Welcome to another
DVD-packaged PPV review on Wrestling's Last Hope, this time December 2016's
Roadblock: End of the Line, a RAW exclusive event. The main story-lines from the Monday night
brand coming into this event involve a mess of nepotism behind Universal
champion Kevin Owens' reign, a see-saw battle for the RAW Women's title between
Charlotte's PPV dominance and Sasha Banks' TV glory, and The New Day's record
tag-title run.
The DVD 'Special
Feature' is the pre-show match, so I shall tackle that first, as it makes
chronological sense.
Big Cass (w/Enzo Amore) vs Rusev (w/Lana) - Special Feature
An unfortunate recent
clothing and communication mix-up between Enzo Amore and Lana in a hotel has
led to this match, where Big Cass and Rusev are essentially fighting as seconds
for their partners' honour. A typically
long entrance promo speech from Enzo and Cass, with plenty of audience
participation, preceded the lock-up. The
fight quickly spilled over the barrier and into the crowd with Big Cass in the
ascendancy, but as the Referee's count approached double-digits Lana shoved
Enzo. Cass showed his inexperience by
checking on his team-mate, allowing the Bulgarian brute to roll in the ring
with a second to go and claim the count-out victory. Good ruse to claim a spurious victory,
however the pre-match promo was longer than the fight. It was a good promo though.
RAW Tag Team Champions The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Big E w/Xavier
Woods) vs Sheamus & Cesaro
After recently
surpassing the record for longest tag team title reign, which now stands at 483
days, The New Day come to the ring crowing and dismissive of their squabbling
odd-couple opponents. "Pride comes before a fall," as the saying
goes, and New Day's complacency is evident by their reliance on the usual
numbers-game tactics. The extra man is
neutralised by the ingenious tactics of the European team though, as Sheamus
patrols the ringside area in an enforcer role while Cesaro makes long imperious
stands in the ring, more often than not against Kofi Kingston.
The New Day are
successful in distracting the ref from a Kofi tap-out, but that is just a
portent of the result. In one last blast of tactical genius, the Swiss Superman
feigned a tag and allowed himself to be taken down by the resurgent Kingston. A beautiful move that leaves the surprised
Kofi susceptible to Sheamus' roll-up.
This match had everything, action, pace, tactics, psychology... except a
particularly surprising result. How they got there was slick though.
10 Minute Survival Match - Sami Zayn vs Braun Strowman
Whilst I accept the
might and prowess of Strowman, I don't entirely understand how Sami Zayn has
gone from a hair's-breadth rivalry with the now Universal Champion Kevin Owens
to being a squash-match whipping-boy in the space of six months. Rather than engendering my sympathy, it made
me feel rather more pitiful. Whether
this conveys a genuine sense of "David and Goliath" or not, Zayn must
fulfil the stipulation and survive ten minutes to win.
The first six and a half
minutes is pretty much filled with Braun beating down and grandstanding above
the hapless Zayn, turning down multiple pin opportunities before GM Mick Foley
intercedes carrying a towel - the corner-man’s traditional method of signifying
submission. Sami rejects this token of
weakness and dodges Strowman's charge, sending the giant into the
corner-post. With only a couple of
minutes left, we get what this match should have been from the get-go: Sami
using his speed, skill and experience as an effective foil to Strowman's size
and strength. Unsurprisingly, Zayn sees
out the 10 minutes to claim 'victory'.
Seth Rollins vs Chris Jericho
The usual highlight reel
conveys the basis of this grudge: Rollins jilted as the 'favoured face' of WWE
by Triple H in favour of Jericho's friend Owens Universal Champion, Jericho's
interference in their follow-up bouts, and Seth's subsequent parking lot ambush. Some good, old-school, alliance-based
feuding.
The match opens with
some good mat work and striking from Rollins, but as soon as Jericho gains a
foothold he begins to take control. When Rollins starts to look bright again,
Jericho drops down to ringside to slow him back down. Rollins uses one of his
favourite barricade attacks, so Jericho rolls back in and utilises a
traditionally nefarious thumb in the eye.
Quite literally, he uses his current low morals and canny knowledge to
stop any Rollins' momentum in classic Y2J style.
Seth recovers only to be
kicked off the ring apron, but beats the Ref's count out. Chris continues grinding work on the mat and
ropes, Rollins only making his comeback when he painfully foils Jericho's
Bulldog, and starts building toward a finish.
That's when the inevitable Kevin Owens appearance and interference
occurs, despite 'BFF' Jericho's previous pleading, but spectacularly backfires.
The disoriented Jericho succumbs to a pedigree and a pin-fall. I suspect that this breach of trust will have
an effect on the Main Event.
Cruiserweight TJP vs The Brian Kendrick vs Rich Swann (c)
A triple threat is the
classic match format for the high-kicking and high-flying cruiser-weights,
their fast pace and spectacular counter moves always underlines the
'threat'. This is a superb example of
that, the opening minutes flowing excellently between the current and two
former title holders demonstrating their pedigree. The exhausting pace quickly takes it's toll,
as first Kendrick, then Perkins, attempt to force a submission from the champ.
Swann battles back and
takes advantage of his momentary alliance with TJP, dual-kicking a recovering
Brian Kendrick to the floor, to quickly roll the CWC winner into a successful
pin. This is a solid, action-packed
match that establishes Swann's dominance of the division and over his
predecessors. The '205-live'
colour-commentators provide a quality soundtrack, their lively banter
contrasting with the often stayed and steady flow of their Raw counterparts on
the other matches.
Neville, Swann's
tag-partner of yore, makes a surprise appearance, kicking and beating the
living hell out of TJP and Rich, who's face is a picture of pain and
betrayal. A shocking about-face from the
former fan-favourite. With that mention
of betrayal, there's a little back-stage segment involving Kevin Owens ranting
at Chris Jericho's locker-room door. It
seems like it's a case of 'Sorry, not sorry' from the Universal champion, about
the involvement in his friend's match.
30-min Iron-man match - Raw Women's Champion Sasha Banks vs
Charlotte Flair
These two have feuded,
and traded the title, consistently over the previous few months, with Flair's
unbeaten streak at Pay-per-Views always seeing the championship return to her
hands. These often brutal matches have
established the women at the top of the card, and following October's
record-making Hell-in-a-Cell fight, this Iron-man match looks to continue the
rivalry.
The first ten minutes
are an absolute grapple-fest, trading and chaining holds, strikes, locks and
pin attempts, before the match descends into ringside brutality. Sasha can't regain a foothold after she gets
bounced, headfirst, off the ring-steps, eventually leading to the first
pin-fall. Charlotte nails the 'Natural
Selection' from the top turn-buckle to break the deadlock with a third of the
match left, and immediately presses her advantage. Banks is dynamite though, with an acrobatic
detonation she takes a feint at a rana and comes down in control of Flair's
arm, rolling her up to level at eight minutes remaining. Two minutes later,
she's in the lead, Charlotte tapping to the Bank Statement.
Flair fixates on Banks'
knee, softening it up effectively for a Figure-four leg-lock, pummelling it and
laying in her wrenching submission. With seconds to go, Sasha taps, levelling
the score. Ref Chad Patton sanctions
sudden-death overtime, playing into the hands of the fresher Flair, but it's
The Boss who makes a couple of quick pin attempts. That's as far as her rally gets, as she taps,
blood streaming from a facial wound, to the bridged Figure-Eight. Flair's PPV run continues, as does the
resurgence of female wrestling in the WWE. Bravo to these athletes on such a
gruelling rivalry.
WWE US Champion Roman Reigns vs Universal Champion Kevin Owens
Following his earlier
appearance and backstage rant, Owens looks to be dealing with this fight
without his former 'Best Friend Forever'.
He launches into it, and it spills quickly to ringside. Owens seems determined to Frog-Splash the
imposing Reigns wherever possible, off the barricade, through an announce table
or even in the ring.
As he starts to lose
dominance, Kevin becomes increasingly desperate; he grabs the title belt, only
to be speared by Roman. It's at this
point Jericho runs-in and puts the Code-breaker to his ex-BFF in an apparent attack
of spite, handing him the DQ victory.
Seconds later the ruse is revealed, Y2J handing Owens the belt. A good twist to keep the narrative going, but
one that was far too easy to telegraph.
The action doesn't
finish there though, as Seth Rollins follows his earlier opponent out and forms
a mini-reunion with former SHIELD team-mate Roman Reigns to dish-out
double-power-bombs to Jeri-KO through the remaining announce-tables. This adds a little more intrigue to the mix,
and satisfaction for the ending.
And Finally...
This is a very worthy
PPV offering from WWE, with the landmark Tag Title and Women's matches living
up to their historic significance and the main-event narrative thread providing
plenty of amusement, however predictable.
The Cruiserweight effort is good support too, though the Zayn-Strowman
and Pre-show matches left me distinctly uninspired.
Available now from
www.WWEDVD.co.uk
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