Cesaro & Sheamus def. The New Day to win the Raw Tag Team Championships
PITTSBURGH – The longest tag team title reign in WWE history came to an end at Roadblock: End of the Line as Cesaro & Sheamus triumphed over The New Day to capture the Raw Tag Team Championships.
Few expected the unlikely team of The Swiss Superman and The Celtic Warrior to end The New Day’s momentous 483-day run as they had initially been forced to compete together by Raw General Manager Mick Foley. Yet, their epic victory proved that they are a powerhouse tandem.
The team’s ability was clear from the start of the match as Cesaro & Sheamus immediately took Big E out of the equation before they picked Kofi Kingston apart. Eventually, the champions managed to make the tag and regain their offense. When Sheamus accidently dropped Cesaro, it looked like The Day New might overcome yet another challenge.
The Swiss Superman roared back, though, and nearly won the match by submission. Woods’ interference outside the ring saved The New Day’s reign for what felt like the thousandth time. It would also be the last time.
In what will be remembered as the final seconds of The New Day’s epic title run, Kingston thought Cesaro had been tagged in and took the opportunity to hit him with Trouble in Paradise. Unfortunately for Kofi, Cesaro was not the legal man — Sheamus was. The Celtic Warrior quickly jumped in and picked up the pin on the unsuspecting champion.
Following the match, Cesaro hugged his defeated opponents in a great show of respect. The Celtic Warrior, however, snatched the titles away from the former champions and held up both prizes on his own.
Now that incredible reign of The New Day has come to a close, can Cesaro & Sheamus continue to effectively co-exist and stay on the top of Raw’s tag team mountain? Or will a new tandem quickly knock them off the perch?
Charlotte Flair def. Sasha Banks to win the Raw Women’s Championship (30-Minute Iron Man Match)
PITTSBURGH — In what was the final battle of their epic rivalry, Charlotte Flair reigned supreme over Sasha Banks to reclaim the Raw Women’s Championship in sudden death overtime following a grueling 30-Minute Iron Man Match.
There is no doubt that Sasha and Charlotte came to Pittsburgh with a storied history, having traded the coveted Raw Women’s Title back and forth several times throughout the year in a series of classic matches. As a result, Raw GM Mick Foley made it clear that this Iron Man Match — a contest in which the competitor with the most falls at the end of the 30-minute time limit would be declared the winner — would not be followed by a rematch
The fact that absolutely everything was at stake was evident from the word go. An early feeling out process soon gave way to relentless aggression from both competitors. In an moment that would prove to be key, Flair took out her opponent’s legs and drove Sasha face-first into the steel ring steps to secure a definitive advantage. Nevertheless, The Boss refused to give in and the first fall wouldn’t happen until nearly the 20:00 mark when The Queen hit Natural Selection off the top rope for the three-count.
The WWE Universe would not have to wait very long for the second fall. Around the 21:30 mark, Sasha rolled up her adversary out of nowhere to steal a pin and tie things up at one fall a piece. Then, nearly 24 minutes in, Sasha made Charlotte tap with The Bank Statement and took the lead two falls to one.
Now at a disadvantage, a desperate Queen went to work on Sasha’s knee and eventually locked in the Figure-Four Leglock. While Sasha fought the pain with everything she had, she was forced to tap when Charlotte turned it into a Figure Eight with less than five seconds left in the match.
Tied at two falls each with no time remaining on the clock, it was ruled that the two competitors would continue in sudden death overtime. With Sasha still favoring a vulnerable leg, Charlotte ultimately came out victorious, locking in another devastating Figure Eight Leglock and forcing her opponent to tap again. While no one could take away Sasha’s tremendous effort in the contest, Charlotte emerged from the match as a four-time Raw Women’s Champion with a perfect record in pay-per-view singles competition for the year.
Charlotte Flair is back on top of the Raw Women’s Division with Sasha Banks in her rearview, but who will step into the spotlight to challenge The Queen? Find out on Monday night on Raw at 8/7 C on USA Network.
PITTSBURGH – At Roadblock: End of the Line, Seth Rollins picked up a victory of pure retribution over Chris Jericho.
Heading into their showdown, Jericho had cost Rollins the Universal Championship on three separate occasions. Yet, after the six-time World Champion left his best friend, Universal Champion Kevin Owens, at Roman Reigns’ mercy on Monday’s Raw, it appeared he would be forced to face The Architect without KO’s help.
Prior to the match, Rollins made it clear that he wanted Triple H and he would be going through Jericho to get to him. However, for the time being, he would need to focus every bit of his energy on the very dangerous opponent in front of him.
The subsequent contest was a completely brutal back-and-forth, with both Superstars utilizing everything they had both inside and outside the ring. Jericho was in charge for much of the match. Yet, no matter what was thrown at him, Rollins refused to give in. Before long, the two Superstars were going shot for shot and finishing maneuver for finishing maneuver, including Rollins fighting his way out of not one, but two Walls of Jericho.
Then, in the height of the action, Kevin Owens suddenly emerged and climbed on the apron to cause a distraction. While it looked as if KO might have been making amends with his best friend, his efforts were met with angry screams from Jericho. Moreover, the commotion Owens paved the way for Rollins to hit the Pedigree for the three-count and put an end to the hard-fought contest.
With the huge win, Rollins not only achieved some payback, but moved one step closer to an inevitable showdown with The Game. Yet, as the WWE Universe would soon learn, the night was far from over for both Rollins and Jericho
PITTSBURGH — WWE Roadblock: End of the Line may have concluded with Roman Reigns smashing Kevin Owens through a table, yet KO still managed to walk away with the victory, his best friend and, most importantly, his Universal Title.
Whether he was torn up about his strained relations with Chris Jericho or just looking to play mind games with Reigns, Owens started the contest by evading The Big Dog. That plan worked for a bit — until Reigns’ fist swiftly met the WWE Universal Champion’s face with a firm punch to the kisser.
From there, The Guy and KO went back and forth in front of the WWE Universe in Pittsburgh, with momentum shifting several times over. KO seemed to have victory in hand when he dished out three vicious Frog Splashes (one onto the announce table, the second crashing him through it and the third in the ring for a near fall), but Reigns would not be derailed.
Instead, The Big Dog rallied back, weathering Owens’ storm and connecting with a big Spear. However, controversy arose when Jericho arrived and, after a few moments of contemplation, delivered a Codebreaker to his best friend Owens. The act led to the official calling for the bell, and awarding the DQ victory to KO
It seemed that Jericho and Owens’ friendship had reached the end of the line, but it became clear that Jericho, in a clever ruse, had delivered the DQ-inducing blow on purpose so his buddy could retain the title.
The two cohorts tried to get out of Dodge, but they were cut off at the pass by Seth Rollins, who proceeded to join up with Reigns to put both Jericho and Owens through two separate tables in classic Shield style. The savagery was undoubtedly satisfying for The Big Dog, but his journey to dethrone Owens is far from over.
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