What WWE Needs to Do at Roadblock

WWE Roadblock is almost here and I’m still pondering how serious I should be taking this event. Like other Network specials, this is basically just a televised house show. The announced matches seem pretty strong, but only four matches but announced at this point – three of which are title matches and the fourth has Brock Lesnar in it. It still doesn’t feel like a Pay-Per-View, but that’s not bad.

Even though this card from Toronto is merely a stepping stone towards the biggest show of the year I believe several positive booking decisions can be made during this broadcast. Seeds can be planted for a money tag team rivalry, a certain Hart family Diva can be given her chance to shine, and even some unexpected upsets might occur.

Will this be a card worth remembering? We’ll find out on Saturday. To help increase that likelihood, I offer the following suggestions that could boost the show’s value…

Start A New Tag Team Rivalry
Roadblock marks the first ever WWE card that will feature both New Day as well Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady in tag team championship matches. Sadly, these are for two totally different titles. Enzo & Big Cass will challenge for the NXT straps while New Day defend their WWE gold (or copper or whatever material the Spartan belts are). Why not plant the seeds for the most entertaining tag team rivalry that the company could offer right now?

It feels like a safe bet that New Day will be retaining so they will need fresh challengers soon. Enzo & Colin are perfect for that role. There’s a hesitance on my part for making this proposition under the chances that Dawson & Wilder might drop their titles in Toronto, but that’s just not going to happen. I realize I’m dropping spoilers here for those that might not want to be spoiled but it’s already announced that at the NXT TakeOver card in Dallas, The Revival are defending against American Alpha. Enzo and Big Cass shouldn’t waste the opportunity to challenge Big E, Xavier Woods, and Kofi Kingston in some capacity at Roadblock.

There’s no reason to jump the gun on this feud so I don’t see an actual physical altercation or match interference between these two parties on Saturday. These guys are brilliant at being funny so a backstage segment near the end of the show in which New Day gloats about their victories to the failed NXT Tag Title challengers is more than enough. This would serve as a great preface for a Raw after WrestleMania debut for the beloved Realist Guys in the Room. That should give us a few months of a pursuit for the NXT callups.

Let Bray Wyatt Win

Forgive me for still holding on to the hope that Bray Wyatt could still be something great again, but I do really want him to be. The first six months to a year that he was on the main roster he felt like he was destined to be a champion, and soon. I remember even thinking that he was a favorite to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship when he was booked into a multi-man ladder match for that title at Money in the Bank 2014. That felt way longer ago than it actually was.

Bray Wyatt currently hangs around with a posse of three of the largest guys in the company. When they all banded together against Brock during the Royal Rumble, they proved that they could overpower the Beast Incarnate. I know it’s a gamble to give WWE’s favorite unstoppable force a loss – especially this close to WrestleMania – but why does it have to hurt him when it would be this lopsided?

The Wyatts have felt mostly directionless for the majority of the last year and a half. Why not jumpstart a revival of the idea that they are a serious threat again? And with a babyface Roman Reigns title run on deck for the months after WrestleMania, having a credible heel in Wyatt once again gives WWE another option for their main event picture.

Charlotte vs. Natalya

As of Thursday morning, two days before this event takes place, there is no scheduled women’s match for this card. One will likely be added so my wish is that WWE gives Bret Hart’s homeland a big treat with a Diva’s Championship challenge from his niece.

This feels like a no-brainer of a match. The Toronto crowd would be HOT for Natalya, making her seem like the big deal for her division that she should be. Conversely, Charlotte could be given the opportunity to defend her title in a competitive match. Gives those girls a sold 12-15 minutes together and they’ll likely shine. Both competitors and the belt would benefit, plus there’s no pressure against giving Charlotte a clean win.

Give Me Some Social Outcasts!

I don’t have any specific hopes for a big match or plot development; I just want them on my screen because they’re my guilty pleasure in wrestling. Bo Dallas and his extreme happiness among his “best friends” makes me smile.

No Clean Loss For Ambrose

Hunter is the WWE World Heavyweight Champion and doesn’t need a loss less than a month before WrestleMania. His opponent Dean Ambrose, however, is back on another wave of momentum and feels positioned to finally break through as true main eventer. This is one of those times where I’m hoping that WWE gets screwy with the ending because neither guy really needs to be taking the pinfall.

Perhaps a dominant Hunter could brutalize Dean throughout this bout, only for the Lunatic Fringe to repeatedly kick out of his pinfall attempts. Hunter can then get more drastic and frustrated with his desire to put Ambrose away, setting him up for a Pedigree on an announce table. Ambrose could then reverse the setup at the last moment to destroy Triple H, himself, and the table via Dirty Deeds.

To prevent a double countout, someone from the League of Nations or another Hunter simpatico could roll the COO into the ring so he eeks out the win. Ambrose loses in this scenario, but does so valiantly. Having HHH rolled back into the ring by a pal avoids a double DQ situation, so there’s no complicated lobbying of Ambrose getting into the WrestleMania main event or anything. Hopefully WWE has already anticipated the need to keep Dean looking strong in this loss.

Final Thoughts

With the recent news report that WWE has already has a sold out WrestleMania event in April, there’s probably not as much desire to infuse extra excitement into their product as there should be. And really, why would they shake things up too much? They’re selling out in record numbers, apparently. Roadblock has the potential to be a strong card that positively affects the company in the coming months and I hope it’s treated as such.

Both Bray Wyatt and Dean Ambrose can walk away from this show strong. New Day’s been holding down the tag team scene for a while by themselves but it feels like it’s past time to give them charismatic equals to spar with. And Natalya could be the unexpected star of the show – this moreso than anything else would be the surprise of the night.

Expect a Biggest Winners column from me on this site in the days after this event. Also, I publish a weekly .gif listicle over at WhatCulture every Sunday so there should be some Roadblock highlights included.

Due to out of town trips and several days sick children, I’ve been out of the podcast game this week. I expect to be back on track over the next week. In the meantime, check out the podcast network that I call home – DeMarco Wrestling Radio. There’s other great stuff to listen to even when I take a week off. Lastly, follow me on Twitter @MitchNickelson.

Thanks for reading.