Charlotte continues superb pay-per-view record
Tuesday 20 December 2016 08:42, UK
WWE held their final pay-per-view of 2016 on Sunday night - and they certainly went out with a bang.
Here are five things from the raucous Raw show…
One run ends…
Record breakers on Monday, dethroned on Sunday. That was the story for The New Day, who surpassed Demolition's record 478-day reign as Tag Team Champions on Raw but then lost the belts they had held since SummerSlam 2015 to Cesaro and Sheamus at Roadblock, ending their reign at a not-too-shabby 483 days.
Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods mixed their unique brand of humour, which included unicorn horns and Booty-O's cereal, with incredible in-ring acumen to elevate not only themselves but also WWE's tag team division.
The pressure will be on Cesaro and Sheamus to do the same as they embark on what they hope will be a lengthy spell with the titles. Matching The New Day will take some doing, though, especially with challengers like Enzo Amore and Big Cass and Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows lurking.
But another goes on
When it comes to the big occasion, there are few in WWE better than Charlotte. Just listen to these for stats.
Ric Flair's daughter has won all 13 of her title matches at WWE pay-per-views, a run which started at Night of Champions in September 2015 when she beat Nikki Bella for the Divas Title; continued at Roadblock on Sunday night when she pipped Sasha Banks in magnificent Iron Man Match; and has featured successes at WrestleMania 32 and SummerSlam.
In fact, Charlotte is 14 from 14 in singles matches on Sunday nights and 17 out of 18 in all pay-per-view matches, with her only blemish when she submitted to Banks at Battleground in July while she teamed with Dana Brooke and The Boss joined forces with Bayley.
A stunning final chapter
The pre-match publicity ahead of Charlotte and Banks' sixth one-on-one meeting for the Raw Women's Title suggested this would be the pair's final bout for a while. If that turns out to be true, then what a way for this intense rivalry to take a breather.
Their 30-Minute Iron Man Match was a microcosm of their entire conflict - highly emotional, laced with exquisite wrestling and near falls, and leaving fans unable to decipher which way the match was going to go before the final pin or submission had been executed.
Banks and Charlotte have main-evented episodes of Raw, competed in the first-ever Women's Hell in a Cell Match and been one of the key reasons women's wrestling is front and centre of WWE. As Charlotte remarked on Twitter after her win: "Every #Flair needs a #Boss."
Neville is back with a vengeance
Gary Neville was the main man on Sunday morning when he appeared on Sky Sports' football show Sunday Supplement, but his namesake was in the news on Sunday night when he attacked Rich Swann moments after the Cruiserweight Champion had successfully defended his belt in a Triple Threat Match against The Brian Kendrick and TJ Perkins.
The Newcastle native, who suffered an ankle injury earlier this year, has been a chirpy fella since debuting on WWE's main roster in 2015, but showed a real edge on his return, something that should give him added impetus going forward. What's clear is that the Geordie has his eyes on the entire cruiserweight division, having got a few shots in on Perkins in addition to his major beating of Swann.
Partnerships remain strong
Jeri-KO fans probably feared the worst when Kevin Owens' interference contributed to Chris Jericho losing to Seth Rollins and Y2J seemingly refused to accept The Prizefighter's apology, but those worries were allayed during the main event when the Canadians worked together to ensure Ropman Reigns did not nab Owens' Universal Title, a belt he was clutched since late August.
Shield supporters, too, will get a kick out of Rollins and Roman Reigns powerbombing Owens and Jericho through announce desks, a piece of teamwork that suggests they could partner up more often, just as they did as members of the Hounds of Justice between 2012 and 2014.
That said, with Reigns likely to want another Universal Title shot and Rollins still eyeing revenge on Triple H, any partnership could be temporary...
WWE Roadblock: End of the Line booking details
WWE Roadblock: End of the Line will repeated on Sky Sports Box Office (channel 491) BUT NOT Sky Sports HD Box Office (channel 492) between 10am on Monday, December 19 and 10pm on Thursday, December 22 - 10pm is the start of the final playout.
The show costs £14.95 for viewers in the United Kingdom and €21.95 for customers in the Republic of Ireland.
You can order the show online by visiting this link: https://my.sky.com/orderboxoffice/?DCMP=WWERoadblock
You can also book the event over the phone: UK viewers should call 03442 410 888, while customers in the Republic of Ireland should call 0818 220 225. (There may be an additional charge for telephone bookings).
You can also order the show via your Sky remote:
Sky+: Press the box office button on your remote, then click the sports tab followed by Roadblock: End of the Line.
Sky Q: Press Home on your Sky Q remote, select TV guide, then Box Office and then Roadblock: End of the Line. Enter your TV Pin if prompted. (Only bookings via Sky TV remote are recordable using Sky Plus).
Sky TV residential customers only. Commercial customers contact Sky for price and to order. Sky Box Office terms apply. Cable customers should contact their local cable operator.
