WWE Roadblock (known as NXT Roadblock in 2022) is a
professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
event
Event may refer to:
Gatherings of people
* Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion
* Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest
* Event management, the organization of e ...
series produced by
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...
, a
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
-based
professional wrestling promotion. The event was established in March 2016, and this inaugural event was simply titled
Roadblock
A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be:
*Roadworks
*Temporary road closure during special events
*Police chase
*Robbery
* Sobriety checkpoint
In peaceful circumstances ...
and aired exclusively on the
WWE Network
WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television
Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television t ...
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 March 2022, WWE revived the event for the
NXT
NXT may refer to:
Professional wrestling
* ''WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010
** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory
* ''NXT UK'', the British spin- ...
brand to be held as a
television special
A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...
episode
An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption.
The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek term ''epeisodion'' (), meaning th ...
of ''
NXT 2.0'' titled
NXT Roadblock.
Regardless of when Roadblock is held, its 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
WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event held annually between mid-March and mid-April by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Since premiering in 1985, 37 editions followed, mos ...
". With the second event held in December, its title was in reference to it being WWE's final PPV of 2016. The third event's title was 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
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vari ...
originally had a
house show scheduled for March 12, 2016, at the
Ricoh Coliseum
Coca-Cola Coliseum is an arena at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, used for agricultural displays, ice hockey, and trade shows. It was built for the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) and the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (the Roya ...
in
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, and was titled "March to WrestleMania: Live from Toronto."
To further build towards the following month's
WrestleMania 32
WrestleMania 32 was the 32nd annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It took place on April 3, 2016, at the AT&T Stadium in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. This was the last Wre ...
, WWE decided to broadcast the event live and exclusively on their online streaming service, the
WWE Network
WWE Network is a subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and digital television
Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television t ...
. They also renamed the event to
Roadblock
A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be:
*Roadworks
*Temporary road closure during special events
*Police chase
*Robbery
* Sobriety checkpoint
In peaceful circumstances ...
, which was a reference to its position on the "Road to
WrestleMania
WrestleMania is a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event held annually between mid-March and mid-April by WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Since premiering in 1985, 37 editions followed, mos ...
".
In July that year, WWE reintroduced the
brand extension where they again split their roster between the
Raw and
SmackDown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes sim ...
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.
This would also be the final event to carry the Roadblock name as Roadblock was quietly discontinued with no event scheduled for 2017.
The Roadblock name was revived for a
special episode of ''
WWE NXT
''WWE NXT'', also known as ''NXT'', is an American professional wrestling television program. It is produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE, featuring performers from the promotion's NXT brand division. The show currentl ...
'' on March 8, 2022, as "NXT Roadblock"; this event served as a lead-in to
Stand & Deliver, NXT's WrestleMania weekend show in Dallas.
Events
See also
*
List of WWE Network events
*
List of WWE pay-per-view events
This is a list of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events, detailing all professional wrestling cards promoted on pay-per-view (PPV) and the WWE Network by WWE. Due to the American version of the WWE Network merging under Peacock, and with t ...
References
External links
*
{{WWEPPV, Roadblock
Recurring events established in 2016