Assessing the potential Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg match at WrestleMania 33.
When you say, “Goldberg”, you think, “Brock Lesnar”. When you say, “Brock Lesnar”, you think, “Goldberg”. They’ve faced off at WrestleMania 20, Survivor Series 2016, and inside the ring at the 2017 Royal Rumble. Now they’re likely headed for WrestleMania 33.
On last Monday’s episode of WWE Raw, Lesnar and Paul Heyman challenged Goldberg to one last match, which would come at WrestleMania in April. This is the first time a bout has pretty much been confirmed for this show, so there’s a chance we could be seeing this main event.
The last time Lesnar and Goldberg competed one-on-one, it ended in 86 seconds, a shocking result given how the Beast Incarnate had been used since 2013. It would be his first pinfall loss since WrestleMania 29 against Triple H and prove that he is mortal.
Then at Royal Rumble, these two stood face-to-face in a wrestling match for the first time since Survivor Series. This time, Goldberg speared Lesnar and eliminated him over the top rope within seconds. This left Heyman and his advocate sitting stunned at ringside at what had transpired. It led to the challenge one night later on Raw.
WrestleMania 33 is less than two months away, so there is plenty of time for hype and anticipation for this match. It will also face criticisms along the way. So we took a look at the pros and cons of a potential Lesnar vs. Goldberg match on April 2.
Con: Do We Need to See This Again?
The idea of a Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg return feud didn’t come off well when it had first been rumored in October 2016. However, the reception for Goldberg became overwhelming everywhere he went, and his shocking 86-second win over Lesnar at Survivor Series sent him into the stratosphere.
With such an easy defeat, one would think that in any feud, the losing wrestler would move on. That didn’t seem to be the case at the Royal Rumble when Goldberg eliminated Lesnar within seconds. So what does the Beast Incarnate do? He challenges for another go-around at WrestleMania 33.
The idea of seeing two Superstars face off with one of them having the clear advantage in previous matches isn’t the most appealing idea. We’ve seen Goldberg defeat Lesnar — the one who ended Undertaker’s WrestleMania Streak — in less than two minutes. Are fans supposed to belive that Lesnar wasn’t ready?
If this is going to headline WrestleMania 33, then there needs to be an added incentive or multiple. If not, then there’s little reason for this to happen again?
WWE.com
Pro: The Final Payoff to a 13-Year Feud
While Lesnar and Goldberg going head-to-head at WrestleMania 33 is going to be yet another matchup between these two, it seems like this is going to be the end. At least, that’s what Paul Heyman made it sound like on Raw. If that’s the case, then we’re about to see the end of a 13-year feud.
For years, we saw Goldberg tied to the hip of Lesnar. Not necessarily the other way around, as the former Next Big Thing has been back with WWE since 2012. This has seen him face the likes of Dean Ambrose, John Cena, Triple H, CM Punk, Roman Reigns, and the Undertaker. He’s moved on from the former WCW star, but not the other way around after how their WrestleMania 20 match went down.
Ending the 13 years of history between these two, especially Goldberg, will allow them to shed the WrestleMania 20 stigma they have and move onto other things. If Goldberg returns for another stint, he could work with someone like Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, AJ Styles, or Braun Strowman. Lesnar can then move onto his next feud, which will likely be for SummerSlam.
This long journey will receive its payoff at WrestleMania, something that will let both Superstars move on.
WWE.com
Con: Lesnar Can’t Defeat Goldberg
To play off the first con, we have already seen Lesnar and Goldberg face off before and has had the same result. So should we expect anything else?
With the way this is setting up, Lesnar will probably get the win to give him the last laugh before Goldberg leaves. It’s no guarantee the former WCW star returns for another stint — unless he’s already worked out an agreement with WWE that the public doesn’t know about.
Putting the realism to the side, the storyline part of this shows that Lesnar can’t defeat Goldberg. It’s not like the former UFC star is a babyface trying to overcome an obstacle either, as this is the only person he can’t defeat. Maybe that’s a story in itself and doesn’t make this con a strong one, but there will be fans that don’t want to see this encounter again because of how many times these two have stood in the ring.
WWE.com
Pro: What Else Can Main Event the Show?
When it comes to the main event of WrestleMania, it needs to be something that will captivate the audience with the biggest names in WWE. That’s still why stars of the past are featured in the headlining match, like the Rock and Triple H. It’s also why John Cena and Roman Reigns have been in four of the past five of these bouts. To go one step further, in NJPW, it’s why Kazuchika Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi always close out Wrestle Kingdom.
With the way this match card is setting up, it’s probably not going to be Reigns or Cena in the main event. The Leader of the Cenation may not even have one of the top five matches on the show. Reigns is also lined up with the Undertaker, which likely won’t have a title on the line.
The predicted Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt match for the WWE Championship isn’t main event worth either. We’ve seen Wyatt portrayed as someone with enough to main event a SmackDown PPV, but never close to WrestleMania. He was even held off last year’s show.
That leaves Goldberg and Lesnar emerging from the mix. To make it stick out among the rest, the Universal Championship would probably have to be placed on one of them. If this rumor from the Wrestling Observer is any indication, it’s a possibility.
Having these two battle for a title over the Orton vs. Wyatt bout would make more sense. Lesnar and Goldberg are bigger on mainstream appeal, so they’ll resonate better with the fans that tune in just for WrestleMania season. If there’s a catchy headline to take away from a match, it’s also likely that Lesnar and Goldberg would receive the coverage over Orton and Wyatt. Survivor Series’ shocking moment in the main event created news for days, which could be the idea for WWE here to pull off at the Show of Shows.
Even with this, there’s nothing else being set up on a mainstream appeal that can close out WrestleMania, especially for a title. While Kevin Owens still holds the Universal Championship, his reign may not last for long.
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