5 Big things that could happen if Goldberg beats Braun Strowman at WrestleMania 36

Goldberg was originally scheduled to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 36 in the main event of night two. However, Roman Reigns was reportedly not feeling too well in the Performance Center tapings and wisely decided to withdraw from WrestleMania as Coronavirus could pose a big threat to him given his preexisting health conditions.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter first reported that Braun Strowman was Roman Reigns' replacement. The assumption was that Reigns would be written off, but WWE decided to advertise the match between Reigns and Goldberg even after the rumors broke out abruptly announced on the go-home episode of SmackDown that Braun Strowman would face Goldberg instead.

It was certainly bizarre, but the past half a month has been exactly that - and not just in wrestling. As of this writing, we expect Goldberg to beat Braun Strowman and retain the Universal Championship and along that line, here are five things that could happen if Goldberg beats Braun Strowman at WrestleMania 36 and retains the Universal Championship.

#5. Vacating the Universal Championship

This is a scenario that we don't want to happen but admit is a big possibility. Unfortunately, it would further affirm that Goldberg beating 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt at Super ShowDown 2020 was for nothing.

We already believe that to be the case, but either way, Goldberg beating Strowman and then vacating the title would not get a good response from fans. It would be a big insult to Braun Strowman and the entire roster that's on the road 52 weeks a year.

Either way, it's a big possibility because Goldberg may not want to stick around for longer. We're unclear as to what WWE's programming schedule will look like after WrestleMania, but it's very rare to see part-timers stick around in the months after the grandest stage of them all.

#4. A contract extension

Goldberg on SmackDown ahead of his contract signing - March 20th, 2020

This is a scenario we wouldn't have even considered had Roman Reigns still been in the mix. The assumption was that Reigns was set to dethrone Goldberg in their "Spear vs Spear" match, giving The Big Dog yet another coronation of sorts at WrestleMania.

It fell through and Goldberg found himself with a replacement opponent in Braun Strowman. As mentioned, we expect him to retain and if he doesn't extend his contract, he will have to vacate the Universal Championship.

Given the situation WWE is in, they may be forced to spend extra on Goldberg after WrestleMania is over. While WWE itself seems to be uncertain about the fate of April's episodes of RAW and SmackDown, having a big name like Goldberg is going to do great for them in terms of TV ratings.

Goldberg is an undeniable draw and with no live audience or ticket revenue flowing in for WWE, it's the consistent television viewership that will be the top priority.

#3. An immediate feud with Roman Reigns in the next big PPV

WWE reportedly considered the option of switching opponents between Roman Reigns, 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt, John Cena, and Goldberg. While the original plan seemed to be 'The Fiend' vs Roman Reigns (a direction that should have happened), WWE possibly switched it up at the last minute.

As mentioned, Roman Reigns pulled out of the WrestleMania 36 match to avoid any health risk, which means that he could be away from WWE television until the COVID-19 pandemic dies down and WWE is allowed to bring in crowds again.

We don't know when that could be, but we wouldn't be surprised to see WWE immediately book Roman Reigns vs Goldberg for the next PPV. For those arguing that it wouldn't be "big enough" a stage to have the match, we must remind you that Roman Reigns and John Cena had their dream clash at No Mercy and there wasn't a massive crowd for it either.

It would be the quickest and best option to take the title off Goldberg.

#2. Last World title opportunity for Braun Strowman

Will WrestleMania cement Braun Strowman's fate?

Braun Strowman is a sad yet classic case of WWE's inability to book 'giants' well after Andre The Giant. The Big Show is the most famous example of all and many feared that Strowman would follow a similar path.

His singles run in 2016 got off to a hot start and by mid-2017, he was too popular to remain a heel. He was getting babyface reactions and it was only a matter of time before he would insert himself into the Universal Championship picture.

After an incredible performance at SummerSlam 2017, Strowman would challenge Lesnar and lose, starting a run where he would always fail to win the big one. In the eyes of many, Strowman should have been the Universal Champion when he faced Lesnar the first time, but even in defeat, he recovered well.

However, by Elimination Chamber 2018, his status as WWE's hottest superstar would fade with one unfortunate spear by Roman Reigns. Since then, he's failed to capture the big one and a loss to Goldberg could possibly end any future World title aspirations.

#1. Fresh challengers for Goldberg

Since returning to WWE in October 2016, the list of names that Goldberg has taken on includes Brock Lesnar, Kevin Owens, The Undertaker, Dolph Ziggler, 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt, and now Braun Strowman. Ziggler certainly stands out in that list, but the truth is that it was one of Goldberg's better appearances in his late-career run.

The best match will likely remain his WrestleMania 33 classic against Brock Lesnar, which is the perfect example of the art of a 5-minute match. Many worried about how Goldberg would fare at the big stage and the answer was simple - 5 minutes of non-stop intensity.

It was a quick but impactful match and it played well to Goldberg's biggest strength - his bursts of intensity. His match against The Undertaker is best forgotten about, but a positive from Goldberg possibly retaining the Universal title at WrestleMania 36 is the prospect of fresh, new opponents for him.

SmackDown's roster is stacked enough for him to have opponents on both the both the babyface and heel side of the roster.