Triple H defended the World Title against Dean Ambrose at WWE Roadblock. Find out how the match went down!
With Triple H set to defend the World Heavyweight championship against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 32, Dean Ambrose’s challenge at Roadblock has the appearance of “time filler”. But WWE has done a good job of selling the long-brewing beef between the anti-authority Ambrose and the literal authority, Triple H.
After HHH beatdown Reigns and sent him to the hospital, it was Ambrose who showed up to get a little payback. Or, it can be argued, to take advantage of his brother’s absence by winning the gold first. It was Ambrose who took the pinfall from Reigns at Fastlane, after all. After HHH refused the challenge, then proceeded to have Ambrose destroyed by the League of Nations, the ” Lunatic Fringe” stayed defiant, earning a title shot and a vicious assault in the process. Ambrose got a little revenge at Smackdown, giving him the momentum going into tonight’s match.
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But would WWE really be willing to overturn all of their WrestleMania plans this late in the game?
It’s time to play The Game!
It doesn't get much more iconic than this entrance... #WWERoadblock @TripleH pic.twitter.com/qRqJbWpPqI
— WWE (@WWE) March 13, 2016
Triple H was the first down to the ring, followed by the Lunatic Fringe himself!
Toronto is about to become the #AmbroseAsylum... #WWERoadblock @TheDeanAmbrose pic.twitter.com/P404Fx5yYk
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 13, 2016
The Toronto crowd is split in the beginning as both men feel one another out. A couple of early exchanges lead to Ambrose getting the upper hand and mocking HHH. Is it wise to play mind games with the “Cerebral Assassin”?
A little showmanship on display from @TheDeanAmbrose LIVE on @WWENetwork! #WWERoadblock #WWETitle pic.twitter.com/Irt1eYLjJl
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) March 13, 2016
Ambrose takes the upper hand and hurls HHH out of the ring, nailing him with a big clothesline, then targeting the champ’s knee. Ambrose with an actual gameplan??
Clothesline finds its mark for The #LunaticFringe @TheDeanAmbrose! #WWERoadblock #WWETitle pic.twitter.com/tTTbLgztgT
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 13, 2016
Ambrose didn’t have control for long and HHH regained the upper hand in a big way. It’s rarely a good idea to try and out-wrestle The Game.
Now that's what you call a TURNING POINT... #WWERoadblock #WWETitle @TripleH @TheDeanAmbrose pic.twitter.com/o6aEWHqYwP
— WWE (@WWE) March 13, 2016
HHH is picking apart Ambrose by wrestling a smart, technical match to counter Ambrose’s brawling.
#TheGame @TripleH has @TheDeanAmbrose has that Crossface locked in middle of the ring! #WWERoadblock #WWETitle pic.twitter.com/bkZ8pqALdS
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 13, 2016
When he couldn’t get Ambrose to tap, HHH went back to the high impact offense, hitting him with a textbook spinebuster.
VINTAGE @TripleH with the #Spinebuster! #WWERoadblock #WWETitle @TheDeanAmbrose pic.twitter.com/UNjUShl4qr
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 13, 2016
Rowdy Roddy Piper can appreciate this flurry of offense by Ambrose right here….
#JabChopJabChopJabChopJabChopJabChop#WWERoadblock #WWETitle @TheDeanAmbrose @TripleH pic.twitter.com/CpHA104517
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 13, 2016
Repeated attempts to hit their finishers came up short, and now both men are brawling on the outside. HHH is readying the announce table, hoping to bounce Ambrose’s head off it just as he did his buddy, Roman Reigns. HHH went for the Pedigree, but Ambrose reversed it into a Figure Four right in the middle of the ring, going back after that knee!
FIGURE-FOUR applied by @TheDeanAmbrose! @TripleH's leg has been in trouble... #WWERoadblock #WWETitle pic.twitter.com/puJLO3muf4
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 13, 2016
HHH fought out of it, only to get hooked into a Sharpshooter! Think the Toronto crowd went wild?
Is @TripleH about to tap out to @TheDeanAmbrose's #Sharpshooter in Toronto?! #WWERoadblock #WWETitle pic.twitter.com/BP1IGQ0bfQ
— WWE (@WWE) March 13, 2016
Both men battered and bruised, close to beaten, but it’s Ambrose who hits HHH out of nowhere with Dirty Deeds and scores the pin! But wait…the ref says Ambrose’s feet were under the ropes and calls it off! The crowd is in an uproar!
ONE-TWO-THREE?! @TheDeanAmbrose pinned @TripleH, but his feet were under the bottom rope! #WWERoadblock #WWETitle pic.twitter.com/4ZVWmbFlE0
— WWE (@WWE) March 13, 2016
Ambrose doesn’t let up, pulling out all of the stops after proving he can pin the champ.
The match continues, and #LunaticFringe @TheDeanAmbrose is BUSTING open the asylum doors! #WWERoadblock #WWETitle pic.twitter.com/0ZXOgrRX9F
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) March 13, 2016
But all of Ambrose’s risk-taking costs him when one high-risk move fails miserably!
Plan BACKFIRES for @TheDeanAmbrose as @TripleH gets out of harm's way! #WWERoadblock #WWETitle pic.twitter.com/EpIkwMEAX2
— WWE (@WWE) March 13, 2016
Ambrose barely finds his way back into the ring, only to run right into a Pedigree. HHH with the 1…2…3!
.@TheDeanAmbrose beats the count, but runs RIGHT into a #Pedigree! @TripleH retains the #WWETitle! #WWERoadblock pic.twitter.com/GUJbWAlrOi
— WWE (@WWE) March 13, 2016
Trav’s Thoughts: Incredible match and a great way to end a surprisingly strong free event. HHH and Dean Ambrose pulled out all of the stops, and really made Ambrose look like he had a chance to pull out the win. Arguably he comes out of this looking stronger than HHH does, especially after scoring the contested pinfall early on. It will be interesting to see how WWE transitions them out of this feud and back into their WrestleMania matchups. It’s clear the angle for Ambrose will be the continued beatings he’s already taken and is destined to take again facing Brock Lesnar.
Next: WWE Roadblock 2016 Review
For HHH, he has the returning Roman Reigns who should be filled with righteous anger. But don’t be surprised if Ambrose somehow finds a way to get involved in that one, too.