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It seems like WWE might be planning for Goldberg to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 37. This was the intended Universal Championship match for this year's WrestleMania, but Reigns had to pull out from the 'Mania tapings due to an increased risk of catching COVID-19.
Goldberg did call out The Tribal Chief on WWE's The Bump and while it would make sense for this match to happen, it shouldn't be at WrestleMania. The biggest event of the year must showcase WWE's best full-time Superstars or at the very least, tell the most compelling stories.
Roman Reigns is established and should ideally defend the Universal title against a current star. A program against Goldberg does not sound very appealing. The match will also likely last around four minutes, which would be a massive waste of WWE's biggest full-time star in years at WrestleMania.
There are several stars who would be better choices to challenge Reigns at WrestleMania 37. One of them is The Rock, but he won't be on this list. Vince McMahon reportedly wants Roman Reigns vs. The Rock to take place at WrestleMania 38, which could be in Los Angeles instead of next year's event.
With that being said, here are five better WrestleMania 37 opponents for Roman Reigns than Goldberg.
#5 Drew McIntyre could face Roman Reigns in a Survivor Series rematch
Having just faced Roman Reigns at last month's Survivor Series pay-per-view, Drew McIntyre is not finished with The Tribal Chief by a longshot. The screwy finish to their match leads one to believe that the two current WWE world champions will meet once again at some point, possibly in the main event of WrestleMania.
While this means that McIntyre has to lose the WWE Championship, it would be fine. He would recover instantly by winning his second Royal Rumble Match in a row. The Scottish Warrior is a much better choice to win the match than Goldberg. The story is right there between him and Roman Reigns for WWE to continue.
This match isn't the most likely one to happen at WrestleMania, but it would be one of the biggest. Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre's Survivor Series match was excellent, recovering well from their standard affair at WrestleMania 35.
This pretty much guarantees that a future WrestleMania headliner, in their current roles, would be a success. If WWE needs to hotshot the title off of McIntyre before Royal Rumble, just to keep Goldberg away from the world title picture for 'Mania, it will be worth it.
#4 Daniel Bryan's match with Roman Reigns could be pushed back
There are quite a few SmackDown Superstars who are in the Universal title mix, all of whom would have a brilliant match with Roman Reigns. Kevin Owens will have a shot at The Tribal Chief at TLC, while Daniel Bryan is the likely challenger for the Royal Rumble. However, if Goldberg faces Reigns at WrestleMania, the two matches should be switched.
As mentioned earlier, a match between Roman Reigns and Goldberg does make sense since it was heavily advertised for WrestleMania 36 until the very last minute. However, The Big Dog's character has evolved to the point where he needs to be the focal point of WrestleMania. That would be difficult if he faces Goldberg in a quick sprint of a match.
Reigns and Goldberg should do battle at Royal Rumble instead, since it wouldn't take up too much time and the Rumble matches will have more of the focus. WWE would be much better off if Daniel Bryan heads into WrestleMania trying to win the Universal Championship. Lest we forget, he is one of the greatest WWE Superstars of his generation.
Being the excellent in-ring storyteller that he is, Bryan would be perfect as Roman Reigns' WrestleMania opponent. It would be the ultimate Babyface vs. Heel match between two of WWE's biggest Superstars of the current era.
#3 Seth Rollins could turn face and challenge his old friend Roman Reigns
As things stand, Seth Rollins is currently on paternity leave as he and Becky Lynch welcomed their daughter, Roux, to the world earlier this week. He is likely to return at some point in January, possibly at the Royal Rumble. It would be quite the moment if he returns in the match and wins it, effectively turning babyface in the process. It would add a new layer to his storied saga with Roman Reigns.
Rollins and Reigns were together for years as part of The Shield, before The Architect broke up the group. The two stars have clashed on several occasions, with some interesting outcomes. Aside from Rollins' cash-in at WrestleMania 31, he and Roman Reigns faced off in a classic at Money in the Bank 2016. However, all of it happened with Rollins as the heel and Reigns as the face.
This time, the story would be different. Seth Rollins sacrificed himself for the 'greater good' at Survivor Series, which may end up in a face turn upon his return to WWE. He would be a great opponent for Roman Reigns at WrestleMania simply based on their history together and chemistry with each other.
It's been a while since Reigns and Rollins have interacted on-screen and since the two of them are on the same brand, WWE would be smart to take advantage. Babyface Seth Rollins vs. heel Roman Reigns was the match that everybody was clamoring for in 2016. It would work just as well in 2021, in the main event of WrestleMania.
#2 Brock Lesnar could fight Roman Reigns over the services of Paul Heyman
Even if we don't consider full-time performers, there are still more compelling opponents for Roman Reigns than Goldberg. The Rock may not be in the running, at least for WrestleMania 37, but Brock Lesnar could be. Despite having main evented two previous WrestleManias together, Reigns vs. Lesnar is extremely compelling. The only reason for this is the Paul Heyman factor.
The Beast is currently being considered to be a part of the WWE Championship match for WrestleMania, but a shift to SmackDown would be much more interesting. He should ideally be furious that Heyman is now aligned with Reigns, even though he was gone for nearly a year.
This sort of drama is perfect for WrestleMania and could even turn Brock Lesnar babyface. It might not be a likely prospect for The Show of Shows, but it is the one match that The Beast should have once he returns to WWE. Roman Reigns would be elevated further if he retains Heyman's services after facing Lesnar, certainly more so than from his victory over him at SummerSlam 2018.
The match would be explosive, more like their WrestleMania 31 main event and less like their WrestleMania 34 main event. Paul Heyman may have a major hand in the story between Roman Reigns and Goldberg since he is close with the WWE Hall of Famer, but his best work might come if Brock Lesnar is added to the mix.
#1 Big E could dethrone Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 37
The best back-up to The Rock as Roman Reigns' WrestleMania 37 opponent has always been Big E. He is on the rise on SmackDown and could be pushed further up the card in the coming months. The former New Day member should ideally be a favorite to win the Royal Rumble, now that he is on his own on the Blue brand.
There is quite a lot of storytelling potential in a possible feud between Reigns and Big E, with some inspiration likely to be taken from Kofi Kingston's incredible WWE Championship chase at WrestleMania 35. It would speak volumes if a new star is positioned next to The Tribal Chief at 'Mania, instead of Goldberg.
Big E should get the Drew McIntyre push in 2021, which sees him defeat Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship in the main event of WrestleMania. It would be one hell of a moment, one that is a worthy payoff to this leg of Reigns' WWE career.
He doesn't even need to go long without the title, as he could win it back in time for a mega-match with The Rock in 2022. There are so many options WWE could choose from to ensure that Roman Reigns has a WrestleMania main event-worthy program by next March, both on the current roster and among part-timers.
WWE should get the Goldberg match out of the way at Royal Rumble and set up one of these five mouth-watering clashes for Roman Reigns as the main event of WrestleMania.
