ric Flair, then left Banks for dead when she tried to make the save. The New Day’s last obstacle to becoming the longest-reigning WWE Tag Team Champions of all time will be next Monday when they face Luke Gallows/Karl Anderson & Sheamus/Cesaro in a three way. Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho continued their break-up when Owens interferred in Jericho’s U.S. title match against Roman Reigns against Jericho’s wishes. The Jericho/Reigns match was the highlight of the show. Enzo Amore was beaten half to death in a hotel room by Rusev when Lana played him for a total fool.
The show started with Rollins coming out saying he wants HHH. He took credit for putting together the Shield, and when the time was right it was time to dismantle the Shield. He learned about the consequences your choices can create. HHH chose Owens, and when he gave Jericho a pedigree last week, that was a message to HHH. Rollins said he wanted to call out HHH, but that’s not how things work. So he had to send a message to HHH, and the best way to send a message to HHH is to beat Owens.
Owens interrupted him. Rollins asked about Jericho, then asked about Owens’ friendship with Jericho. Owens admitted to having a fight with Jericho, which Rollins snickered over. Owens said sometimes friends fight, but Rollins wouldn’t know that because Rollins doesn’t know that because he stabbed his brothers in the Shield in the back. Rollins asked if Jericho had returned Owens’ text messages during the week.
Owens said they were both busy and he got Jericho three Christmas gifts. Rollins said that may be enough times to compensate the amount of times that Jericho has saved Owens from losing the Universal championship. That set Owens off, saying he was a fighting champion and the only reason he lost to Reigns last week was because of what Rollins did to Jericho.
Rollins challenged Owens to a championship bout tonight, but Owens said he beat Rollins in a title bout two weeks ago and he’s already slated to wrestle Zayn. Owens said he talked to Stephanie McMahon tonight and arranged for Jericho to face Reigns tonight for the U.S. Championship, which was his first present to Jericho. The second gift was that Jericho was going to face Rollins at Roadblock. And the third present was Rollins having to face a surprise opponent tonight. Out walked the Big Show, down about 80 pounds from his last Raw appearance.
Seth Rollins defeated The Big Show by countout (4:35)
Owens was at ringside screaming orders to Show, who looked irritated at him Rollins hit two springboard knees, then came off the top rope with another. Then Rollins attempted the pedigree, but Owens distracted him. Show backdropped Rollins, then Owens jumped on the apron ordering Show to finish him. Instead, Show grabbed Owens and choke slammed him. Show told Rollins to do what he wanted to Owens and walked out. Rollins gave Owens a pedigree.
They aired a personality profile on Jack Gallagher, who will debut tonight.
They promoted this week’s Saturday Night Live with John Cena as host.
Jack Gallagher defeated Ariya Daivari (2:42)
Gallagher used a head butt against Ariva Daivari’s chest, then pinned him with a running dropkick. Gallagher offered to shake Daivari’s hand, which he did. But Daivari kick Gallagher’s left knee, gave him a chop block, then stomped on it for good measure.
Titus O’Neal handed out flyers to various people promoting the “Tussle in Texas.”
A preview for Total Divas showed Paige with Summer Rae murmuring that Paige has missed several “live events” lately.
Owens walked up to Mick Foley upset about having a match with Zayn after taking a Pedigree from Rollins. Owens said if Stephanie was here, it wouldn’t be happening. Foley said Stephanie wasn’t here and his match with Zayn was taking place tonight. Then Owens saw Jericho, who looked disinterested in Owens’ plight. Owens told him about the gifts he got Jericho, including the U.S. title match with Reigns and his match against Rollins at Roadblock. Owens wanted to see if they were good. Jericho said “We aren’t good.”
Enzo Amore and Big Cass talked backstage when he saw Rusev talking down to Lana. Enzo wanted to intervene, though Cass tried to stop him. Enzo went anyway, but Lana said he was just trying to help. Rusev called her pathetic and maybe she deserved Enzo. Lana took off her wedding ring and asked if Rusev knew what this means. He said “It means your my wife.” She threw the ring down. Enzo told Cass to go on home and put the plate on the stove, he would be home later. Enzo tried to sweet talk Lana.
Later, Lana said she felt Rusev took her for granted. Lana said Rusev should be taught for lesson and invited Enzo to her hotel room and muttered soemthing in Russian that Enzo didn’t understand.
WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens defeated Sami Zayn in a nontitle match (11:58)
Owens did a flip tope on Zayn, but within 30 seconds Zayn had recovered and delivered his own somersault tope onto Owens. Then Zayn pulled off a tornado DDT on the apron. Owens rolled out of the ring, but Zayn stepped outside, as well, and jumped through the ropes for another Tornado DDT. Zayn did the Kenta Kobashi half-nelson German suplex for a near fall. Zayn attempted a superplex, but Owens caught the swinging fisherman’s buster off the top rope. Owens came back with two cannonball and attempted the package piledriver, but Zayn stopped him for another tornado DDT, followed by the exploder suplex into the corner and a Blue Thunder driver for a near fall. Zayn delivered another exploder suplex onto the floor, rolled Owens into the ring. Zayn ran at Owens, who caught him for the Pop-Up Power Bomb for the pin.
Reigns walked into Jericho’s locker room. Reigns thought he saw car paint on Jericho’s forehead, which Jericho denied. Reigns told Jericho to get focused because they have a match tonight. Jericho said Reigns had gotten lucky lately, but tonight Jericho might be the lucky one. Reigns said maybe Jericho was doing Owens’ dirty work again. Jericho pondered that one.
The Rock was shown on the cover of Sports Illusrated. Interestingly, they didn’t mentioned that “Moana,” the latest Disney film where Rock voices the lead male character, was the #1 movie at the box office for the 2nd straight weekend.
Charly Caruso did an interview with Banks backstage. Banks, who sounded hoarse, said the match took everything out of her. She walked into Charlotte’s kingdom and walked out with the crown. Banks said Charlotte doesn’t deserve to live under Ric Flair’s legacy, she said Flair deserves better. She admitted that Charlotte brings out the best in her so she can’t wait to do it again. Caruso brought up Charlotte’s tweet for a rematch. Banks challenged Charlotte to an Ironman match because there’s only one Ironwoman on Raw, and it’s her.
Very good profile piece on Swann. He talked about his father dying when he was 12 years old, his mother passing at 16. He felt like he was never supposed to make it to the top, but he did. His voice played over highlights of his title victory against Kendrick. His postmatch interview included Swann thanking his mother. Kendrick faces Swann for the cruiserweight championship tomorrow on the 2nd episode of 205 Live.
WWE Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann defeated T.J. Perkins in a nontitle match (5:52)
T.J. Perkins and Swann exchaned dabs after hot moves. Swann used Rolling Thunder for a near fall. Perkins dropkicked the legs out from underneath Swann, then tied him up to the tree of woe for a baseball slide. Perkins went for the Kneebar, but Swann turned it into a pinning combination for another two count. Perkins ran off the ropes for a drop kick, then bounced to the top rope and jumped, but Swann caught him with the Spin Kick to finish him off.
Bayley defeated Alicia Fox (2:23)
The background of this match is Bayley has a new gimmick where she throws out “Bayley Bears.” The announcers explained that Bayley tried to give a Bayley Bear to Cedric Alexander, who Alicia Fox has a crush on. So Fox thought Bayley was trying to move in on Alexander when Bayley was really just trying to be friendly. Bayley blocked a clothesline and pinned Fox with a Bayley-to-belly suplex.
Enzo walked up to Cass elated about Lana inviting him to her room. Cass tried to warn him, but Enzo received a text message from Lana showing her nude from the neck up. Enzo took off running. At that point, Rusev walked up to Cass and demanded to know where his wife was. Enzo said he didn’t know and turned his back on him. Rusev got mad and challenged Cass to face him in the ring tonight.
Mark Henry defeated Titus O’Neal (:25)
The announcers built this up like it was a battle of titans, including a tale of the tape graphic. So Mark Henry pinned O’Neal with the World’s Strongest Slam. As a clear dig at Jim Ross, Michael Cole said “that’s usually what happens when Texas meets OU on the gridiron.”
Enzo was on his cell phone with an Uber driver who got lost. Then a limo pulled up and Flair got out. Enzo explained his situation and let Enzo use his limo to meet Lana.
Jericho was on his way to the ring when Owens stopped him. Owens told him he was there to make sure there was no injustice when Jericho told him to stop. He told Owens he didn’t need him to win, to stay out of his business and to stay away from him.
U.S. Champion Roman Reigns defeated Chris Jericho to retain the title (12:51)
Jericho escaped an early attempt at Reigns’ Superman punch and later did a plancha. Jericho barked at the fans, but there were clear babyface spots during the match. Jericho nailed his running springboard dropkick, but missed another dropkick dive through the ropes, and Reigns responded with the Drive By. He went for the Superman’s Punch, but Jericho caught him with an elbow followed by the Lionsault for two. Reigns caught Jericho with a Samoan Drop, followed by the Superman’s Punch for a good near fall. Regins attempted the Spear, but Jericho kicked him. Jericho went for the Code Breaker, but Reigns caught him for a Liger bomb for another two count. Reigns missed a shoulder block and hit the post, and jericho followed with a schoolboy cradle for a two count.
Great series where Jericho went for the Walls of Jericho, but Reigns countered it into a small package for a two count. Jericho scored a double leg and sinched in the Walls of Jericho to a big pop. Reigns made the ropes, but Owens ran out to give Reigns a superkick. Reigns walked right into Jericho’s codebreaker for a great near fall. Jericho started arguing with Owens about coming out and ordered him to leave. Owens walked out looking withdrawn. Reigns went for a spear but Jericho leap frogged him. Jericho bounced off the ropes but Reigns hit the spear for the pin to end a great match.
Cass came out for his match with Rusev. Of course, there was no Rusev to be found in the building. As Rusev’s music played, it dawned on Cass that Enzo had been set up for a trap. Cass grabbed the timekeeper’s cell phone.
The scene shifted to the hotel room, where Enzo’s phone rang, but he hit ignore because he was ready to get busy. Lana met him in lingere, but Enzo said it wasn’t a good idea. Enzo went inside the room and Lana hugged him, but Enzo said he was really uncomfortable. Lana leaned over to pick up a napkin that she intentionally dropped, then tried to seduce Enzo further by stipping off his tank top. Enzo said he had to go, but she started to remove her lingere. Enzo asked her to stop, but she asked him to take off his pants. He complied. She told him something in Russian. He asked what she said. She said “You’re a fool.”
Rusev walked into the room. Enzo said he wasn’t into this type of thing and tried to leave. He was outsmarted AND then tried to run away. Of course, Rusev rag dolled him, throwing him onto a sofa, then tossing him through a table. Rusev threw a lightstand on Enzo and knocked him out by throwing him into a wall. Rusev wasn’t done, tossing him into the bar and smashed a flower vase over his head. Rusev dragged Enzo out of the room and left him for dad, then walked back into the room with Lana, who hung the “Do not disturb” sign on the doorknob. Enzo sold like it like he had been beaten to death. Oddly, the announcers never mentioned Enzo nearly getting killed for the rest of the show, even though a worldwide audience had just seen a man get assaulted in a hotel room. It was like 1999 Nitro and Flair had just been left for dead in a field by the NWO, only for a farmer to pick him up and bring him back to the building so Flair could get beaten up by the NWO some more. And Tony Schivaone was forced to wonder what happened to Flair.
Survivor Series 2017 will be in Houston.
The New Day was at ringside for the number one contender’s tag team match. As Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson came out, Kofi Kingston lip-synched their entrance song. The story is the New Day will become the longest-reigning WWE Tag Team Champions in history at midnight next Monday and the winner of the Gallows-Anderson/Cesaro-Sheamus match would get the title shot.
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson went to a no contest with Sheamus and Cesaro (10:01)
Gallows and Anderson went for the Magic Killer on Cesaro, but Sheamus broke it up and Cesaro spun Anderson into a DDT. Sheamus gave Anderson the Rolling Senton while landing on top of Gallows. Sheamus teased White Noise, but Anderson kicked him off. Cesaro tagged in for a crossbody block on Anderson, followed by a springboad uppercut. Anderson clotheslined Cesaro to the floor, where they landed at the feet of the New Day. It wound up with all three teams brawling with each other. Kingston tried to give Cesaro and Sheamus a flip tope, but Sheamus and Cesaro caught him and threw him onto Xavier Woods and Big E.
It was announced that New Day will defend the tag team titles against Anderson & Gallows and Sheamus & Cesao in a three-way next week.
The Charlotte-Banks Ironman match for Roadblock is official. It’s a 30-minute Ironman match for the Raw Women’s Championship.
Charlotte came out for the apology to her father. Charlotte, looking stonefaced, apologized for what she said to her father last May. They replayed the scene for a third time. Charlotte said when she lost her championship last Monday, it was hard. The WWE means everything to her and the title means everything to her. Crowd chanted “What” to her. She said it was harder to watch her father raise Banks’ hand. It was like Flair was saying “Sasha is the competitor he wishes his daughter to be like.” Charlotte said all she ever wanted was for him to be proud of her and no one knew what it was like to be Flair’s daughter.
She watched from the crowd and watched Flair raise Banks’ hand and it felt like she had failed as her daughter. She claimed not to have seen her father in six months and asked him to come out so she could apologize. Flair looked like he was on the verge of tears walking to the ring. Charlotte smiled as he walked in, but he didn’t hug her. She said she was sorry. Crowd chanted “Who’s your daddy?” The two hugged.
Then Charlotte slapped him and called him a son of a bitch. She screamed she was his daughter and who was Banks to dedicate her victory to Charlotte’s father. Banks ran out, but Charlotte kicked her going under the ropes. Charlotte kneed Banks to the head and threw her into the barricade. Charlotte lifted Banks in a power bomb position, then hoised her into the post. Charlotte screamed to her father that she was the woman. Charlotte dragged a lifeless Banks in front of Flair and told him that was his trophy. Flair was in tears as Charlotte taunted Banks.
Another match has been added to Saturday’s WWE Roadblock Network special with Charlotte defending the Divas title against Natalya.
The two reportedly had a strong match in Montreal last night.
The two turned a lot of people around on the prospect of women’s wrestling on the main roster with their May 2014 match at TakeOver in Orlando. However, the two have not been put together for a high profile long match since Charlotte won the championship.
Nattie posted the following on her Instagram page: “As I make my way to Toronto for #WWERoadBlock, I’m dedicating my match to Bret Hart. His fight against cancer has inspired me to fight even harder in my own life. @Charlottewwe is going to have her hands full AND I can’t wait.#RoadtoWrestleMania#WWENetwork“.
Here’s the full card for tonight’s show (at least everything that’s been announced for TV):
WWE Champion HHH vs. Dean Ambrose
Brock Lesnar vs. Bray Wyatt
Divas Champion Charlotte vs. Natalya
WWE Tag Team Champions New Day vs Sheamus & King Barrett
NXT Champions Dash Wilder & Scott Dawson vs. Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady
Also scheduled for the show are Sheamus, Chris Jericho and Sami Zayn. The show will air at 8 PM EST/5 PM PST. Our Bryan Rose will have your coverage tonight.
On this week’s edition of Smackdown that aired in Canada Wednesday and in the U.S. Thursday, WWE announced that Brock Lesnar will wrestle Bray Wyatt at the Network exclusive special on March 12th, emanating from Toronto, ON.
This match was originally scheduled for this year’s WrestleMania, but Dean Ambrose was moved into the Wyatt spot prior to the Fastlane PPV. Wyatt does not have a WrestleMania opponent as of yet, but it’s expected that he and the rest of the Wyatt Family will compete in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
