Where Roadblock leaves RAW going into 2017

Barny 20:21 20/12/2016
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  • The New Day hand over their tag-team titles to Cesaro and Sheamus.

    The last pay-per-view of the year saw two titles change hands on a night where the RAW brand of WWE took on somewhat of a new-look going into the New Year.

    The Women’s Championship and tag-team divisions have taken on a whole new complexion and the other feuds from top to bottom on the card are gaining momentum heading into WrestleMania season.

    There were also a number of flops and moments reeking of stagnation but, all-in-all, RAW will head into the New Year in a strong position.

    First of all, the women’s division has moved on from the historic Charlotte Flair vs Sasha Banks rivalry [for now!] and in its place are two more feuds that have real potential to build on what Flair and Banks achieved in 2016.

    Bayley taking on champion Flair is a no-brainer and the contrast between the former’s playful persona and latter’s comic book villainy is a perfect match.

    Likewise, Nia Jax stepping into the fold to face Banks can deliver both in terms of storyline and in-ring action, setting up two exciting battles to kick off 2017 that could see any or all of the four women vying for the title at ‘Mania.

    The other title to change hands at Roadblock was the tag-team titles, The New Day relinquishing the gold after a record run with the titles in their paws.

    Cesaro and Sheamus’ mismatch pairing continues to deliver and they were worthy new title holders, but the problem is that the RAW tag-team division is stale.

    So much was expected of The Club when they came to WWE but Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson have gone nowhere, while The Shining Stars [also put in the fray on RAW this week] have absolutely zero heat.

    It would be superb if the new tag champs had a number of new teams to face-off against but, being brutally honest, only The New Day are in contention and that does not look like changing any time soon.

    Keeping with the big guns, the WWE Universal Championship kept things interesting this week but still feels like it is delaying the inevitable.

    Chris Jericho and champion/best friend Kevin Owens remain in control of matters but their inevitable combustion feels like it needs to happen soon.

    They are still a highly entertaining duo and we may yet be rewarded for the wait but something has to happen at the top of the card or an enthralling few months of storyline may go to waste.

    More importantly, though, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns – on the other side of this foursome – need come clearer plans of action.

    Rollins will go on to face Triple H at some point but the constant mentions of taking on his former mentor have so far been fruitless with the man with three Hs MIA.

    As for Reigns, he either needs to drop his US title or defend it, there should be no room for a champion that isn’t fighting.

    One person who is fighting is Sami Zayn and WWE must be praised for how they have played out his rivalry with Braun Strowman, while another huge positive from this week is the return of Adrian Neville who has added some much needed fire to the Cruiserweight division.

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