Apparently Foley finished decorating the tree and straightening the Divas's stockings a little early.

The Sami Zayn/Braun Strowman is one of the worst stories in a long time.

Aren't you supposed to book these sort of matches so that the babyface just barely survives at the bell? Also Mick being involved just killed anything this match had going for it.

The Sami Zayn/Braun Strowman is one of the worst stories in a long time.

Wait, what? Why?

 

 

Braun looked very strong here. He kicked out with AUTHORITY after beating the 10 count, took the Helluva Kick like a champ and it seemed like he wouldn't be down at all. Sami also looked very strong for even surviving Strowman. Everyone wins here.

The Sami Zayn/Braun Strowman is one of the worst stories in a long time.

 

I actually thought they did a decent job laying out the story on paper, but it came off very forced with Foley resorting to his intense, end of days style promo without much provocation. But this match didn't do anyone any favors.

Braun Strowman vs. Sami Zayn (10-Minute Time Limit Challenge)

• This was actually quite good. Zayn’s been booked as an after-thought post-Mania, but this simple and effective.
• On a personal level, I enjoy that Braun’s look is that of a Bushwick hipster on HGH. Fatigues, shaved sides man-bun, bursting out of a low-cut deep V, complete with Foley coming out looking like an appalled Montessori school math teacher who’s disappointed to find the kids still fighting in the alley.
• They got over Braun’s hubris and Sami’s heart without having to give either an actual loss, in such a way that makes you want to see the rematch. Booking!

I'm starting late but I'm doing a Rochester Roadblock live blog over at Segunda Caida:

 

 

http://segundacaida.blogspot.com/2016/12/wwe-roadblock-not-at-all-live-blog.html

Yeah, I loved Zayn vs Strowman. It's nice that they're playing to Zayn's strengths. He's best when he's an underdog babyface, not when he's having this is awesome matches. I thought everyone looked good coming out of that one.

No idea how long it's actually been, but this match feels interminable. And it needed to end about 10 minutes ago.

Who dressed Mick for this?

 

I guess that Mick hasn't bought his "I lost over 100 pounds and need a new wardrobe" clothes

No idea how long it's actually been, but this match feels interminable. And it needed to end about 10 minutes ago.

I missed around one minute, and my clock marked 16:33.

 

Rollins might be the biggest flop of the year.

Rollins might be the biggest flop of the year.

Rollins was a better babyface, both in and out of the ring, when he was a heel. I don't really understand why.

Seth Rollins vs. Chris Jericho

• Jericho concludes a year of horrible performances with yet another bad match against someone who doesn’t need him. He’s got to be in the running for top of whatever you want to call the metric of Push-Relatively-Opposed-to-Greatness (PROG?) All of his old chestnuts: audibly calling spots, limp restholds, failures of agility, and zero heat despite long control segments and preening to the crowd.
• Very low energy match, but in fairness, both guys are over enough to keep the crowd in it. Still, is this what even big fans of both guys would want out of a Rollins-Jericho match? Late in it they worked the concept of mutual exhaustion, but the whole thing was so slow you wonder if they’ve somehow been selling fatigue since the bell rang?
• Complete with WWE’s years-long favorite go-to stupid finish.

Oh shit

Well, that was pretty cool.

Neville might be the heel high-flyer the division needed, but it's hard to make him a bad guy when the crowd is chanting "THANK YOU NEVILLE"

 

Nice to see him get good reactions though.

That was a nice beating, and hopefully it gives the division some life.

I liked the New Day tag match. I liked that Rusev didn't lose to Big Cass. I liked that Neville was added into 205 Live/Cruiserweights stuff. I thought Sam Roberts was pretty good on the pre-show. Bayley & JoJo looked great.

 

Looks like Reigns/Owens is going on last, not Sasha/Charlotte.

Rich Swann [c] vs. T.J. Perkins vs. Brian Kendrick (Cruiserweight Title)

• It’s as if Aries is accidentally allowed to be the new best announcer in the company, though that can be said of whoever’s newest to the gig and not yet crushed to silt. His Jesse Ventura imitation is pretty good.
• Kendrick’s goatee and belted tights make him look as old as he is.
• What was the story being told here? That Perkins is an idiot for not knowing that there are no disqualifications in Triple Threat matches? Is that even a well-established thing in WWE? I really liked him in EVOLVE, but dude is made to look like a real scrub out there.
• Weird, dull outing illustrating how little the RAW team understands this division - it's as if they told those guys to go out and have a bad match in order to make the post-match more appealing in contrast?

Best Neville has looked and come across since joining the company? By miles? RE: the point above, the crowd wanted to babyface him because the division has been a disaster thus far, but I'd call it a success if someone in the mix is over with the crowd with anything other than go away heat. Have to build from somewhere. Neville, Swann, Tozawa. There's stuff to work with there. Kendrick & TJP are much too bland to be featured, but I suppose they booked themselves into that corner with the contract situations coming out of the CWC.

Random Neville appearance. He'll get the boos when he says "You fans didn't care about me when I was injured". Didn't he return on TV weeks back, but disappeared? Also, they should really call the women's match an Iron Woman Match.

Also, they should really call the women's match an Iron Woman Match.

I find it amusing when joshi promotions announce matches as 6-man tags.

To be honest, the division itself isn't bad talent-wise. Not only there are the guys who WingedEagle mentioned, but Jack Gallagher (who is quickly being the most over and unique guy in the division) and Gran Metallik.

 

Those are the guys who can make matches actually exciting and different from the rest of the roster. TJP and Kendrick are perfectly fine wrestlers, but for the "philosophy" they are trying to give the CW division, they just don't work out

Well at least Black Excellence won't be completely destroyed tonight. But I loved seeing a new aggressive side of Neville. He should have been involved in this whole cruiserweight thing months ago.

I hate it when refs stop someone from winning a match but then the match continues. Also, is Sasha going to have a "can she continue?" spot in every big match?