Two weeks ago on Raw, Goldberg interrupted a promo by Universal Champion Kevin Owens and the United States Champion Chris Jericho, to answer Brock Lesnar's WrestleMania challenge.
Not only did Goldberg accept the match against Lesnar at WrestleMania 33, but Jericho also volunteered Owens to face Goldberg for the Universal Championship at WWE Fastlane on March 5.
Unfortunately for Kevin Owens’ supporters, not only will Goldberg be winning the Universal Title, but he will be winning it in quick fashion. Here’s why:
#1 Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar is the main event at WrestleMania
Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar is the Main Event at the biggest show of the year, therefore, that is the number 1 priority. The owner of the company wants the match to be as big as possible and adding the Universal Title to it makes it much bigger.
Also read: 5 reasons Kevin Owens should defeat Goldberg at WWE Fastlane
It also gives Lesnar the most significant victory in their 3-match series, negating the fact Goldberg will still be 2-1 up because Brock’s win will be considered the biggest, as it would be for the Universal Title.
#2 Kevin Owens vs Chris Jericho is not the main event at WrestleMania
Unlike Goldberg and Lesnar, Owens and Jericho are NOT in the Main Event at WrestleMania. In reality, their match may be the 6th or 7th most important match on the card. The pair have built to their match superbly over the last 12 months, however, they don’t have the star power of Goldberg and Brock Lesnar.
Unlike many fans, I feel like it makes perfect sense to insert the Universal Title into the Lesnar-Goldberg match, as it needs higher stakes attached to it because it’s the third and final match in a trilogy.
Owens vs Jericho is a first time ever match and the Universal Title would do nothing to aid it.
Kevin Owens retaining the Universal Title against Chris Jericho would be one of the most underwhelming ends to a WrestleMania ever. The option to crown Chris Jericho as Champion doesn’t exist, as Jericho is leaving the WWE after WrestleMania 33 to tour with his band Fozzy.
#3 Don’t expose Goldberg
Goldberg has never been known for his excellent in-ring work, even in his prime, so we shouldn’t expect 5-star matches from him in 2017.
There would be no benefit in the WWE booking anything over 5 minutes that would expose Goldberg’s limitations, such as bad cardio, being a weak worker and possibly being injury prone.
The company want Brock and Goldberg to look as strong as possible, as they are drawing the eyes to WrestleMania 33, so they do NOT want Goldberg to over-sell in a long match.
A quick 3-minute match will probably see Goldberg no sell a majority of Owens’ arsenal before putting him away with his Jackhammer and Spear combination. The WrestleMania match will probably be a 10-15 minute affair, with both men selling and Lesnar ultimately coming out on top.
#4 It’s only Fastlane
Fastlane is not one of the big 4, it’s a B-PPV on the road to WrestleMania 33. Fans who booked tickets to this PPV were not entitled to a Goldberg appearance when they booked the show, let alone a Universal Title change.
Therefore, this match will be seen as an added bonus to this crowd, no matter what the length, so the WWE will have no backlash from the crowd for keeping it short at Fastlane.
#5 Teflon Owens
Teflon is solid with an extremely low coefficient of friction. It is commonly used as a non-stick coating for pans. That’s why Teflon is often used to describe person who seems to get away with EVERYTHING, no matter what it is! Nothing "sticks" to Teflon.
Kevin Owens has often been booked badly during his WWE run. His NXT Title reign was one of the shortest. He debuted in the WWE by beating John Cena but then lost back to back rematches. He also had 3 back to back PPV losses to Dean Ambrose.
He lost his IC Title at WrestleMania 32 in a Ladder Match to Zack Ryder, of all people. He has been booked as a weak Champion throughout his current run, initially being handed the belt by Triple H and then needing Chris Jericho to retain it throughout.
However, every single time, Teflon Owens manages to talk himself back into favour. This time will be no different. Despite being squashed by Goldberg, he will recover his heat and credibility by sending Jericho packing at WrestleMania 33.
He may even receive a run as US Champion, should WWE decide not to vacate it for a US Title Ladder match to help get more guys on to the WrestleMania card. That is still to be decided by the company.
However, Kevin Owens will be fine regardless and will return to his upper mid-card position/part-time main eventer role. His position is not too dissimilar to Dean Ambrose – big established stars, who will never be the top stars.
Stay tuned my podcast, the “Dirty Sheets” for breaking news and analysis on the road to WrestleMania.
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