WWE Rumors - Talks of a legendary Superstar facing Goldberg in a first-time-ever match revealed
According to WrestleTalk's wwe latest news, WWE did consider a different replacement opponent for Goldberg at WrestleMania 36.
Loius Dangoor of WrestleTalk revealed that there were backstage talks of Jeff Hardy replacing Reigns in the match against Goldberg.
WWE, however, decided to go with the Monster Among Men.
Jeff Hardy vs. Goldberg would have been a very uncommon match to witness as the former WCW Champion would have been the odds-on favorite to retain the Universal title.
The creative team wanted the title to change hands and Strowman was clearly the more believable option to take down Goldberg.
Jeff Hardy didn't compete at WrestleMania and Strowman was also not scheduled to be a part of the show until he was called upon for the biggest match of his career.
As you may have imagined, the prevailing circumstances made WrestleMania 36 the most unusual PPV of all time.
WWE officials were pressurized to make a number of changes to the original card as many Superstars had to be pulled from the event on short notice.
The biggest match on the card - Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns - had to be nixed after The Big Dog pulled out from the show due to the apparent coronavirus threat.
Braun Strowman took his place and became the new Universal Champion in a typically short match against Goldberg.
The original plan was to put the title on Roman Reigns and WWE was also reportedly targeting a possible match between Goldberg and Reigns for SummerSlam.
However, there is no definite timeframe when it comes to Reigns' return and WWE had no option but to go ahead with Strowman as the new title-holder.
Despite an uncertain future, WWE has a few important booking decisions to make.
Who will be Strowman's first challenger? Could it be Jeff Hardy?
There is a possibility of it happening as Hardy was one of the choices to get a WrestleMania title shot. WWE can have Hardy and Strowman feud for the title until Reigns is ready to come back to action after the COVID-19 situation has cooled down.
Strowman and Reigns have great chemistry and a well-documented past that can make for a very engaging Universal title program.
However, the angle may not happen anytime soon and WWE would, in the meantime, need to build Strowman up as a credible Champion.
Who do you think should be Strowman's first opponent as the Universal Champion? Let us know your picks in the comments section.
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