'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Sportskeeda
Goldberg defeated The Fiend for the Universal Championship at WWE Super ShowDown. This result has caused a backlash on social media, as fans are upset that a part-timer defeated arguably the hottest act in WWE for the title. While the result may be bad, if you think about it, it was inevitable.
It is important to note that WWE booked themselves into a corner with the Fiend when they immediately put him in the main event title scene. Instead of, for instance, having him terrorizing other wrestlers before winning the Royal Rumble and, ultimately, winning the title at WrestleMania, WWE put him in a title bout directly after his first match at SummerSlam.
In that respect, things worsened when WWE had the Fiend kick out of numerous Stomps and massive punishment against Seth Rollins at Hell in a Cell. Not only did it cause massive a backlash when the match ended via referee stoppage, but it also brought things to point where you had tow wonder what exactly would it take to defeat the Fiend; if Stomps, chair shots, and a sledgehammer couldn’t do it, what could?
It is also important to point out that the Fiend is much like the Undertaker. He is a character that doesn’t need a title in his feuds at all. Undertaker never had lengthy title reigns, so why should the Fiend be any different? The Fiend was also more focused on getting revenge on past enemies, such as Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, and Daniel Bryan. The Universal Championship was, mostly, an afterthought in all of his feuds.
It has been reported by Dave Meltzer, among others, that the Fiend, Goldberg, John Cena, and Roman Reigns have been linked with each other ahead of WrestleMania. The only questions are now, seemingly, who will be paired with who, and which one would be the title match? The heavy rumor for months was the Fiend would be facing Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship. If that was the case and Reigns beat the Fiend, we would be back to where we were before Reigns’ leave of absence. He would get heavily booed again. With Goldberg winning the Universal Championship and possibly facing Reigns, Reigns is now likely to get cheered and seen as the babyface by fans who are upset with the results of the Fiend-Goldberg match.
As for the Fiend, he is likely going to face John Cena, who returns to SmackDown tonight. The story for these two writes itself, as Cena is the one that 'buried' Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 30. The Fiend “never forgets” what his enemies have done to him, so you have the story there right off the bat. Many may ask: 'Why not just do Cena v Wyatt for the title at WrestleMania and have the Fiend go over, then feud with Reigns after that?' While that would be great for the Fiend, Reigns would, inevitably, defeat him and get booed. With the way things are now, with Reigns v Goldberg, and Fiend v Cena, Vince McMahon gets what he wants - Roman Reigns being the top babyface on SmackDown and being cheered instead of a mixed reaction or getting boos.
