#5 Goldberg didn’t need the title
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Goldberg – the proprietor of the only other streak in contemporary professional wrestling to rival that of the Undertaker’s – paces impatiently on one corner of the ring, the very picture of intensity and vigour, flexing his trapezius muscles, as though to forewarn his opponent of impending doom.
On the other corner, accompanied by the prostrations of his reverent and loyal advocate Paul Heyman, Brock Lesnar repeatedly shuffles his weight from one foot onto another, ominously, as though shaking off all remaining vestiges of humanity that he may bear, before tearing into his prey.
Goldberg may have bested Lesnar at Survivor Series, but it was a shock victory more than a dominant one; a scenario that segued seamlessly into a final, deciding encounter at the Show of Shows. Winner takes all, loser leaves town.
Quite a tantalising narrative isn’t it?
Did you notice that I’d missed out mentioning the WWE Universal Title? You didn’t, did you? That’s exactly my point.
Goldberg versus Brock Lesnar is a grand spectacle that practically sells itself. It’s the ultimate showdown between, arguably, two of the biggest alpha males that the WWE has seen in this generation.
It teems with mainstream appeal, and despite the predictability of the result this time around, it checks all the boxes that a rip-roarer of a WrestleMania event should.
What then, I ask, is the purpose of inserting the WWE Universal Title into the mix?
It wasn’t too long ago that John Cena elevated the gravitas of the US Title by stringing together a series of stellar matches where he defended it against all comers, week in and week out.
With that title run serving as a shining yardstick for the WWE to follow, it baffles as to why the Universal Title has been wedged between two titans of the industry whose mere presence in the ring sells tickets.
Whatever other drawbacks Goldberg’s current WWE run entail, for a passionate fan of the industry, the decision to thrust the WWE Universal title on him seems to be the most cringe-worthy of the lot.
And especially after Kevin Owens’ unsatisfactory run with the belt, it was the last thing that the WWE should have been gunning for.
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