Rasslin’ Roundtable for WWE Roadblock: End of the Line 2016 PPV

Features, Top Story

Tonight is the final WWE PPV of 2016 – Roadblock End of the Line!

Here is the Pulse Wrestling crew’s full preview with predictions for all planned matches.

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WWE Universal Championship
Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns

Michael – I am sure Vince is just frothing at the mouth for a chance to put Raw’s top belt on Roman Reigns. However, to listen to that urge would be a mistake. Reigns is STILL getting booed mercilessly, no matter what they try. And Owens has been a breath of fresh air as the top guy. I really hope they give Owens a strong victory here. Although they will probably have him win cheap by DQ or something.
Winner: Kevin Owens

Jake Ziegler – Rating in the toilet? More Roman Reigns!
Winner: Roman Reigns

Sam P – Double Champion Reigns? *Shudders*.
Winner: Kevin Owens

Penny – I don’t think they’re ready to have Owens drop the belt just yet. And in spite of Vince’s out of touch hopes, they know putting him over for the belt won’t go over well. So I’m guessing Owens wins due to Jerinanigans.
Winner and still champion, KO

Widro – As much as it would please Vince McMahon, really would prefer Roman not to go over here.
Winner: Owens

Spain: I don’t see Roman taking the World Championship. So far, he’s not doing terribly with the US Title, so I think it’ll be someone else who dethrones Owens. The last thing we need right now is for WWE to repeat the Reigns Mistake. I see Owens cheating to retain.
Winner (and still WWE Universal Champion): Kevin Owens

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Raw Women’s Championship
(30-Minute WWE Iron Man Match)
Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair

Michael – The hot potato with the belt needs to stop and the champion needs to move forward with another feud. However, who the WWE has their faith in is a mystery to me. I’ll take a guess and say…
Winner: Sasha Banks

Jake Ziegler – I feel like they want Charlotte to break her father’s record, so might as well put the title on her again.
Winner: Charlotte Flair

Sam P – Betting against Charlotte at a PPV is like choosing the sea as your bank. Sasha probably deserves an actual title run, but with daddy Flair potentially ready to turn on Banks in a millisecond, the Queen will likely crown herself yet again.
Winner: Charlotte Flair

Penny – PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LET THIS PROGRAM JUST FUCKING DIE ALREADY!!! I love Sasha and I appreciate Charlotte’s work ethic, but for the love of whatever you find holy, please just let this Neverending feud just bloody end, with Sasha retaining so we can finally have Sasha/Bayley III already.
Winner, Sasha

Widro – They have done a lot of title changes, but they have also pushed Charlotte’s PPV streak.
Winner: Charlotte

Spain: Well, time for this rivalry to come to an end. This seems kind of academic, as the only way you can really end it properly is to have Charlotte’s rematch clause end in a loss for her. I’m calling this one for the Boss.
Winner (and still RAW Women’s Champion): Sasha Banks

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Seth Rollins vs. Chris Jericho

Michael – I think the Women’s match is going to be Match of the Night, but I have high hopes for this one. I think Jericho puts in a star performance and makes Rollins look like a million bucks. Maybe some possible Kevin Owens interference or botched interference.But in the end, Rollins should pick up the victory and help him regain momentum leading to … I am not sure.
Winner: Seth Rollins

Jake Ziegler – Nothing on the line, no real stakes, how about Seth Rollins?
Winner: Seth Rollins

Sam P – Jericho is the skilled veteran who loses in style. That’s his role.
Winner: Seth Rollins

Penny – Honestly? I really don’t care. I just hope Jericho makes it through without suffering Greivous Sethykins Harm.
Winner? Ehn, Rollins I guess.

Widro – Rollins is really stalling lately as a babyface and could get some momentum with a big victory over Jericho.
Winner: Rollins

Spain: Whilst Triple H interfering in this match would build towards his eventual match with Rollins, there’s no real reason for the Game to do it. Therefore I see Rollins taking a clean win, and the build-up towards his feud with Triple H to start soon afterward.
Winner: Seth Rollins

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WWE Cruiserweight Championship
Rich Swann (c) vs. TJ Perkins vs. The Brian Kendrick

Michael – I am sorry, but this whole storyline/division isn’t doing too much for me. The Cruiserweights have been around for a minute and a half and the belt has changed hands three times already. This match features all three of those champions. Just keep it on one guy for a while.
Winner: Rich Swann

Sam P – Given time, this could be awesome. You can’t help but feel the wings of the Cruiserweights have been clipped on Raw, and because of it, the reaction in the arenas for 205 Live has been curtailed. Hopefully the crowd will get behind this, despite the inevitable Swann victory. Swann, by the way, is in NO WAY outlandish. Buy a dictionary, WWE.
Winner: Rich Swann

Jake Ziegler – Seems like Swann is catching on, so hopefully they’ll let him build up this reign and see if he can rescue this floundering division.
Winner: Rich Swann

Penny – I kinda fear this match will border on make or break for the struggling and poorly booked Cruiserweight division. But with three top tier performers involved, I expect a show stealing match the marks will still find a way to ignore it.
Winner: TJP after some kind of miscommunication spot.

Widro – I don’t think these guys are getting over, but this should be a good match.
Winner: Swann

Spain: Have to confess, I know very little about this whole Cruiserweight thing. Still, I hear good things about Swann, so it seems unlikely that he’ll lose the belt right now.
Winner: Rich Swann

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Sami Zayn vs. Braun Strowman

Michael – Braun continues to look unstoppable, but Sami Zayn plays the plucky underdog and refuses to give up. Mick Foley goes to stop the match, but Zayn stops him and then Strowman flattens him. This gives Zayn an opening to steal a victory.
Winner: Sami Zayn

Jake Ziegler – No clue what the end game is here with Zayn. Seems like they have more plans for Braun.
Winner: Braun Strowman

Sam P – Sami Zayn can get a good match out of anyone, but forcing Strowman to go 10 minutes doesn’t sound beneficial in the slightest. Still, if Strowman destroys Zayn it’ll make him look like a little ginger weed, and we can’t have that. Most likely thing to happen is Eva Marie interfering and setting up a Mania feud with Zayn for saying he’s worth a 1000 times what she is.
Winner: Ten Minute Time Limit Draw

Penny – My HOPE is for Samoa Joe to debut on the main roster saving Sami from a beat down the same way he debuted in NXT. The reality is like that Sami will get a few underdog hope spots but still come up short.
Winner, Braun Strowboat

Widro – I think the match goes 10 minutes but Braun wins/knocks out Sami.
Winner: Strowman

Spain: I love what I’ve seen of this story as it unfolds. Using Zayn in this way is absolutely perfect. I think the time limit’s going to come into play tonight, however, and rob Zayn of his chance to topple to giant.
Winner: Draw due to time restriction.

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Big Cass vs. Rusev (Kickoff Match)

Michael – I do not care about this. At all. Rusev matches are normally decent though. And I think Big Cass is going to have a very solid Test-like performance. But I really don’t care who wins. Let’s say Enzo gets some revenge on Rusev here and Big Cass gets the win.
Winner: Big Cass

Jake Ziegler – Let’s see what Cass can do with a push.
Winner: Big Cass

Sam P – The Certified G and his Certified D return, causing Rusev to eat a loss.
Winner: Big Cass

Penny – This’ll be an ugly brawl and probably a draw to set up rematches after both partist have a thud fest.
Winner, draw of some sort.

Widro – This has been a strange storyline with Rusev as the heel fending off Enzo trying to bang his wife.
Winner: Big Cass

Spain: This whole thing has been a weird story. Amore’s kind of deserved the ass-kicking he’s been on the receiving end on, and this isn’t the first time I’ve been on Rusev’s side for defending his wife. Still, I reckon Cass is ascendant, and a good showing against Rusev will only help that. Enzo at ringside could always be of some help there too.
Winner: Big Cass

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WWE Tag Team Championship
New Day (c) vs. Sheamus & Cesaro

Michael – Okay, the New Day got the record. Can we get the belts off of them now? There are only so many times you can make fans care about Sheamus and Cesaro before we start thinking they are Dolph Ziggler-esque. Also, while I thought Kofi Kingston’s response to some of the comments they received was well thought out and worded, the WWE does not have a great history of diversity. And given Linda McMahon’s new job, I have a feeling they might want to avoid any difficult discussions. Of course, would taking the belts off the New Day be good optics? Probably not, but I think they pull the trigger anyway. Hopefully the fact that Cesaro and Sheamus deserve the win doesn’t get lost in the conversation.
Winner: Sheamus and Cesaro (new WWE Tag Team Champions)

Jake Ziegler – Cesaro & Sheamus have lost so many title shots already, why give them another one unless it’s time to move the belts?
Winners: Cesaro & Sheamus

Sam P – The record is set, so the titles can now move on. But will they? Teams cant keep losing to New Day, otherwise New Day should just retire because the competition isn’t good enough. A La Michael Johnson in 2008. The Club would’ve been a better fit for interim title holders, but still, this match is super tough to call. I’m going to flip a coin.
Winner: *Heads* Sheamus & Cesaro

Penny – Well, they broke the record, now they can safely lose and still have a legacy. Plus SheSaro is hugely over, so why not?
Winner: The Odd Couple.

Widro – While the New Day has gotten stale as champs and have already broken the record, it seems rushed to do a title change here.
Winner: New Day

Spain: The New Day have done incredible work, and have definitely deserved their record. Now that they’ve achieved that, however, it’s time for them and the tag team scene to evolve. I think we’re seeing new champs tonight.
Winners (and new WWE Tag Team Champions): Sheamus and Cesaro

Jonathan Widro is the owner and founder of Inside Pulse. Over a decade ago he burst onto the scene with a pro-WCW reporting style that earned him the nickname WCWidro. Check him out on Twitter for mostly inane non sequiturs