WWE Roadblock
{{short description|WWE special event series}}
{{Infobox wrestling PPV series
|name = WWE Roadblock
|othernames =
|image = WWE Roadblock logo.png
|caption = WWE Roadblock logo used as of 2025
|promotions = WWE
|other_names = Roadblock: End of the Line (2016)
NXT Roadblock (2022–2024)
|brands = Raw (December 2016)
NXT (2022–present)
|firstevent = Roadblock (March 2016)
|lastevent =
}}
WWE Roadblock 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 Roadblock: End of the Line 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 has been 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."{{cite web|title=WWE Roadblock network special|url=https://ricohcoliseum.com/event/wwe-network-special-wwe-roadblock/|work=Ricoh Coliseum|access-date=March 2, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160309135915/https://ricohcoliseum.com/event/wwe-network-special-wwe-roadblock/|archive-date=March 9, 2016}} 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".{{cite web|title=WWE Title match official for re-named Network special|date=March 1, 2016|url=https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2016/03/01/wwe-title-match-announced-pre-wm32/|first=James|last=Caldwell|work=Pro Wrestling Torch|access-date=March 2, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304070721/https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2016/03/01/wwe-title-match-announced-pre-wm32/|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=live}}
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 Roadblock: End of the Line due to it being the final PPV of the year.{{cite web|url=https://www.ppgpaintsarena.com/events/detail/wwe-ppv-roadblock|title=WWE PPV Roadblock: End Of The Line|website=PPG Paints Arena|access-date=November 7, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821162921/https://www.consolenergycenter.com/events/detail/wwe-ppv-roadblock|archive-date=August 21, 2016|url-status=live}}{{cite web|author=WWE.com Staff|title=Get WWE Roadblock: End of the Line 2016 tickets now|url=https://www.wwe.com/shows/roadblock/article/wwe-roadblock-2016-tickets|work=WWE|date=October 7, 2016|access-date=November 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007172823/https://www.wwe.com/shows/roadblock/article/wwe-roadblock-2016-tickets|archive-date=October 7, 2016|url-status=live}} This would also be the final event to carry the Roadblock name as Roadblock was quietly discontinued with no event scheduled for 2017.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbssports.com/wwe/news/wwe-schedule-list-of-ppvs-for-2017-clash-of-champions-date-location/|title=WWE schedule, list of PPVs for 2017: Clash of Champions date, location|date=December 13, 2017|last=Silverstein|first=Adam|work=CBSSports|access-date=November 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121033644/https://www.cbssports.com/wwe/news/wwe-schedule-list-of-ppvs-for-2017-clash-of-champions-date-location/|archive-date=January 21, 2018|url-status=live}}
The Roadblock name was revived for the developmental brand NXT for a special episode of NXT on March 8, 2022, as "NXT Roadblock"; this event served as a lead-in to that year's Stand & Deliver livestreaming event, NXT's WrestleMania weekend show. Roadblock has since been held as an annual television special of NXT with its name in reference to the road to Stand & Deliver.{{cite tweet|author=WWE|user=WWE|number=1498845249912905728|date=March 1, 2022|title=@bronbreakkerwwe defends the #NXTTitle against @NXTCiampa and @HEELZiggler in a Triple Threat Match next week at #WWENXT Roadblock!|access-date=March 1, 2022}}{{cite web|last=Guzzo|first=Gisberto|title=NXT Championship Triple Threat, Last Man Standing Match, And More Set For 3/8 NXT Roadblock|url=https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/nxt-championship-triple-threat-last-man-standing-match-and-more-set-38-nxt-roadblock|work=Fightful|date=March 1, 2022|access-date=March 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302032516/https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/nxt-championship-triple-threat-last-man-standing-match-and-more-set-38-nxt-roadblock|archive-date=March 2, 2022|url-status=live}} The name reverted back to WWE Roadblock in 2025 as all major NXT events have used the promotion's logo instead of the brand's logo since NXT moved to The CW in October 2024.
Events
| class="wikitable" style="margin: 0 auto"
|style="background:#FBB; width:2em"| |Raw (WWE brand)|Raw-branded event |style="background:#FFA; width:2em"| |NXT (WWE brand)|NXT-branded event |
| class="sortable wikitable succession-box" style="font-size:85%; text-align:center;"
!# !Event !Date !City !Venue !Main Event !Ref. |
| 1
|March 12, 2016 |Triple H (c) vs. Dean Ambrose for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship |
| style="background: #FBB"
|2 |December 18, 2016 |Kevin Owens (c) vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship |
| style="background: #FFA"
|3 |March 8, 2022 |rowspan="3"|Orlando, Florida |rowspan="3"|WWE Performance Center |Bron Breakker (c) vs. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Dolph Ziggler in a triple threat match for the NXT Championship |
| style="background: #FFA"
|4 |March 7, 2023 |Roxanne Perez (c) vs. Meiko Satomura for the NXT Women's Championship |
| style="background: #FFA"
|5 |March 5, 2024 |Tony D'Angelo vs. Carmelo Hayes for an NXT Championship match at NXT Stand & Deliver |
| style="background: #FFA"
|6 |March 11, 2025 |The Theater at Madison Square Garden |Giulia (NXT) vs. Stephanie Vaquer (North American) in a Winner Takes All match for the NXT Women's Championship and NXT Women's North American Championship |
| colspan="10"|{{center|(c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match}} |
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.wwe.com/shows/roadblock/}}
{{WWE}}
{{WWEPPV|Roadblock}}