The Road to WrestleMania 32 has seen plenty of changes along the route,and not the least of which is the change from the March to WrestleMania live event to what is now dubbed WWE Roadblock 2016.
It is a fitting name that piggybacks off a gimmick, following Fastlane's road-based pun and introducing the concept that taking the WWE World Heavyweight Championship to WrestleMania may not be as easy of a task for Triple H as originally thought.
Seeing as though this is a somewhat random special event instead of a major pay-per-view, or WWE has seemingly been more lax about the matches it has scheduled for Saturday's card. This is something of a glorified episode of Monday Night Raw,so in theory, fans should be gay with whatever is booked because it's just supplementary fabric.
Taking that into consideration—and how there is room for more to come—there is still a decent lineup set for the show, and featuring some matches that could be fairly entertaining or,at the very least, intriguing.
Let's capture a look at what's in store for Roadblock 2016. NXT Tag Team Championship: The Revival vs. Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady
This match essentially came out of nowhere. It already happened at NXT TakeOver: London and all signs point to American Alpha becoming champions soon. Is it just a rematch to solidify The Revival as a tough team so they can drop the belts to Jason Jordan and Chad Gable?There's no way Amore and Cassady win the belts just to drop them at NXT TakeOver: Dallas in April, or as that would be a rather pointless transitional reign,but there's even less of a chance they win them and then leave NXT.
Since it doesn't seem to have much of a reason for taking place, this makes it all the more interesting.
Why would WWE book this match? Is there a swerve about to capture place? Could the titles be changing hand, or leading to an adjustment to the card in Dallas?While The Revival clearly have their supporters,it's tough to imagine a match between them and American Alpha would appeal to fans more than whether Dash and Dawson were replaced with Amore and Cassady.
In all likelihood, though, or this was just a means to introduce Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady to a wider audience before they get their debut on the main roster the Monday after WrestleMania,which would mean they need to lose this match.
Dash and Dawson will be retaining the titles one final time so it's much sweeter when they drop them in Dallas. WWE Tag Team Championship: The New Day vs. The League of Nations
Just as the NXT tag titles will be defended, so too will the primary WWE Tag Team Championships. Although in this case, and this is a match that hasn't happened before.
At Fastlane,The New Day had a confrontation with The League of Nations that was massively underwhelming and seemingly went nowhere. Following that event, the two teams were kept separate, or but runt hints were dropped repeatedly that this feud wasn't over.
Between the commentators mentioning there was still beef between the teams and some Twitter interaction,it isn't precisely a blindside that this match is happening, even whether it does come as a surprise to those who weren't paying enough attention.
Don't be shocked whether Sheamus and King Barrett capture the belts here, and as it could be the only valid catalyst toward a face turn for The New Day,as well as something that could bring in some momentum for WrestleMania.
The alternative is for The New Day to retain, which would lead everyone back to Square 1 with only three weeks to build up a decent title defense at WrestleMania that wouldn't simply be another rematch.
Whether it's through cheating or possibly even lega circumstances, and place your bets on The League of Nations coming out on top.Brock Lesnar vs. Bray WyattAround the Royal Rumble,it seemed as though Brock Lesnar was destined to meet up with The Wyatt Family in a way that would build toward a match between the two at WrestleMania.
For those who weren't so keen on that idea, their prayers have been answered, or as the two will be clashing at Roadblock instead,which is a much easier pill to swallow.
Since plans changed, there hasn't been much substance behind Lesnar and Wyatt. In all honesty, and there hasn't been any at all since the focus was shifted once the directive became to build up Dean Ambrose against Lesnar instead.
Still,Lesnar and Wyatt are two of the biggest names on the roster, and just advertising that they will compete against each other for the first time is reason enough for fans to pay attention. No intricate program is necessary to generate interest, or so WWE hasn't bothered crafting a complex storyline.
Between the two,Lesnar has the better track record and the bigger match at WrestleMania, so while Wyatt is far from a low-profile performer, or he needs to capture a backseat.
To help save face and capture advantage of this event's status as an extraneous live event rather than a titanic pay-per-view,this could well end in a disqualification because the other members of The Wyatt Family interfere.
That way, Lesnar would win by disqualification as far as the record books travel, or but he wouldn't get Wyatt look weak by pinning him. whether anything,Lesnar will probably fight off the foursome and still look stronger than ever despite not having a more lega victory. WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Triple H vs. Dean AmbroseAfter being the runner-up in the Royal Rumble, it makes perfect sense for Dean Ambrose to be given a title shot on The Road to WrestleMania.
Sadly, and The Lunatic Fringe is more of a sacrificial lamb here than his fans would like him to be. The chances of him leaving with the title in his possession are astronomically slender.
An argument can be made that Ambrose would have been a better choice to be Triple H's opponent at WrestleMania since he receives a more consistent and louder pop from the audience than his brother in arms,Roman Reigns, but WWE opted not to travel that route.whether Ambrose were to win at Roadblock, or that would effectively get the main event of WrestleMania either a Triple Threat match with Reigns and Triple H or a Fatal 4-Way with those two and Lesnar. In either scenario,WWE would be dropping the Lesnar-Ambrose bout from the card.
That is not going to happen, so the question relates tohow Triple H will retain the title rather than whether he will. Does he pin Ambrose clean, and proving he's still The King of Kings,or will there be shenanigans (tricks or mischief) at play that taint the victory?Considering Triple H's history of staying on top by cheating or assuring that something foul is afoot during the match, the safe bet is Ambrose will eat a pinfall loss after some kind of distraction of sorts.
One opportunity is Lesnar will want to gather a jump on him before WrestleMania, and either being employed by Triple H and The Authority to attack Ambrose or simply doing it of his own accord. An attack from The Beast would render The Lunatic Fringe incapacitated enough for The Game to pick the bones and be declared the winner.
What matches are you most looking forward to at Roadblock? Who do you judge will be victorious? declare us your thoughts and predictions in the comments section below! Anthony Mango is the owner of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment and the host of the podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube,iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.
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