WWE Rumors: Bill Goldberg Set To Vacate WWE Universal Championship
The expectation is Brock Lesnar will beat Goldberg to win the WWE Universal Champion at Wrestlemania 33, but WWE could have something entirely different planned for the grandest stage of them all. Originally, Goldberg’s comeback with WWE was only supposed to be for one night and one match against Brock Lesnar at WWE Survivor Series. A change of heart has kept Goldberg around for six months longer than expected.
In fact, Goldberg has become one of WWE’s most bankable stars since his return, and he will be walking into Wrestlemania 33 as the WWE Universal Champion. The success of his comeback speaks for itself, but WWE fans strongly disliked the way Goldberg won the title from Kevin Owens in 22 seconds, and a lot of people don’t want to see his match with Lesnar as the main event of the grandest stage of them all this year.
Lesnar defeating Goldberg to finish WWE’s biggest show isn’t the ending the WWE Universe wants to see. A lot of people are starting to turn on Goldberg as well because he has been overly protected since returning to WWE television. However, there is the possibility of Goldberg vs. Lesnar having an unpredictable ending.
It’s been rumored that Goldberg may potentially turn heel as a way to prolong his run and use the backlash from the WWE Universe to set up something for him at WWE Summerslam. A heel turn isn’t likely, but it’s something that could keep his run going beyond Wrestlemania. It’s being reported that Goldberg’s run will be ending in Orlando, but the powers that be are happy, and it’s possible he could have more matches soon.
For now, the expectation is Goldberg will be retiring after Wrestlemania. Under that assumption, the WWE Universe is still expecting Brock Lesnar to defeat Goldberg and take the WWE Universal Title. However, it’s also been reported that Goldberg beating Lesnar on the grandest stage of them all isn’t out of the question.
Under that scenario, Goldberg would win the match, retain the WWE Universal Title, and then announce his retirement from wrestling and vacate the championship. WWE recently wanted to know what the WWE Universe was thinking heading into Wrestlemania, so they posted a survey to gauge the fans’ opinions. The survey has created a little bit of speculation that Goldberg will vacate the title rather than lose it to Lesnar.
The WWE Universe may not love the idea of another Brock Lesnar world title run, but at least Goldberg was putting over someone on the grandest stage of them all. It will be some time before Brock puts over a young star and drops the title to him. Realistically, that man will probably be Roman Reigns. Regardless, Goldberg taking the loss in his last match is the right thing to do because it at least pays it forward for WWE.
On paper, vacating the WWE Universal Championship after Wrestlemania 33 would be intriguing because WWE would need to set up a tournament or a huge match of some kind to declare the next WWE Universal Champion. That would be good for Raw, especially if WWE officials decide to put the title on someone other than Brock Lesnar or Roman Reigns. However, all of that is out of Goldberg’s hands after Wrestlemania 33.
WWE has intentionally protected Goldberg and kept his matches short to hide his weaknesses and keep him healthy. However, the purpose seemed to be about getting him to Wrestlemania, put over Lesnar, and then call it a career at the top of the industry. WWE made a lot of money off Goldberg’s comeback, and WWE fans got more than what they asked for too. But if Goldberg doesn’t put over Lesnar, what was the point?
[Featured Image by WWE]
