Posts Tagged ‘Roadblock’

Potential Spoilers: Storyline Plans For WWE’s Universal Championship Through WrestleMania

Sunday’s WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view saw Kevin Owens retain the Universal Championship against Roman Reigns in a very physical no disqualification match. With Chris Jericho suspended high above the ring in a shark cage, Braun Strowman stormed the ring, laid waste to Reigns and handed another victory to KO. Following Owens’ successful defense, Dave Meltzer of f4wonline.com has revealed WWE’s plans for the Universal Championship through WrestleMania 33.

As of this writing, the plan is for Kevin Owens to defend the Universal Championship against Bill Goldberg at Fastlane, which takes place on Sunday, March 5th. The big scoop is that the Universal Championship will not be defended at RAW live events following Fastlane, a strong indication that Goldberg will be the man to end KO’s title reign.

The scenario is already being compared to The Rock and Brock Lesnar’s most recent WWE title runs, with part-time stars being used to elevate the title without having to work live events.

Goldberg as Universal Champion also means the big showdown with Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania will be a title match. Kevin Owens vs. Chris Jericho has been long rumored for Mania, so perhaps Jericho will have a hand in Owens losing his prized possession at Fastlane.

Discussion: What do you think of the possibility Goldberg as Universal Champion?

Discussion: Have You Lost Interest In WWE PPVs?

The Wrestling Observer recently posed the theory that many people in the WWE Universe are losing interest in WWE PPVs because the WWE now has two of them each month. The brand split has brought a bunch of opportunities to Superstars who may not get them if they were all featured on one show. Two shows with separate rosters also means two PPVs. Both Raw and Smackdown need something to build towards. Also, there can never be enough content on the WWE Network. In order to get people to subscribe, the WWE must constantly have new content on the network.

The problem is that people may already be sick of two PPVs a month. You barely have any time to enjoy a PPV because the build to the next one immediately starts the following night on Raw and then continues the next night on Smackdown. It used to be roughly 30 days in between PPVS, now it is every couple of weeks. If you want to keep up with every storyline, you have spend three hours watching wrestling on Monday nights, three + hours on Tuesday nights if you watch 205 Live and Talking Smack, and then if you watch NXT that is another hour on Wednesday nights. That is a ton of wrestling and the WWE is now asking it’s fans to add two Sunday nights of wrestling to that as well.

WWE Roadblock drew roughly 8,000 fans this year. The WWE desperately tried to get the attendance up by selling two tickets for the price of one. It didn’t work and the attendance was rather poor for a PPV. The reaction to Roadblock on social media was poor and most people felt underwhelmed when the show went off the air. There was a time when it was almost impossible to get a ticket to the WWE. In 2000, the King of the Ring was in Boston and a couple minutes after the tickets went on sale and they were already gone. If that PPV happened today, I could essentially bring everyone I’ve ever met in my life to the show. I know there are always ebbs and flows in wrestling but this feels a little different to me.

Discussion: Has another PPV each month caused you to lose any interest in WWE PPVs? Do you think the WWE should cut back on PPVs going forward? Let us know in the comments below.

Jim Ross Blogs About WWE Roadblock

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. This installment focused on Sunday night’s Roadblock PPV from Pittsburgh. JR called is a ‘solid show’ but was perplexed by the “less than positive trends” as it relates to in ring execution and logic/psychology. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair Iron Man Match:

“There was lots of pressure on Sasha and Charlotte to have some sort of history making match in the 30 Minute Ironman Match. I enjoyed the match but how the finish was executed was perplexing to me unless it is going to lead to a persona change for either women. The live audience, arguably, harmed this match more than any on the card considering the stipulation and positioning on the card. I had no issue that this match did not close the show either.”

Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens:

“Tough situation to be in for both Roman Reigns, who is cast as the fan fav but he’s actually not, and for KO who is cast/booked as the villain but he’s cheered versus Reigns. These two worked hard of which I truly appreciate and respect but the run-on finish seemed to fall a bit flat but that may be just me. That matter will obviously be addressed Monday night on RAW so I’ll ‘stay tuned’ as they say in TV Land.”

Head over to JRsBarBQ.com to read the full blog.

WWE Roadblock: End Of The Line Results & Discussion (12/18)

WWE’s final pay-per-view of 2016, Roadblock: End of the Line, aired live from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA.

– The New Day comes out in red and green outfits to open up the show, and they cut a promo about being the longest reigning Tag Team Champions of all time. Their title defense is up first.

Cesaro & Sheamus def. The New Day: Big E and Kofi are representing the New Day in this one. Cesaro and Sheamus are in control in the opening minutes of the match against Kofi. Sheamus works on him, then Cesaro tags in and hits a big European uppercut on Kofi for a near-fall. Sheamus and Big E tag in and Big E hits a big spear on Sheamus that sends them both out to ringside. Back in the ring, Big E hits a running splash for a two count. Sheamus gets in some offense, but Big E quickly shuts him down with a powerbomb for another two count. Cesaro tags in and they hit a ton of offense on Big E, including a double-team White Noise. Big E hits the Big Ending on Cesaro but Cesaro shoulders up. Kofi tags in and Cesaro quickly hits the Big Swing then gets him in the Sharpshooter. Kofi taps, but the referee is distracted by Xavier at ringside and didn’t see. Cesaro releases the hold then hits Kofi with the Neutralizer, but Big E breaks up the pin. Sheamus tags in and throws Big E outside then Cesaro hits a suicide dive on him. Sheamus goes for the big boot on Kofi, but Xavier runs in front and takes the kick for Kofi. Kofi hits the Trouble In Paradise on Sheamus, but Sheamus kicks out. Sheamus goes to tag in Cesaro, but Cesaro pulls his hand away at the last second and still runs in. Sheamus is still the legal man, but Kofi thinks Cesaro is, so he rolls up Cesaro, then Sheamus comes back and rolls up Kofi for the win. Cesaro and Sheamus are now the Tag Team Champions.

– Kevin Owens cuts a promo backstage about how him and Chris Jericho are still best friends. Jericho walks out of his locker room, and Ownes immediately approaches him to apologize for Monday. Owens gives Jericho a Holiday scarf, but Jericho discards it in disgust.

Sami Zayn def. Braun Strowman: There’s a timer in the bottom right corner of the screen, and if Sami “survives” for ten minutes he wins. Sami chops Strowman across the chest for the first offensive move of the match, but it doesn’t effect Strowman. Sami follows up with a dropkick then jumps on Braun and pummels on his head. Strowman throws Sami off of him with authority, then hits a big running splash in the corner. Strowman continues beating down Zayn, until he goes for a clothesline but Zayn ducks and Strowman falls over the top rope to ringside. Sami goes to follow up with a suicide dive, but Strowman catches him and slams him face-first into the ring apron. Strowman throws Sami back in the ring, then follows up with a running splash in the corner and a short-arm clothesline. Strowman pins him, but then lifts him up at the one count. Zayn attempts to fight back, but Strowman drops him with a forearm then hits a powerslam. Strowman drops him again with a clothesline, then Mick Foley walks out with a white towel. Strowman takes Zayn outside to confront Foley. Strowman drops Zany at ringside then tells Foley he should throw in the towel. Zayn begs Foley not to throw the towel in, then he grabs the towel from Foley and throws it in the crowd. Zayn is standing against the ring post and Braun goes for a running splash, but Zayn moves and Braun goes face-first into the ring post. Strowman tries another on Zayn up against the fan barricade, but Zayn moves and Strowman goes crashing through the barricade. Back in the ring, Strowman misses a spear in the corner and hits the ring post. Zayn follows up with a splash off the top for a two count. Zayn hits a running big boot in the corner, then the timer hits :00 and Zayn has won. Zayn and Foley walk to the back as Strowman looks on from the ring.

Seth Rollins def. Chris Jericho: After some back and forth action in the opening minutes, things go to the outside where Rollins hits a flying knee off the apron to the face of Jericho. Rollins attempts to jump over the top rope back into the ring, but Jericho catches him in mid-air with a springboard dropkick that sends Rollins back to ringside. Jericho controls the next several minutes of the match, until Rollins fires up and drops him with the Sling Blade. Rollins follows up with some running forearms in the corner, but after a brief exchange Jericho drops him and hits a Lionsault for a two count. They brawl back and forth on their knees on the mat, and after some back and forth action, Rollins drops Jericho with a superkick then hits a Frogsplash off the top. Kevin Owens runs in and gets on the apron, distracting Rollins. Jericho rolls up Rollins from behind but Rollins kicks out, and Jericho gets distracted by Owens. Jericho turns around into a knee to the face from Rollins. Rollins goes for another in the corner but Jericho moves out of the way. Jericho goes for the Codebreaker, but Rollins escapes it and hits the Pedigree on Jericho for the win.

Rich Swann def. Brian Kendrick vs. TJ Perkins: Austin Aries is on commentary for this one. Swann and Kendrick go to the outside early on, and Perkins drops Kendrick with a dropkick through he ropes. Back in the ring, Swann kicks Kendrick in the head from behind, and then he hurricanranas both Perkins and Kendrick. Swann uses Perkins as a springboard to jump onto Kendrick, and pins him for a two count. Kendrick comes back and boots both Perkins and Swann in the face. Kendrick gets Swann in the Hook, but Swann breaks it up and gets Kendrick in a knee bar until Swann breaks that up with a senton splash. After some back and forth action, Swann and Perkins briefly align to knock out Kendrick with a double superkick. Swann immediately turns around and hits Perkins with a spinning kick to the head for the win to retain the Cruiserweight Title. After the match, Neville comes out. Neville comes in and acts like he’s going to congratulate Swan, but instead beats down Swann. Perkins tries to break it up, and Neville drops him with a kick. Neville boots Swann in the face then throws him outside and slams him into the fan barricade. The fans chant “Thank you Neville” as he beats down Swann and Perkins around ringside.

– Backstage, we see Kevin Owens pleading with Chris Jericho through his locker room door to forgive him. Jericho’s door remains locked and he doesn’t respond. Owens tells Jericho’s door that he guesses they aren’t best friends anymore, and says he is really hurt.

Charlotte def. Sasha Banks: This match is a 30-minute match under Ironman rules. The women start things off slow and go back and forth with offense, until Sasha fires up and hits a bevy of strikes and double knees. Sasha misses a cross body off the top, and Charlotte comes back with a Natural Selection for a two count. They go up to the top rope and Charlotte hits the Natural Selection from the top for the first fall of thematch. The second fall comes shortly after what appeared to have been a botched roll-up, and Sasha covers Charlotte for the second fall of the match, and they’re tied up. The third fall comes when Sasha avoids a moonsault from Charlotte, then gets her in the Banks Statement and Charlotte taps out. Charlotte immediately starts working on Sasha’s knee, then gets in the Figure Eight leg lock, and Sasha taps out, tieing them up again at 2-2. The clock runs out, and they go into sudden-death overtime. Sasha gets Charlotte in the Banks Statement again, but Charlotte fights out and gets Sasha in the Figure Four again. Sasha is bleeding from her mouth or nose, and Charlotte puts her in the Figure Eight for the victory via tapout. Sasha is bleeding pretty decently and the referees wipe her down with towels.

Kevin Owens def. Roman Reigns via DQ: Owens’ WWE Universal Title is on the line in this one. Owens rolls to the outside as soon as the bell sounds and he circles the ring. He rolls back in and wrestles Reigns down to the mat and gets him in a chin lock. Reigns powers out with a back suplex and pins for a one count. Owens takes things out to ringside and takes control of the match. He rolls Reigns back in the ring for a senton bomb for a one count. He throws Reigns back out to ringside and into the ring steps. Owens climbs to the top of the ring steps and hits a senton bomb onto Reigns on the ringside floor. He rolls Reigns back into the ring and pins for a two count. Owens grounds Reigns with a chin lock, then hits a somersault legdrop across Reigns’ face for a two count. Reigns and Owens exchange blows in the ring until Owens drops Reigns, but then misses a senton bomb. Reigns comes back with a Samoan Drop, then gears up for a superman punch. Owens dodges it and DDTs Reigns for a two count. Owens hits a cannonball on Reigns in the corner, but Reigns immediately comes back with a superman punch for a two count. Reigns and Owens go up top, and Reigns hits a superman punch on him. Reigns goes for a superplex, but Owens reverses into a brainbuster off the top for a two count. Owens goes for a Swanton bomb off the top rope, but Reigns blocks it with his knees. Owens rolls outside, and Reigns chases him down with a dropkick to the head. Reigns goes for a second one, but Owens dodges it and superkicks Reigns in the face twice. Owens sets up Reigns on the announce table, then climbs on top of the fan barricade and hits a frogsplash on him ontop of the table. The table didn’t break, so Owens went back up and did another one on Reigns, and this time they break through the table. Owens throws Reigns back in the ring and hits a frogsplash off the top and pins, but Reigns kicks out at two. Owens goes for a superkick but Reigns blocks it and powerbombs Owens for a two count. Owens dodges a superman punch and hits a pop up powerbomb on Reigns, but Reigns gets his foot up on the rope at the two count. Owens grabs the Universal Title belt from ringside and rolls back in the ring. The referee struggles with Owens, then Reigns spears Owens, but Reigns isn’t able to roll over to pin him. Jericho runs in and slides in the ring. He sizes up both men, then gives Owens a Codebreaker. The referee calls for the bell, and Roman Reigns is disqualified. Kevin Owens wins and retains he Universal Title. After the bell, Jericho hands Owens the Universal Title belt, then they hug in the ring. Reigns looks on from ringside, and Owens and Jericho head backstage.

– Before Jericho and Owens make it backstage, Rollins’ music hits and he meets them on the ramp. Owens runs back to ringside and Reigns spears him. Rollins throws Jericho in the ring and Pedigrees him. Reigns and Rollins take Jericho to ringside and they powerbomb him through the announce table. Owens almost makes it up the ramp backstage, but Rollins stops him right before he makes it to the curtain. They take Owens over to the announce table by the entrance, and they powerbomb him through that.

Jim Ross Blog: HBK & Undertaker At The Royal Rumble, Sasha & Charlotte “Iron Man” Match

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety over at JRsBarBQ.com. In this installment, JR spoke about Monday’s RAW, recent shakeups with WWE’s broadcast teams, the Royal Rumble and more.

One of the top stories of the week is the announcement that Charlotte & Sasha Banks will participate in WWE’s (main roster) first-ever 30-minute Women’s “Iron Man” match at Roadblock later this month. JR believes both women will have to step up in order for the match to be a success, but WWE is to be commended for their handling of women’s wrestling.

“The 30 minute Ironman, (why not Ironwomen BTW?) match will be a challenge to Sasha and Charlotte as it will require a logical pace, timely selling, a on going, under lying thread to their match I.E. someone has a dinged body part and it is exploited,” Ross said. “I applaud WWE and the two ladies for this booking and wish them the best of luck in telling a great story while continuing to advance their gender’s place within the ‘man’s world’ of pro wrestling.”

The 2017 Royal Rumble is shaping up to be one of the biggest ever with Brock Lesnar and Goldberg already confirmed as two of the 30 entrants. JR thinks WWE should utilize Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker at the Rumble to ensure the Alamo Dome show is a success.

“I like that both Lesnar and Goldberg are both in the Royal Rumble match as it should help move tickets locally for the Alamo Dome extravaganza. I’d love to see an official announcement that both HBK and Taker are going to be on hand in some role as to add to the marketable nostalgia for the event. The two legends do not need to wrestle but being creatively utilized in some manageable manner would help the event feel bigger and more desirable to attend.”

Speaking of the Royal Rumble, JR will be hosting a “RINGSIDE with Jim Ross” show the day of the Royal Rumble (2:30pm local time) at the Improv at River Center in San Antonio. If you’re in town for the Rumble, head over to Rivercitycomedyclub.com for ticket information.

WWE Roadblock Main Event Announced

It will be Champion vs. Champion next month when Universal Champion Kevin Owens squares off against United States Champion Roman Reigns in the main event of WWE Roadblock. The news was announced on Friday by Pittsburg’s PPG Paints Arena, the venue hosting the show.

Other top stars advertised for the show include RAW Women’s Champion Charlotte, Seth Rollins, Sasha Banks, The New Day, Enzo & Cass and Finn Balor, who is recovering from shoulder surgery and is not expected back in action before February.

WWE Roadblock takes place on Sunday, December 18th.

Date For RAW-Branded Roadblock PPV, New Attitude Era DVD Trailer (Video)

– WWE’s “Attitude Era Vol. 3: Unreleased” DVD and Blu-ray set will hit shelves on August 9th. A new trailer for the set has hit the web, courtesy of WrestlingDVDNetwork.com:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4YWdq06HoI

– WWE’s annual Roadblock pay-per-view will take place on December 18th this year in Pittsburgh, PA. The announcement was officially made by the CONSOL Energy Center on Twitter on Tuesday. Roadblock will be a RAW-branded pay-per-view.

Backlash, Clash Of Champions, No Mercy, Roadblock Returning As Split-Brand PPVs?

In recent weeks we’ve been hearing that WWE will begin running brand-exclusive pay-per-views after SummerSlam, with only the company’s big 4 “legacy” shows (WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series and Royal Rumble) featuring talent from both brands.

On Wednesday, Reddit user /r/Wrestlingleaker leaked WWE’s complete 2016 pay-per-view schedule. We reached out to WWE and have not yet heard back regarding the validity of the schedule, but let’s take a look at this unconfirmed information.

As part of this new pay-per-view format, WWE is reportedly bringing back several retired events, including Backlash and No Mercy. The WWE Network exclusive “Roadblock” show from earlier this year is now a full-fledged pay-per-view and Night of Champions has been replaced by Clash of Champions.

Based on this structure, with legacy PPV’s featuring talent from both brands but all other months featuring brand-specific shows, WWE would be on track to produce 20 “pay-per-views” in 2016. Throw in the quarterly (for now) NXT Takeover shows and we’ve got a WWE PPV every two weeks.

The following is the rumored WWE PPV schedule for the remainder of 2016, with 9 shows booked over the next 6 months.

  • 7/24: Battleground (Washington, DC): RAW & SmackDown
  • 8/21: SummerSlam (Brooklyn, NY): RAW & SmackDown
  • 9/11: Backlash (Richmond, VA): SmackDown Exclusive
  • 9/25: Clash of Champions (Indianapolis, IN): RAW Exclusive
  • 10/9: No Mercy (Sacramento, CA): SmackDown Exclusive
  • 10/30: Hell in a Cell (Boston, MA): RAW Exclusive
  • 11/20: Survivor Series (Toronto, ON): RAW & SmackDown
  • 12/4: TLC (Dallas, TX) : SmackDown Exclusive
  • 12/18: Roadblock (Pittsburgh, PA): RAW Exclusive

Here’s the leaked document showing the full 2016 WWE PPV schedule – again, this is unconfirmed:

View post on imgur.com

WWE Roadblock Will Be 3 Hours, Updated Card

Next weekend, the WWE presents Roadblock live on the WWE Network from Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the Ricoh Coliseum. The show begins at 8pm EST and new scheduling information released by WWE shows that Roadblock will be a 3-hour show.

Here is the updated card:

– WWE World Heavyweight Champion Triple H  vs. Dean Ambrose

– Brock Lesnar vs. Bray Wyatt.

– Roman Reigns vs. Sheamus.

– NXT Tag Team Champions: The Revival vs. Colin Cassady and Enzo Amore

Plus, Chris Jericho will host the Highlight Reel. Other names advertised for the show include Sami Zayn, The New Day and more.