Jay's Ways - Reigns/Goldberg Or Reigns/Big E? Submitted by Justin Watry on 12/13/2020 at 01:39 PM
It is currently December 13th, 2020. A nice, cold Sunday afternoon right before the Green Bay Packers vs. Detroit Lions kick off. Obviously, an easy win for the Pack is coming today, but other things are on my mind. Next Sunday is the final WWE pay-per-view of the year. What that means is the Road To WrestleMania is about to begin. From January to April, it is THE best time to watch professional wrestling. I think it is more than fair to start speculation of legends returning, Royal Rumble winners, big time showdowns, any potential dream matches, etc.
However, most of that can come at a later date. For now, let's just focus on the Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
He has been THE big dog since coming back from hiatus in August. No doubt about it. He has bumped up the blue brand's ratings. He has brought attention and buzz to the First niday program on FOX like few have in 2020. He has been leading the charge of the entire industry for the past four months. Alongside Paul Heyman, make no mistake, whoever he faces off against at WrestleMania 37 is going to be big. With just a few months until that occurs, here are two we're assumptions:
- Kevin Owens is not beating him at WWE TLC next weekend for the Universal Title. Sorry. I do not believe many fans give him a realistic shot. Same with Daniel Bryan, who is rumored to be feuding with Reigns come January at the Royal Rumble event. Not happening, barring some serious change in plans. The head of the table is making it to Mania as Universal Champion, at least. His title run could go on forever. Who knows?
- Next assumption is that The Rock will NOT return to wrestle Roman Reigns in 2021. That has been the talk of the industry as of late. With Roman channeling his Samoan heritage more and talking about needing to be the 'head of the table' for his family, it is rather obvious that the only person who could knock him down a notch or two is The Great One. Trust me: I would love to see Rocky vs. Reigns in four months at the biggest event of the year! That is an instant sell out for WrestleMania 37, whether the show is in Florida, California, or up on the moon. With the entire discussion and debate still revolving around fans in attendance and safety measures, my gut says The Rock stays out of the ring for another year. Maybe 2022 when things are HOPEFULLY much better? Time will tell.
We are down to only two real options, ladies and gentlemen: Big E or Bill Goldberg?
There are pros and cons to each man stepping up to wrestle Roman Reigns. First, there is the young star WWE is wanting to build up in Big E.
PROS FOR BIG E: He is more than deserving of a main event opportunity. The man has done the silly crap with The New Day. He has been an IC Champion. He was a bodyguard kinda character with Dolph Ziggler. Big E has hung around the mid-card scene for far too long. This is his time. If it is ever going to happen for him on Smackdown, you best believe it must be in late 2020 (now) or 2021 (kinda still now). Plus, he has the fan's backing and respect as a full-time wrestler. I don't get into the full-time versus part-time junk much, but it makes sense here. He has the tools, the youth, and the fan support. Why not Big E?
CONS FOR BIG E: On the most recent episode of Talking Smack, Paul Heyman ripped into Big E pretty good. He made it very clear that his goofy antics and comedic side are holding him back. The New Day is over with; you have to accept that. it got us many laughs and jokes, but Big E is worth more than just jokes. Heyman left him speechless...because he spoke the truth. Was this WWE planting the seeds for a Big E showdown with Roman Reigns down the road? Perhaps as a Royal Rumble winner in January? I sure hope so. However, the words still stung. I have said it forever. Big E needs to ditch the silly crap. No more splits during the entrance. No more stupid pancakes or ridiculous faces. Funny isn't money. That is the only 'con' I see here with Big E. Is he fully capable of being a serious competitor and getting fans to accept him as a legitimate World Champion caliber performer? I think he is.
PROS FOR BILL GOLDBERG: Do not forget Roman Reigns vs. Bill Goldberg was initially planned for WrestleMania 36. Nobody cared about Goldberg taking on Braun Strowman or even the stuff with The Fiend. All of that was supposed to be for Roman Reigns. Any way you slice it, Reign is the top man in the business right now, and Goldberg was a top man in the business during his era. That is a dream match. You can see why WWE had that in mind for Mania earlier this year. Obviously, everything went into the dumps, and we never got the bout. Now, WWE is trying it again. Same idea. Goldberg is DA MAN, but Reigns is the BIG DOG. Easy, simple, boom. That is money; that is WrestleMania. Assuming the result is Reigns absolutely destroying Goldberg and laying waste to another legend, it can only mean bigger things for him in 2021.
CONS FOR BILL GOLDBERG: Well, back to the full-time versus part-time debate, this one is easy. Goldberg is a million years older than Big E, and his time is long gone as a regular attraction. Coming in for a match at Summerslam or Mania or whatever is cool with me. That is the whole point of dream matches. The Undertaker and Triple H have made a living off that concept for the past ten years. I get it. I am fine with the idea. Making the man a champion or leading a brand in 2021 or beyond, no thanks. Goldberg is 53 and soon to be 54. When you add in age and his ALWAYS very limited in-ring skills, you aren't going to get much out of him, minus the big moves and excitement. I don't know. I was live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin when he beat Kevin Owens for the Universal Title. It was a great moment, and the crowd loved him winning. I was also live in Orlando, Florida a month later when he lost that belt to Brock Lesnar...and the fans loved him losing. They saw the big redemption moment but were ready to move on. I feel similar here. It would be a big time showdown, hence WWE and Goldberg already teasing the match. I just don't know if it will work as well as it did four years ago.
