Why Goldberg should still remain Universal Champion after WrestleMania 36 (Opinion)
This year's WrestleMania has gone haywire due to the coronavirus pandemic, forcing WWE to move to the Performance Center, as well as other locations (which they haven't revealed yet). For the first time ever, The Show of Shows will be held in front of an empty arena, something that the most pessimistic of fans would have not envisaged.
It's not going to be the same, but WWE is trying every which way to salvage the show. The show still has some huge matches on the card, with Drew McIntyre facing WWE Champion Brock Lesnar, Becky Lynch defending the RAW Women's Championship that she won at WrestleMania 35, and Goldberg putting his Universal Championship on the line.
The WWE Hall of Famer was set to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 36, but recent reports have indicated that The Big Dog has pulled out of the show as he feared being exposed to the coronavirus. Reports have suggested that Braun Strowman could now face Goldberg at WrestleMania 36, which will take place on two days - April 4 and April 5.
Most fans believe that WWE's decision to have The Fiend lose the Universal Championship against Goldberg at Super ShowDown last month was to put the title on Reigns at WrestleMania 36. This way, Reigns wouldn't have got booed when and if he had defeated The Fiend, as The Fiend does not need the title to grow his character and be as menacing as ever.
WrestlingInc's Raj Giri was a guest on the WrestleMania 36 preview where he said that Goldberg remaining champion would not be such a bad idea. He said that keeping the title on Goldberg and then having Reigns win the title at SummerSlam, in front of a packed crowd, would be a good way for The Big Dog to win the title that he never lost.
Listen to Sportskeeda's Gary Cassidy and Raj Giri talk about WrestleMania 36 below, and why Goldberg could still remain champion after WrestleMania 36.
"Goldberg vs Strowman - it's still interesting... Goldberg vs Strowman would have been interesting 20 years ago when Goldberg could Jackhammer him. I don't want to see him try it now. The fact that it is taped, they could fix any errors or anything like that. It will still be interesting... it'll be interesting to see Braun as champion because with the way things are, I feel like they can keep it on Goldberg and wait till SummerSlam with the crowd and then have Goldberg vs Reigns."
This makes sense as WWE wants to help Reigns win back the crowd and bring them on The Big Dog's side. Goldberg winning the Universal title was not a good decision as it riled a lot of fans. WWE could maybe use the heat that Goldberg currently has and further it by keeping the title on him and eventually having Reigns win it at SummerSlam, which will be held on August 23, 2020.
Braun Strowman hasn't had any momentum whatsoever going into WrestleMania 36, and it seems like him being crowned champion would be forced, at the momentum. WWE should have put the title on him in 2018 when he was over with the fans and had a great run.
It's still up in the air as to whether WWE will be allowed to continue to have shows at the Performance Center due to the restrictions in place with social distancing being imperative to control the spread of coronavirus. If some shows are canceled, Goldberg may not have to defend his title until later in the year, which fits in perfectly with the idea of him defending his title against Reigns at SummerSlam in August.