WWE Roadblock explained

WWE Roadblock
Othernames:NXT Roadblock (2022–present)
Promotions:WWE
Brands:Raw (December 2016)
NXT (2022–present)
Firstevent:Roadblock (March 2016)

WWE Roadblock, known as NXT Roadblock since 2022, is a professional wrestling event series produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. The event was established in March 2016, and this inaugural event was simply titled Roadblock and aired exclusively on the WWE Network streaming service. The second event was then held in December 2016 under the name where in addition to the WWE Network, it also aired on traditional pay-per-view (PPV) outlets. To coincide with the brand extension reintroduced in July 2016, this second event was held exclusively for wrestlers from the Raw brand. Roadblock was discontinued after this second event; however, in 2022, WWE revived the event for its developmental brand NXT, and it has since been held annually in March as a television special episode of the NXT program.

The event's title is a reference to its scheduling. The first event was titled as a reference to its original March position on the "Road to WrestleMania". With the second event held in December, its title was in reference to it being WWE's final PPV and livestreaming event of 2016. Since 2022, its title is in reference to its position on the road to NXT Stand & Deliver, the brand's annual WrestleMania week event.

History

The American professional wrestling promotion WWE originally had a house show scheduled for March 12, 2016, at the Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and was titled "March to WrestleMania: Live from Toronto."[1] To further build towards the following month's WrestleMania 32, WWE decided to broadcast the event live and exclusively on their online streaming service, the WWE Network. They also renamed the event to Roadblock, which was a reference to its position on the "Road to WrestleMania".[2]

In July that year, WWE reintroduced the brand extension where they again split their roster between the Raw and SmackDown brands where wrestlers were exclusively assigned to perform. Brand-exclusive pay-per-views (PPV) also returned. The Roadblock name was in turn reused for the Raw-exclusive December PPV and WWE Network event. It was titled due to it being the final PPV of the year.[3] [4] This would also be the final event to carry the Roadblock name as Roadblock was quietly discontinued with no event scheduled for 2017.[5]

The Roadblock name was revived for a special episode of WWE NXT on March 8, 2022, as "NXT Roadblock"; this event served as a lead-in to Stand & Deliver, NXT's WrestleMania weekend show in Dallas.[6] [7]

Events

Raw (WWE brand)Raw-branded eventNXT (WWE brand)NXT-branded event
EventDateCityVenueMain EventRef.
1Roadblock (2016)March 12, 2016Toronto, Ontario, CanadaRicoh ColiseumTriple H (c) vs. Dean Ambrose for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
2December 18, 2016Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPPG Paints ArenaKevin Owens (c) vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship
3NXT Roadblock (2022)March 8, 2022Orlando, FloridaWWE Performance CenterBron Breakker (c) vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Dolph Ziggler in a triple threat match for the NXT Championship
4NXT Roadblock (2023)March 7, 2023Roxanne Perez (c) vs. Meiko Satomura for the NXT Women's Championship[8]
5NXT Roadblock (2024)March 5, 2024Tony D'Angelo vs. Carmelo Hayes for an NXT Championship match at NXT Stand & Deliver[9]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: WWE Roadblock Network Special. RicohColiseum.com. March 2, 2016. March 9, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160309135915/http://ricohcoliseum.com/event/wwe-network-special-wwe-roadblock/. dead.
  2. Web site: WWE Title match official for re-named Network special. Pro Wrestling Torch. March 1, 2016. March 2, 2016.
  3. Web site: WWE PPV Roadblock: End Of The Line. PPG Paints Arena. November 7, 2016.
  4. Web site: Get WWE Roadblock: End of the Line 2016 tickets now. WWE. October 7, 2016. November 14, 2016.
  5. Web site: WWE schedule, list of PPVs for 2017: Clash of Champions date, location. December 13, 2017. Silverstein. Adam. CBSSports. November 23, 2021.
  6. WWE. WWE. 1498845249912905728. March 1, 2022. @bronbreakkerwwe defends the #NXTTitle against @NXTCiampa and @HEELZiggler in a Triple Threat Match next week at #WWENXT Roadblock!. March 1, 2022.
  7. Web site: Guzzo. Gisberto. NXT Championship Triple Threat, Last Man Standing Match, And More Set For 3/8 NXT Roadblock. Fightful. March 1, 2022. March 2, 2022.
  8. Web site: Robert. Defelice. WWE NXT Roadblock Set For 3/7/23. Fightful. February 14, 2023. February 14, 2023.
  9. Web site: Robert. Defelice. NXT Roadblock 2024 Set For 3/5/24 Episode Of WWE NXT TV. Fightful. February 4, 2024. February 4, 2024.