WWE Rumors - Roman Reigns' replacement to face Goldberg at WrestleMania 36 revealed

It is being reported by the Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer that Braun Strowman has replaced Roman Reigns as Goldberg’s opponent at WWE WrestleMania 36.

Pro Wrestling Sheet’s Ryan Satin broke the news that Reigns told WWE he did not feel comfortable performing at the Performance Center because he has an impaired immune system from his battle with leukemia and he does not want to risk his health.

Satin added that WWE has honored Reigns’ request and he will be replaced by another Superstar at WrestleMania, which has been filmed at the Performance Center this week without any fans due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer has followed up Satin’s report by revealing that Strowman faced Goldberg instead of Reigns.

"Yes, WrestleMania was taped Wednesday and Thursday and Roman Reigns did not wrestle Bill Goldberg. I believe Braun Strowman wrestled Bill Goldberg. Roman Reigns made the call himself. It was interesting because he was there and made the call."

WWE WrestleMania 36 changes

WWE has taken precautions over the last two weeks in an attempt to combat the spread of COVID-19, with Superstars including Dana Brooke and Rey Mysterio missing WrestleMania 36 after being forced to go into quarantine.

The company has also taken the unprecedented step of going ahead with their weekly shows – RAW, SmackDown, NXT and 205 Live – at the Performance Center, despite having no fans in attendance.

WrestleMania 36 was originally due to be held in front of over 70,000 people on April 5 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. However, after matches and segments were filmed this week at the company's training facility in Orlando, Florida, the pre-recorded event will now air on the WWE Network across two nights on April 4-5.

WWE WrestleMania 36: Goldberg vs. Braun Strowman?

If WWE has decided to insert Braun Strowman into the Universal Championship picture at short notice, we can expect major storyline changes to take place on the March 27 episode of SmackDown.

As you can see above, Goldberg’s most notable interaction with Strowman in WWE came in January 2017 when the Hall of Famer joined forces with Roman Reigns to spear the former Wyatt Family member on an episode of RAW.

Other than that, the two Superstars have not been involved in the same storyline since Goldberg’s October 2016 return to WWE.