Goldberg defeated The Fiend Bray Wyatt to become the Universal Champion at Super Showdown a couple of weeks back.
Apparently, to many wrestling fans that’s more devastating news than the Coronavirus outbreak.
“How dare a 53-year-old relic win the World Title?!” Was the general consensus. Others wanted to cancel their WWE Network subscription like that boat hadn’t sailed 5 years earlier. Most expressed their displeasure by unfollowing WWE on various social media platforms. Yeah, that’ll show them. Some people take wrestling too seriously. Vince Russo is right when he says the marks will always watch wrestling, which is why you need to reach out to the casual viewer. That logical reasoning is exactly why Bill Goldberg is Universal Champion.
The Smackdown ratings almost doubled with Goldberg’s involvement. That’s money. That proves he is a draw. It also proves why Vince McMahon was right to go full throttle ahead with Goldberg in a headline slot at WrestleMania over Bray Wyatt. While we are on the subject on Wyatt, I have to say I don’t get all this love for him as a performer. As a character, The Fiend is very unique and the promos are great. However, when that bell rings, he’s average at best. Name me one great Bray Wyatt match, I’ll wait. You can say the same for Goldberg except for one major thing – Goldberg puts butts in seats while Wyatt hasn’t drawn a dime. There’s the difference.
Goldberg having a short reign as Universal Champion to put over Roman Reigns at WrestleMania is best for business. Let’s face it, if WWE had stuck to the original plan of having Wyatt take on The Big Dog, the fans would’ve crapped all over Roman’s victory. Now, they’ll just crap all over the entire match instead because they crave their five minutes of fame. I don’t get this obsession from wrestling fans to want to book every show they see. Why can’t you just sit back and enjoy it for what it is? And if you don’t like what you’re watching, turn the channel!
It’s that simple. Goldberg is more valuable to Vince McMahon and WWE than Bray Wyatt will ever be. That’s a fact.
Okay, so Goldberg isn’t as explosive as he once was. He more cradles you to the mat with his once devastating Spear as opposed to smashing through his opponent with the force of a semi-truck. He also can barely perform the Jackhammer, and it has now turned into more of a tame Suplex. But he is still Goldberg. He still has name power. He still looks incredible. He can still be a badass. In a short sprint with Reigns, I truly believe they can create some magic at the Showcase of the Immortals.
What would really help this angle is if Goldberg leaned into the negative fan response and started to heel it up. He’s always had that cocky swagger about him anyway, and Vince desperately wants fans to cheer Reigns for the big coronation, so this seems like a good idea for all involved. A heel Goldberg is what’s best for business.
So, in closing, I think it’s pretty evident why Goldberg was made Universal Champion for WWE’s most important and lucrative period of the year. He draws eyeballs to their product. Yes, some fans will bitch and moan, but what else is new? Vince McMahon has been promoting for almost 50 years and has the most successful wrestling company on the planet. I think it’s safe to say he knows what he’s doing.
Goldberg is in the twilight of his career, and it is his job to now put over the future in Roman Reigns, which he couldn’t do without first defeating Bray Wyatt. Let’s face it, Reigns beating Goldberg is a way bigger deal than Roman pinning Wyatt will ever be.
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