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Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns at the upcoming Elimination Chamber event is a match that was initially supposed to go down two years ago. But the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted Reigns to drop out of the bout before WrestleMania in 2020.
The WCW legend was WWE's Universal Champion at the time. This time around, however, it's Reigns who holds the same title heading into Elimination Chamber.
On the road to WrestleMania, it would be interesting to see whether or not the Universal Championship changes hands on February 19. With that in mind, let's look at just six potential outcomes for this high-stakes clash:
#6. A moderately competitive match at Elimination Chamber leads to Roman Reigns' victory
Goldberg's upcoming bout will also be the last one as part of his current WWE contract. So it seems likely that he won't walk out of the Saudi Arabia event as your new Universal Champion.
As embedded above, the WCW legend recently took to Instagram to hint that Elimination Chamber 2022 could be his final showcase inside the squared circle. Due to this, Goldberg's potential send-off — for the time being — might mean that he puts up a competitive fight against Roman Reigns.
However, by the end, Reigns would still retain to ensure that he heads into WrestleMania 38 as Universal Champion.
The Tribal Chief has had one of the longest title runs in WWE history, which is why Goldberg's part-time status does not make him an ideal candidate to win at Elimination Chamber.
#5. Can Goldberg pick up a surprising squash win?
Although Goldberg is 55 years old, one cannot overlook the fact that he has squashed high-profile opponents even in modern WWE history.
Two years back, 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt lost his Universal Championship — in almost three minutes — to the WCW icon in Saudi Arabia. That match went down in February 2020.
History could repeat itself this month with Roman Reigns in place of The Fiend. While this possibility seems unlikely due to the significance of Reigns' Universal Championship run, an unexpected Goldberg squash is always something to look out for.
#4. Roman Reigns does the squashing at Elimination Chamber instead of Goldberg
Roman Reigns believes that Goldberg will be the one getting squashed at this stage of his WWE career at Elimination Chamber. As part of the storyline, even Paul Heyman has boldly claimed that this scenario is a spoiler — not a prediction.
Last week on SmackDown, Reigns admitted that the WCW legend would have stood a chance against him two years ago. However, the Universal Champion has drastically changed since then, all thanks to his ascent as WWE's top villain during the pandemic.
Anyone who has stepped up to The Tribal Chief in recent times has ultimately failed to capture the world title. And if the plan for Goldberg is to take significant time off after his current contract ends, Reigns could gain a lot of momentum by squashing the WWE Hall of Famer on the road to WrestleMania 38.
Following Elimination Chamber, the Universal Champion will cross paths with Brock Lesnar again. So from a booking standpoint, serving a humiliating defeat to Goldberg could realistically propel Reigns to a level where he can beat Lesnar clean.
#3. A non-squash encounter results in Goldberg dethroning Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber
While Elimination Chamber will feature Goldberg's last match of his current contract, the WWE Hall of Famer recently shared what could happen if he wins the Universal Championship.
Speaking on Corey Graves' After The Bell podcast, the 55-year-old said he would stick around in WWE during such a scenario:
"I would not ride off into the sunset if I was victorious by any stretch of the imagination, because the champion's responsibility is to be there on television and represent it to the nth degree. If I was victorious, I would not run out of here, I would not hold anybody up, I would not do anything like that because of what the business has given me," said Goldberg. (H/T - Danny Hart of Sportskeeda Wrestling)
If the WCW icon seems open to it, he could have one last title run around this time of the year. However, a squash win in Goldberg's favor seems less probable as it would seriously affect Roman Reigns' credibility during WrestleMania season.
So if there is an outcome where the Universal Championship changes hands at Elimination Chamber, it will likely happen through a fairly competitive match.
#2. Roman Reigns wins at Elimination Chamber with The Bloodline's help
The Usos and Paul Heyman have been integral to Roman Reigns' success in recent times, and they could also prove to be factors at Elimination Chamber.
Goldberg acknowledged the same during his latest appearance on WWE's The Bump:
"I have to take care of Roman. I am not worried about Heyman whatsoever or The Usos. Obviously, it could be a factor in the match. My eyes and my focus are completely on Roman now." (H/T - Prityush Haldar of Sportskeeda Wrestling)
The WCW icon might not lose much credibility if Roman Reigns defeats him via outside assistance during Elimination Chamber. Not only would the finish preserve Goldberg's legacy to some extent, but Reigns could also move on to his WrestleMania feud with Brock Lesnar by keeping the Universal Championship.
As far as The Bloodline is concerned, Paul Heyman can strengthen his loyalty to The Tribal Chief by helping him retain the gold on February 19. This display of allegiance to Reigns will subsequently play into his storyline with Lesnar.
#1. Brock Lesnar costs Roman Reigns the Universal Championship at Elimination Chamber
WWE could jump right into Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar's saga during Elimination Chamber.
Remember how The Beast Incarnate lost his WWE Championship to Bobby Lashley last month due to interference from Reigns? Well, Lesnar has a shot at the gold again in a six-man Elimination Chamber match. He could also gain payback by ensuring that The Tribal Chief loses the Universal Championship to Goldberg on the same night.
Dave Meltzer brought this up in a recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
"There is still the idea of Lesnar winning the WWE title, costing Reigns the Universal, and Reigns beating Lesnar for the WWE title at Mania."
Admittedly, this would create a drastic shift for the men's world title scenarios on the road to WrestleMania 38.
But it also seems like an effective way to get people talking about WWE during this time of the year, which may not be the case if Roman Reigns vs. Goldberg has a straightforward conclusion.
What should be the finish to the Universal Championship match on February 19? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
