Kickoff Show:
Rusev vs Big Cass
Enzo cut a promo before the match and poked fun at Rusev and Lana. Big Cass controlled the match early. Rusev rolled out of the ring and tried to escapee through the crowd but Cass followed him. Rusev then returned to the outside of the ring. Lana pretended that Enzo shoved her and Rusev laid out Enzo. Big Cass then became distracted by this and Rusev rolled back in the ring. The referee then counted out Big Cass and Rusev win the match.
Winner via Countout: Rusev
Main Card:
Raw Tag Team Championship: New Day (c) vs Sheamus & Cesaro
Cesaro started off the match by leveling Kofi Kingston with a Dropkick. Sheamus entered the match and continued to beatdown Kofi. Cesaro tagged back in and connected with several uppercuts to Kingston. Kofi finally was able to tag in Big E and he immediately hit a Spear onto Sheamus on the ring apron. Both Sheamus and Big E went flying to the floor. Back in the ring, Big E connected with a Powerbomb on Sheamus.
Cesaro entered the match and immediately hit an uppercut. Cesaro was going for the Cesaro Swing but Kingston ran into the ring to break it up. Sheamus went to attack Kofi but he missed and accidentally struck Cesaro. Xavier Woods then kicked Cesaro and Big E hit the Big Ending on Cesaro. Big E went for the pinfall but Cesaro kicked out at two. Cesaro finally hit the Cesaro Swing and followed it up with a Sharpshooter. Kofi tapped out but the referee didn’t see it due to an Xavier Woods distraction.
The match continued and Cesaro connected with a Neutralizer onto Kingston. Big E broke up the pinfall. Cesaro tagged in Sheamus and then Cesaro flipped onto Big E outside the ring. Sheamus went for the Brogue Kick but Xavier Woods got in the way of Kingston. Kofi then hit the SOS on Sheamus but he kicked out at two. Sheamus then pretended to tag in Cesaro and Kofi hit the Trouble in Paradise on Cesaro. Kofi went for the pin on Cesaro but he was not the legal man. Sheamus then leaped onto Kingston and rolled him up for the victory.
Winners & New Raw Tag Team Champions: Sheamus & Cesaro
Reaction: It was only a matter of time before the New Day’s title reign came to an end. I didn’t think it would happen tonight but it did. Sheamus and Cesaro have become an entertaining team over the past month and I’m looking forward to see their title reign. After the match, Cesaro hugged the New Day and showed great sportsmanship. Sheamus then ripped the tag titles away from the New Day and raised both of them over his head. I’m guessing the storyline of Cesaro and Sheamus not being able to get along all of the time will continue. The match itself was entertaining and the New Day almost retained their titles several times. I’m glad they didn’t because their act had grown tired over the past couple of months. If they stay together, I’m sure the New Day will be Tag Team Champions once again in the near future.
Braun Strowman vs Sami Zayn (10 Minute Time Limit)
It took a minute for Strowman to get a hold of Zayn but once he did he launched him across the ring. Strowman spent the next few minutes beating the hell out of Zayn. Sami launched himself onto Strowman outside the ring but Braun caught him and dropped him face first onto the ring apron. Back in the ring, Strowman continued the beatdown of Zayn. Strowman connected with several Clotheslines and there was only four minutes left in the match.
Mick Foley then came down to the ring with a white towel in his hand. Strowman then launched Sami Zayn out of the ring and Sami landed at the feet of Foley. Strowman told Foley to throw the towel in the ring. Zayn then begged Foley not to do it. The crowd started to chant “let him fight”. Zayn grabbed the towel and launched it into the crowd. Strowman ran at Zayn but Sami ducked and Strowman hit the ring post. Strowman once again ran at Zayn but Sami got out of the way and Strowman went through the barricade.
Back in the ring, Strowman ran at Zayn once again but Sami ducked for a third time and Braun once again hit the ring post. Zayn then connected with a Crossbody off of the top and followed it up with a Helluva Kick. The time limit then expired and Sami Zayn won the match because Strowman was unable to defeat him within ten minutes.
Winner: Sami Zayn
Reaction: I thought something more would happen during this match. I figured that Sami would last the ten minutes but I thought Strowman would at least attack him once time expired. Instead, the time expired and that was the end of it. Strowman was frustrated in the ring and Zayn celebrated with Foley outside the ring. It just came off as very uneventful and meaningless to me. I guess you could say that Zayn showed that he will never quit. However, when you think about it Sami Zayn has already shown he belonged in the WWE. He’s defeated the current Universal Champion Kevin Owens this year. Zayn has essentially been running in place on Raw since the brand split. I’m not sure how much this match actually helped Sami Zayn and it did absolutely nothing for Braun Strowman. If he destroyed Zayn after the match, he would at least have become more hated by the WWE Universe.
Chris Jericho vs Seth Rollins
The match started out back and forth. Jericho gained control of the match by connecting with a Dropkick. Jericho beatdown Rollins in the corner and slapped him in the face a couple of times. The action spilled outside of the ring and Rollins hit a knee to the face of Jericho. Rollins then threw Jericho into the barricade surrounding the ring.
Back in the ring, Jericho hid behind the referee as Rollins chased after him. Jericho then poked Rollins in the eye and regained control of the match. Jericho landed another Dropkick and Rollins tumbled off of the ring apron. Rollins and Jericho traded chops in the ring but Jericho got the upper hand by hitting another Dropkick. Jericho went for the Lionsault but Rollins get up and shoved Jericho out of the ring. Rollins then hit a Suicide Dive onto Jericho outside the ring.
The action returned to the ring and Jericho quickly applied the Walls of Jericho. Rollins fought through the pain and eventually reached the bottom rope to break the hold. Rollins then climbed to the top turnbuckle and went for a Frog Splash but Jericho got out of the way and Seth landed on the mat. Jericho then landed a Lionsault and went for a pinfall but Rollins kicked out at two.
Rollins hit a Falcon Arrow for a two count. The crowd then broke out in a “stupid idiot” chant. Jericho and Rollins traded punches in the middle of the ring. Rollins got the upper hand and went for the Pedigree but Jericho blocked it. Jericho was then able to get Rollins in the Walls of Jericho for a second time. Rollins was able to roll through into a small package but Jericho kicked out at two.
Rollins connected with a kick to the face of Jericho and then hit a Frog Splash. Kevin Owens then ran to the ring and Rollins attacked him on the ring apron. Jericho then rolled up Rollins but the referee was distracted with Kevin Owens. Jericho then shouted at Owens and KO walked backstage. Rollins then hit the Pedigree on Jericho for the victory.
Winner: Seth Rollins
Reaction: After the match, Rollins stated that this was step one of his revenge tour. Next up will most likely be Kevin Owens and eventually he will battle Triple H. The friendship between Kevin Owens and Jericho seems irreparable at this point. Owens keeps trying to help out Jericho but everything is blowing up in his face. This does not bode well for his match later on tonight against Roman Reigns. Owens was probably trying to get Jericho to have his back during the match but that doesn’t seem likely at this point. It is only a matter of time before Owens and Jericho completely turn on each other and have a feud.
Cruiserweight Championship Match: Rich Swann (c) vs TJ Perkins vs Brian Kendrick
Perkins started out the match in control and quickly went for the Knee Bar on Kendrick. Swann then connected with a double Hurricanrana onto Kendrick and Perkins. Kendrick then connected with a kick to the face on Swann and Perkins. Swann hit a Dropkick on Perkins and then Kendrick locked in the Captain’s Hook on Swann. Eventually, Perkins broke up the hold and then applied the Knee Bar to Kendrick in the middle of the ring. Swann broke up the hold by landing a Splash onto Perkins.
Kendrick went for Sliced Bread but Swann blocked it. Perkins then landed a kick to the face onto Kendrick who went flying out of the ring. Perkins then locked in the Knee Bar on Swann in the middle of the ring. Swann grabbed the bottom rope but Perkins didn’t have to break the hold due to it being a triple threat match. Perkins wound up breaking the hold anyway for some reason. Swann and Perkins then kicked Kendrick in the face. Swann then landed a kick to the face of Perkins and won the match.
After the match, Neville came down to the ring and attacked Rich Swann. Neville then beat the hell out of TJ Perkins as well. Neville then launched Swann into the barricade outside the ring. Neville did the same to TJ Perkins outside the ring as the crowd chanted “thank you Neville!”.
Winner & Still Cruiserweight Champion: Rich Swann
Reaction: The Cruiserweight division desperately needed something like this to happen. I’m not saying that Neville is going to save the entire division but at the very least this will get people talking. Neville hasn’t even been on Raw recently so obviously him joining the Cruiserweight division is a good oppurtunity for him. The crowd was absolutely dead for the Cruiserweight Championship match tonight and hopefully Superstars like Neville and eventually Austin Aries can generate some interest for the division. There is tremendous talent in the Cruiserweight division. Hopefully, the division gets more popular over time but they still need more than four minute matches on Raw for that to happen. The title match was decent tonight but it is hard to enjoy a match when it is abundantly clear that the audience in attendance doesn’t care about it at all.
Ironman Match For The Raw Women’s Championship: Sasha Banks (c) vs Charlotte
The match started out back and forth for the first several minutes. Sasha locked in the Bank Statement five minutes in but Charlotte was able to roll out of the ring. Sasha followed her and hit the Double Knees. Sasha Banks continued on the offensive for the next few minutes and connected with a Suicide Dive onto Charlotte outside the ring.
Charlotte finally got in some offense and kicked out the legs of Sasha on the ring apron and Banks fell into the steel steps outside the ring. Charlotte then rolled Sasha into the ring and went for the pinfall but Banks kicked out at two. Sasha battled back and connected with a Crossbody. Sasha’s momentum was short-lived as Charlotte planted her with a Neckbreaker. Charlotte controlled the next few minutes but Sasha eventually battled back and beatdown Charlotte in the corner. Banks climbed to the top rope and went for a Crossbody but Charlotte rolled out of the way. Charlotte then connected with the Natural Selection but Banks kicked out at two. Charlotte and Sasha battled on the top turnbuckle. Charlotte hit the Natural Selection on Banks off the top rope and scored the first pinfall.
Charlotte spent the next minute taunting Sasha and slapping her in the face. Sasha battled back and rolled up Charlotte to even the score at 1-1. Charlotte went for a Moonsault but Sasha got out of the way and applied the Bank Statement. Charlotte was stuck in the middle of the ring and had no choice but to tap out making the score 2-1 in the favor of Sasha Banks.
Charlotte then desperately tried to even the score for the next several minutes. Charlotte targeted most of her offense on the left knee of Sasha Banks. The match had two minutes left and Charlotte finally applied the Figure Four. Charlotte dragged Sasha to the middle of the ring and Banks was able to reverse it. Charlotte then rolled through and reversed the hold once again. Sasha then tapped out with two seconds left on the clock.
The match then became sudden death and the next pinfall wins. Charlotte had a giant grin on her face. Charlotte once again went for the Figure Four but Banks blocked it. Sasha then went for the Bank Statement but Charlotte reversed it into the Figure Four. Sasha Banks was bleeding profusely from her mouth and nose. Charlotte then bridged the Figure Four into the Figure Eight and Sasha Banks tapped out.
Winner & New Raw Women’s Champion: Charlotte
Reaction: First of all, this was an awesome match. I’ll just get that out of the way early. Personally, this feud has been boring to me for a long time now. I believe that Charlotte and Sasha Banks constantly trading the Raw Women’s Championship back and forth has done nothing for the division on Raw and it took all of the emotion out of this match. On paper, Sasha Banks tapping out with two seconds left should be dramatic. I think most of the people in the arena knew it was going to happen. Most everyone knew that Charlotte would continue to be undefeated at PPVs and would recapture the Raw Women’s Championship.
I don’t know why anyone thought it would be a good idea to have these two Superstars wrestle each other over and over again. Obviously, they work very well together but people are just sick of seeing it. Everyone should have been pumped to see this match but that wasn’t the case because it feels like we’ve seen 25,000 Sasha Banks and Charlotte matches. Despite all of that, this match was very good and would have been much better if the audience wasn’t so tired of seeing these two wrestle each other. Hopefully, this feud is finally over and other female Superstars on the Raw roster will finally be given the oppurtunity to show what they are capable of on Monday nights.
https://twitter.com/MankyMedia/status/810685049364508672
WWE Universal Championship Match: Kevin Owens vs Roman Reigns
Kevin Owens spent the beginning of the match trying to avoid Reigns. Roman followed him out of the ring and punched him in the face. Reigns then brought Owens back into the ring but Owens rolled out of the ring once again. Reigns chased him but Owens continued to avoid him. Back in the ring, Owens knocked Reigns down and applied a Chinlock. Reigns powered out and beatdown Owens in the corner. Once again, Owens crawled out of the ring to try to get away from Reigns.
Roman caught Owens outside the ring and launched him into the barricade. Reigns then cleared off the German announce table but Owens got up and punched him in the face. Owens rolled Reigns into the ring and connected with a Senton. Owens then landed several knees and kicks to the head and body of Roman Reigns. Owens continued to control the match and threw Reigns into the steel steps outside the ring. Owens then hit a Senton off the top of the steel steps.
Back in the ring, Owens continued to control the match and took Reigns to Chinlock City in the middle of the ring. Owens mocked Reigns while applying the Chinlock by shouting “I’m the guy!”. Owens had the Chinlock applied for the next several minutes and continued to taunt Reigns the entire time. Finally, Reigns battled out of the hold and planted Owens with a Clothesline.
Reigns went for a Samoan Drop but Owens countered it into a German Suplex. Owens went for the Cannonball but Reigns got up and this time connected with a Samoan Drop. Reigns went for a Superman Punch but Owens reversed it into a DDT. Owens mocked Roman Reigns and hit a Cannonball. Roman Reigns shrugged off the Cannonball and got to his feet and landed a Superman Punch. Reigns went for the pinfall but Owens kicked out at two.
A “Roman sucks” chant began throughout the crowd as Reigns beatdown Owens in the corner. Roman Reigns and Kevin Owens battled on the top turnbuckle as some of the fans in the arena started to chant “lets go Roman!”. Reigns then hit a Superman Punch while Owens was seated on the top turnbuckle. Reigns went for a Superplex but Owens countered it into a Superplex of his own. Owens went for the pin but Reigns powered out at two.
Owens went for a Swanton off of the top rope but Reigns got his knees up. Reigns was setting up for the Spear but Owens rolled out of the ring. Reigns followed him to the outside and connected with the Drive By. Reigns rolled Owens back into the ring but once again Owens rolled to the outside. Reigns went for the Drive By again but Owens moved out of the way and landed two kicks to the Roman’s face. Reigns was laid out on the German announce table and Owens hit a Frog Splash but the table didn’t break. Owens then hit a second Frog Splash and the table broke.
Roman Reigns got back into the ring just before the referee counted to ten. Right when he got into the ring, Owens hit another Frog Splash on Reigns and went for the win but Reigns kicked out. Owens went for a Superkick but Reigns caught him and planted him with a Powerbomb. Owens hit the Pop-up Powerbomb but Reigns got his foot on the bottom rope to break up the pinfall.
Owens went to the outside of the ring and grabbed his Universal Championship. The referee tried to grab the title from Owens and Reigns connected with a Spear. Chris Jericho then sprinted to the ring and stood between both Reigns and Owens whom were lying on the mat. Jericho then hit a Codebreaker on Kevin Owens and the referee called for the bell. The referee then disqualified Roman Reigns due to the interference by Jericho.
After the match, Jericho presented Owens with the Universal Championship with a gigantic smile on his face. Jericho and Owens hugged in the ring and Roman Reigns angrily looked on. Seth Rollins then emerged from backstage and Rollins and Owens retreated. Reigns laid out Owens with a Spear and Rollins hit Jericho with a Pedigree. Rollins and Reigns then Powerbombed Jericho through the Spanish announce table. Rollins then chased down Owens on the entrance ramp. Rollins and Reigns then Powerbombed Owens through the announce table to close out the show.
Winner & Still Universal Champion: Kevin Owens
Reaction: I fell for it again. I actually thought that Jericho and Owens friendship was over but that is clearly not the case. The Universal Championship match was very solid and I’m happy that Kevin Owens retained the title. The crowd wasn’t that receptive to the Shield reunion during Roadblock, it will be interesting to see if that trend continues on the next few episodes of Raw. I think Rollins will now focus his attention on Owens and he may wind up being the one that finally takes the Universal Championship off of him. Overall, WWE Roadblock: End of the Line was simply a decent show.
The main issue I had with the show is that a lot of the matches were hindered by the lack of a quality build. There was some good wrestling on the show but it just felt underwhelming. I would attribute that to the lack of build to the matches on the card and the fact that many of the outcomes to the matches were predictable. If this were a Smackdown PPV, I would have been disappointed. I’ve grown to expect a mediocre product when it comes to anything associated with Monday Night Raw. Smackdown and Raw are both under the umbrella of the WWE but somehow feel like two different companies. In my opinion, the best/easiest way to judge a show is to think of it through the eyes of someone tuning into the product for the first time. If Roadblock was the first time someone ever watched WWE programming, do you think that they would want to watch Raw tomorrow night? I doubt they would.
What did you think of WWE Roadblock: End of the Line? Let us know in the comments below.
