5 matches for Goldberg at WrestleMania 38

WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg is set to have the final match of his current deal this Saturday. That's when he'll finally face off against Roman Reigns - a match that was supposed to take place at WrestleMania two years ago - at Elimination Chamber for the Universal Championship.

There's a good possibility that the wrestling legend puts over the Tribal Chief and goes off to enjoy retirement with his family.

There's also the possibility that Goldberg really likes money and signs a new contract with WWE. Because, like him or not, Da Man puts butts in seats. At 55-years old, Goldberg is still a major draw.

A new contract with WWE would no doubt mean a match at WrestleMania 38 in Dallas, TX. But, against who? The answer is obvious — WrestleMania legend Bad Bunny, of course.

We're kidding, but we did come up with five possible opponents that Goldberg could quite possibly square off against at this year's Show of Shows. All of this depends on what happens in his match with Roman Reigns — as well as the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship — this Saturday and, obviously, if he signs a new contract.

It's worth mentioning that these aren't listed in any particular order, but let's start with a banger.

---

#5. Universal Champion Goldberg vs WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns — Winner Take All

Following his Royal Rumble match victory this past January, Brock Lesnar confronted WWE Champion Bobby Lashley the next night. He informed the All Mighty that he would be challenging... Universal Champion Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. He warned Lashley not to get too comfortable, however, as he also intended to enter the Elimination Chamber match for RAW's biggest prize.

Meanwhile, over on SmackDown, the former World Heavyweight Champion informed Reigns that he's next.

Elimination Chamber could end with Goldberg as Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar as WWE Champion — and Roman Reigns with a major chip on his shoulder. For this scenario, it's important that Goldberg wins the championship. With a Reigns victory, it would be in character for the Tribal Chief to pull the "I already beat you once" card to deny Goldberg a rematch.

A Winner Take All bout between Lesnar and arguably his greatest rival by itself would be a no-brainer moneymaker main event (consider that an extra secret bonus entry to this list). Adding the Head of the Table brings even more intrigue to it. Also, while Goldberg is awesome, he isn't exactly known for his lengthy match times. With Lesnar and Reigns in there with him, the Hall of Famer will get an opportunity to recharge.

But, there are certainly other options to consider as well.

#4. Goldberg vs WWE Champion Bobby Lashley

Let's, just for a moment, conclude that Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar is going to happen at WrestleMania, with or without Da Man in it. So, here's our scenario: Lashley manages to escape the Elimination Chamber match with his WWE Championship (probably thanks to interference by Reigns, again).

Meanwhile, Reigns manages to retain his championship and — what the hey — let's say it's because of interference from Bobby Lashley.

There's a lot of history between Lashley and Goldberg from just 2021 alone that can be played with. Lashley's win at SummerSlam that year was followed by him attacking Bill's son, Gage, and was the impetus for their No Holds Barred rematch at Crown Jewel.

That match in Saudi Arabia, however, wasn't for the WWE Championship, as Lashley had dropped the strap to Big E by that point. Which means that we could see these two go at it for the gold one more time in Dallas. Considering that the Hall of Famer has had nothing but great things to say about Lashley outside of the ring, pairing the two up one more time sounds like it could happen.

#3. Goldberg vs NXT Champion Bron Breakker

If Goldberg has shown us anything over his last five years working with WWE, it's that he's not opposed to putting over some of these new kids. Take, for example, his match with then-WWE Champion Drew McIntyre at the 2021 Royal Rumble, where he put the Scottish Warrior over clean.

You can even look at his last WrestleMania appearance, losing the Universal Championship to Braun Strowman.

Current NXT Champion Bron Breakker — son and nephew of wrestling legends Rick and Scott Steiner, respectively — is clearly someone WWE sees as the future of the company. He's a powerhouse with really good mic skills and the kind of pedigree WWE loves. He's got his father's good natured attitude about him, but his uncle's unhinged insanity bubbles just below the surface.

WWE has featured NXT stars at WrestleMania in the past — most notoriously then-Women's Champion Rhea Ripley in a controversial loss against Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 36. This, however, doesn't need to be a rehash.

In this scenario, following his inability to dethrone Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber, the Hall of Famer addresses the crowd at Raw the next Monday. Now, there are a plethora of ways WWE can set up a WrestleMania bout between these two, but this is the one we came up with.

Goldberg comes out and thanks the WWE Universe for all their support over the years. He admits he's ready to finally hang up the boots and enjoy a well-deserved retirement. However, he also says he feels that he has one more WrestleMania match in him, and he knows just the guy he wants to have it with. Cue Bron Breakker, who was already there to back up his friend Tommasso Ciampa in his own feud with Dolph Ziggler.

Intense pleasantries are exchanged and a match at WrestleMania is agreed upon. It won't be for the NXT Championship, but Goldberg announces it will be his final match. The two of them shake hands, but in that really intense "I respect you but I'm also gonna kick your ass" kind of way.

We're not going to predict who would win this match, lest we dive any further into fantasy booking territory, but we can predict that it would be a pretty amazing "passing of the torch" moment.

#2. Goldberg vs John Cena

WrestleMania has been the home of dream matches — both realized and unrealized. Goldberg himself was in one back at WrestleMania XX when he took on Brock Lesnar. The less said about that match, the better (they made up for it, however.) But for every Hogan vs Flair or Sting vs Undertaker we didn't get, we were also given Hogan vs Rock and Rock vs Cena (we even got that one twice.)

John Cena is certainly a busy, busy man these days. He's the star of Peacemaker on HBO Max, with a slew of other acting jobs in the works. When a big, spectacular match is a possibility, however — especially one that fits into his schedule — Cena has shown he's willing to go all in for it. This one would be the definition of both "big" and "spectacular."

It's hard to think of a scenario, especially after what could theoretically happen at Elimination Chamber, that this match would be set up. Then again, there doesn't really need to be one. Goldberg simply needs to come to the ring, growl "I want John Cena at WrestleMania" into the mic, and the ball is rolling.

Do you really need more of a set-up than that? Because if you do, well... you're weird.

Up until recently, this seemed like the biggest Goldberg "dream match" possible in WWE. Then, word came down that a certain Texas Rattlesnake maaaaaaaaaaaybe might return to the ring for one more match.

#1. Goldberg vs Stone Cold Steve Austin

If Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair were the faces of their respective companies in the 1980s, Goldberg and Stone Cold Steve Austin were their 1990s counterparts. The two men weren't just the major stars for their promotions, they were the two biggest breakout pro wrestling stars of the decade. When you also consider they both shared a smiliar look, fans' imaginations went wild.

This wasn't just Hogan vs Flair "who would win?" schoolyard talk — this was up there with "Could Thor beat Superman?" arguments.

Sadly, the University of Georgia product made his way to WWE right as Austin was calling it a career following WrestleMania XIX. The Rattlesnake was the special guest referee for Goldberg's WrestleMania XX bout with Brock Lesnar, but that's as close as we've gotten.

Since then, Da Man has returned and won the Universal Championship in WWE not once but twice. Meanwhile, as we mentioned earlier, there's a chance we might see Austin in one more match this year. The signs are pointing towards Kevin Owens as the Texan's potential opponent, if it even happens at all. However, just the fact that there's a chance — slim as it is — that the two WWE Hall of Famers could actually lock horns at WrestleMania of all places? How could that not top this list?

Can you think of any other possibilities? Let's hear 'em. We've got the comments section down there just for that.