WWE Roadblock: End of the Line will be a bridge to the coming year, to fresh rivalries for Raw.
On the final pay-per-view of 2016, Kevin Owens will defend the Universal Championship against a man who disgusts him in Roman Reigns. Archenemies Sasha Banks and Charlotte Flair will battle for the Raw Women's Championship one last time. Big Cass, Seth Rollins and Brian Kendrick will all have payback on their minds.
But many of the feuds those Superstars are focused on now are bound to slide into the rearview mirror.
A new year, Royal Rumble and eventually WrestleMania are all on the way. With that will come new stories, beginning as early as Roadblock.
It's a safe bet Owens stops worrying about Reigns to instead focus on his former best friend. The winner of Banks vs. Flair is bound to welcome a new predator to their level of the food chain. Thanks to developments like those, Sunday's pay-per-view is poised to feature more cliffhangers than climaxes.
Who will celebrate victory inside PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh? What surprises does WWE have in store for its last major stop on the calendar?
Read on as we dive into those questions and break down Roadblock: End of the Line.
News, Potential Spoilers
The SamiZayn story will reportedly be sans Mick Foley until next year.
For weeks, the Raw general manager has been tried to dissuade Zayn from battling Braun Strowman. He's played heavily into the feud between the Superstars, but it doesn't look like he will be involved at Roadbloack or the coming Raw.
Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet reported, "Foley is taking the rest of the month off from appearing on WWE programming…but the company insists he hasn't been suspended or released."
Following SmackDown's lead, Raw's next PPV will welcome a famous WWE fan.
SiriusXM's Sam Roberts will sit on the pre-show panel as Peter Rosenberg did at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. WWE noted on its official website that Roberts "will bring the voice of the WWE fan to the Kickoff panel."
Roberts himself shared the news, as well:
A new potential edition to the Raw women's division could be on the way. Satin reported for Pro Wrestling Sheet in early December, "Mickie James was recently offered a new contract to once again compete on WWE's main roster."
WWE may be waiting for the Royal Rumble or a Raw in 2017 to reveal the reported return of James, but the company could also hit fans with a welcome surprise at Roadblock.
Match Card
- Big Cass vs. Rusev
- The New Day vs. Cesaro and Sheamus (Tag Team Championship)
- Rich Swann vs. TJ Perkins vs. Brian Kendrick (Cruiserweight Championship)
- SamiZayn vs. Braun Strowman (10-Minute Time Limit)
- Seth Rollins vs. Chris Jericho
- Kevin Owens vs. Roman Reigns (United States Championship)
- Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair (Iron Man match for Women's Championship)
Predictions
- Cass over Rusev
- Cesaro and Sheamus over The New Day
- Swann retains
- Strowman over Zayn
- Rollins over Jericho
- Owens over Reigns
- Banks over Flair
Previews for Top Matches
Can Zayn Survive?
Zayn's pursuit of the monstrous Strowman has been one of Raw's best stories of late.
In October, he was the first Superstar to stand up to Strowman. Their confrontations left Zayn hobbled, dizzied or incapable of defending himself. After one such mauling, Foley prevented Zayn from taking on the big man.
The Underdog from the Underground had to plead for this bout.
He's now got it and only has to withstand Strowman's power for 10 minutes. That stipulation could either advance or hinder the bout. It could easily get overbooked, but if done well, there's quite the dramatic clash to be had.
Look for Strowman to get the win but for Zayn to be the star as the gutsy, unyielding babyfacepushing back against the bully.
Rollins Out for Revenge
Time and again, Jericho has upended Rollins' Universal Championship hopes.
At Hell in a Cell, Y2J teamed up with Owens inside the cage to wallop Rollins. Weeks later, Jericho disguised himself as Sin Cara and ambushed Rollins in the midst of another title bout.
Rollins responded by attacking the former WWE champ in a parking lot.
The Architect has said to get to Triple H, who betrayed him in July, he needs to first take out Y2J. He will look to do just that on Sunday.
This promises to be one of the night's best matches. Rollins is a top-tier performer, and Jericho is in the middle of one of the best runs of his career.
The most logical move is to propel Rollins, who hasn't had a PPV win since Money in the Bank.
The KO Show
United States champion Reigns will look to become a double titleholder, but that's unlikely to happen. The focus of this narrative has been on Owens—and specifically his relationship with Jericho.
A Owens-Jericho rivalry feels inevitable. And WWE may look to get that story rolling at Roadblock.
Bleacher Report's Matt Camp believes Owens and Jericho's matches will be connected somehow, perhaps by interference:
Perhaps Jericho comes out to celebrate with his pal at the close of the show and Owens throttles him. Or Owens could cost Jericho his match against Rollins to pay him back for abandoning their alliance. Either way, the PPV is set to put an exclamation point on their breakup.
Owens and Reigns are sure to put on a good back-and-forth battle, but KO and Jericho's dissolution as allies will provide the water-cooler talk on Monday.
Iron Women
A final showdown is set to close out a groundbreaking feud. Champion and challenger will collide in a 30-minute Iron Man match, a first for the women's division on the main roster.
Banks lost an Iron Man match to Bayley last year at NXTTakeOver: Respect. This time around, The Boss will come out on top.
The rivalry has seen the title change hands five times, per WWE.com, between them already. Flair is undefeated in singles action on PPVs, as seen on CageMatch.net, but that streak has to come to an end. Crowning another new champion would be overkill at this point.
And count on WWE setting up the next rival for one of these women. NiaJax has been waiting in the wings. Bayley has been rising up the ranks. Roadblock is an apt time to insert one of those Superstars into a story with either Banks or Flair.
Rest assured, Banks vs. Flair will be excellent. They have met and exceeded expectations each time out. The Iron Man match will be a fitting climax as WWE end's 2016 in dramatic fashion.