WWE SmackDown: 5 Reasons why Roman Reigns is Goldberg's Universal Championship opponent at WrestleMania

A lot of people were upset when Goldberg defeated The Fiend after the latter was made to look absolutely bulletproof through his Championship reign. And when the icon strode out on SmackDown Live in the United States, it wasn't surprising to see him booed by the audience.

But then Roman Reigns would show up and have a staredown with Goldberg. It is very clear right now who Goldberg's Universal Championship opponent is, and if you're wondering why I have the answer right here in this article.

WWE later confirmed that indeed this match will happen at Tampa Bay in this year's WrestleMania.

Let me know what you think of the match, in the comments section below, dearest ladies and gentlemen of the WWE universe. Is this a match that would make you tune in to watch WrestleMania 36?

Also, what do you think of WWE's reliance on part-timers to this day? Is this a worrying trend in your opinion?

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#5 Reigns will be cheered against Goldberg

Once upon a time, when Goldberg was raging through the roster in WCW, taking on all comers who stood before him from The Giant to Hulk Hogan, the audience was firmly on his side cheering him on. Goldberg was never Ric Flair in the ring, but at that point in-ring work did not seem to matter as much as it does today when the business is a lot more exposed. The smarky audience that is in attendance at WrestleMania will not be on Goldberg's side as he takes on The Big Dog for sure.

If Roman Reigns were to defeat The Fiend to become the Universal Champion, the audience in attendance would boo him. But now, if he is to defeat Goldberg, the audience would actually cheer for him instead. If the idea is to put the Universal Championship on Roman Reigns, this is a better way to get there.

#4 Connecting with the casual fanbase

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As great and as unique as The Fiend was, one cannot dispute the fact that Roman Reigns and Goldberg are just names that the mainstream world knows better. WrestleMania is a time when a lot of fans who don't watch for the rest of the year come out of the woodwork, and the company needs a marquee match pitting Superstars that the audience knows against one another to make it a commercial success.

Roman Reigns vs. Goldberg is a generation vs. generation match as Corey Graves so aptly described it on WWE SmackDown this week. Lapsed fans who haven't watched in years will now have a hook to watch the show once again because their favorite Goldberg is returning for yet another match with today's biggest star, who happens to be today's biggest dog too.

#3 A spear vs. spear match

While this alone may not be enough to warrant a match, it speaks of the nature of the two men involved in the match. This is not a clash of ordinary men but two powerhouses, two raging bulls who mow their opponents down with the most devastating spears, tackling them to the ground.

We have seen Rhyno and Moose in Impact Wrestling involved in a spear vs. spear match and it was a pretty fun contest. I can imagine the build to this match on SmackDown involving both men delivering spears to one another, in the lead-up to this big match.

One of the most important things to remember is that Roman Reigns' spears finish matches whereas Goldberg's spears are a prelude to the Jackhammer. One wonders if this aspect will be played up as the match draws even nearer.

Will the past reign supreme or will the future triumph at WrestleMania 36? We shall learn the answer very soon indeed when two of the greatest ever come to blows.

#2 To get the rub from defeating a legend

One would assume that after the outcry that accompanied Goldberg defeating The Fiend, it will be Roman Reigns who stands tall at WrestleMania. In any case, Roman Reigns was booed out of the building after he defeated The Undertaker at WrestleMania. I have a feeling that the outcome will be very different indeed if Roman Reigns defeats Goldberg at the Show of Shows.

A lot of people had assumed that The Fiend would get the rub from defeating Goldberg when the match was first announced. While there's no certainty even now that Roman Reigns will come out on top at WrestleMania, chances are that he will get the rub. And this is not a small thing at all because there are only a handful of WWE Superstars who have defeated Goldberg since the monster made his debut.

For a WWE Superstar to defeat stars like The Undertaker and Goldberg clean will go a long way towards establishing Roman Reigns as the king of the yard, and the greatest of our time.

#1 Out of the Universal Championship picture for too long

One has to remember that Roman Reigns never really lost the Universal Championship but had to give it up owing to the fact that he battled a real-life threat- leukemia. After defeating the dreaded disease, the man chose to make his return to the company but has stayed out of the Championship picture, focusing on other things.

He would take on the threat of Erick Rowan as he threatened to take Roman Reigns down by staging traps and then face King Corbin for months on end. It is certainly time for him to return to the fold and remind us why he is the franchise player for the company once again.

Roman Reigns is someone whose absence from the Championship picture has earned him a certain amount of goodwill to the point where the audience will not necessarily rebel if he was to be brought back into the title picture for another run. Would you like to see Roman Reigns as Universal Champion yet again?

Let us know in the comments below. Is this the match you wanted to see?