Roadblock 2016 Review

With 3 weeks left until WrestleMania 32, the WWE treated us to another one of those house show-like PPVs with a WWE Network-exclusive broadcast. Originally titled March to WrestleMania, this is Roadblock, an event from Toronto, Canada, teasing the idea that the entire landscape of WrestleMania could change in one night. Being this close to the event, those gears started to turn, wondering if we could get a little shakeup in the lineup. If you look on the internet, the response is the usual for the last couple of years. This is the biggest show of the year and a lot of the matches that have been planned feel like headscratchers, so the prospect that we could get a few changes 3 weeks before the PPV was admittedly enticing for the internet fan out there. But then again, this is what we'd expect it to be: a house show that was televised on the Network, meaning that the ACTUAL chances of any significant changes happening on the Road to WrestleMania were slim to none. But, could the show still deliver in terms of match quality? In many ways, yes it did. But the question that the show had me constantly thinking was when nothing is really on the line, does the match quality matter? We know that titles aren't going to change hands and a lot of the matches are there for filler purposes, but if they're good matches, does that make it ok? Let's find that out with my look at Roadblock.


WWE Tag Team Championship Match: The New Day vs. The League of Nations

I know The New Day is planning on facing The League of Nations at WrestleMania, so this opening match had me a bit confused on why they'd give a variation of it so close to the actual event. Wouldn't you want to make sure we don't see what the match looks like? That's what would make it so special when they lock up at Mania. But anyways, this match works fine outside of a couple obvious botches. This match did point out to me that the two members of The League of Nations I tolerate most are Sheamus and Bad News Barrett, so there's a tiny silver lining from this whole thing. I still can't see this being the best idea for the WWE Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania. The League of Nations have "go away" heat and The New Day still haven't really become babyfaces yet. We'll see what happens to help spice this feud up a little.

Chris Jericho vs. Jack Swagger

Why did Jack Swagger come out to challenge Jericho? Jericho was in the ring cutting a heel promo on how Canada sucks and then the Real American comes out. What sense does that make? I mean, it's not like they had a Canadian athlete like Sami Zayn to come out and wrestle Jericho. Oh wait, YES THEY DID!!!! And do you have any idea how much that match would've rocked? That confrontation is WrestleMania worthy. How do you pass on an opportunity like that guys?!? I mean, the match was fine, but still such a headscratcher on a booking standpoint. Take the promo out, and it's a good enough random match, but the promo was so good that the choice of opponent can't be ignored.

NXT Tag Team Championship Match: The Revival vs. Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady

Leave it to NXT to put on one of the best matches on a WWE PPV. Going back and watching the episodes of NXT on the WWE Network really sparked a love for the team of Enzo and Big Cass. Add to the fact that Dash and Dawson have been one of the best teams NXT has had to offer in quite some time, plus the fact that we KNOW these two teams can have a great match together, and the match pretty much sells itself. The two really gel well in the ring due to their contrasting styles. Enzo and Cass are the larger than life personalities and Dash and Dawson add a more rough and tough brawling attitude. I really enjoy their matches and this was a great way for both teams to get a taste of mainstream exposure. There's still a chance that a lot of viewers haven't checked out NXT yet, and I hope a match like this can introduce them to what they've been missing out on.

Divas Championship Match: Charlotte vs. Natalya

I'm getting more and more impressed as each PPV goes by to see how much more time they're giving the Divas to wrestle. With the build up to an awesome Triple Threat at Mania coming up, it seemed beyond anticlimactic for Charlotte to defend her championship against Natalya at this event, but the crowd made up for it. This is Canada, Natalya's home country, so there was an added amount of emotion and motivation for her to win. The crowd was invested in her to win because, let's face it, it's Canada and she's a Hart. And when Charlotte inevitably beats her, she gets some legit heat from the crowd because she beat the hometown favorite. It's a simple strategy on how to do some successful heel work, but it's a formula that proves to work, so this match did a good job of helping get Charlotte on the right track heading into Mania.

Brock Lesnar vs. Bray Wyatt and Luke Harper

I remember reading early card advertisements had Brock fighting Luke Harper, but then the WWE announced it was going to be Brock facing Bray once the plans for their Mania match turned into Brock vs. Dean Ambrose. So, when exactly did they change the plans for this to be a handicap match? They didn't announce that until the match started, and even when that happened, Bray left Harper to fight Lesnar on his own. What's going on? Is Bray Wyatt injured or something? I thought this would've been the big payoff for their feud. This would've been Lesnar's revenge for the Wyatt Family screwing him at the Royal Rumble, and we didn't get that. We had Lesnar just do the usual Suplex City stuff to a really good worker in Harper, while Bray sat and watched. Feud over? I guess so. Oh well.

Sami Zayn vs. Stardust

See what I mean? They could've used Sami Zayn to face Jericho and it would've been awesome. I'm totally fine with the match Zayn had with Stardust in terms of ring work, but it was lacking a whole lot in terms of booking. What was the point of the match? To show Sami was ready to face Kevin Owens for the Intercontinental Championship? We already knew that because of their historic NXT feud, so why did we need this match? We didn't really. We needed Zayn to answer the call for Canada and put on a spectacular match with Chris Jericho. THAT is what the show needed.

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match: Triple H vs. Dean Ambrose

This main event worked on so many levels simply for the fact that it gave us a number of moments where we believed Dean Ambrose could win the championship and shakeup the WrestleMania card. This match also did a lot of good for Triple H, making us feel like he was ready to take on a guy like Roman Reigns in the main event of Mania. Let's face it, Triple H hasn't wrestled for a lengthy push in a while and is probably nearing the end of his wrestling career, so this is probably one of the last hurrahs he will have holding the company's top prize. Chalk up another good title match and main event to add to The Game's impressive in-ring resume. As for Ambrose, I don't feel like he was "buried" by Triple H here, but rather showed that he can hang with one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time. With a performance like this, he's ready for the big time moment at Mania. I've been saying for a while now that he's a modern day Mick Foley, willing to put his body on the line and has a huge amount of heart and guts in a fight. This match showed us that Dean Ambrose might actually be able to give Brock Lesnar one heck of a fight at WrestleMania.


Final Thoughts: As far as a house show goes, this is a good event. There's a few questionable booking decisions for the overall show, but a lot of the ring quality makes up for it. Boosted by that excellent main event from Ambrose and Triple H, I can give Roadblock a Mild Recommendation. It's not an important show to watch in the grand scheme of things, but if you appreciate a few standout matches here and there, it's an easy enough show to have some fun with.


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