WWE Super ShowDown 2020 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia created a major sharp turn in the rumored direction of the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view. While many were not surprised at the result of Brock Lesnar destroying Ricochet to retain the WWE Championship, a surprise did occur in the main event — WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg defeated "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt to commence his reign with the WWE Universal Championship for the second time. After being unable to defeat Wyatt with multiple spears throughout the match, Goldberg was able to deliver a Jackhammer, and end the four-month Universal Title reign of The Fiend and made this the biggest trending topic in pro wrestling.
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This title match concluded exactly the way that it should have. While many were unhappy that Goldberg, a "part-timer," won the match and championship, my huge pushback would be based on this main factor: it created an opportunity to have two torch-passing moments at WrestleMania.
While a Goldberg win may seem counterproductive in WWE building new superstars, it actually was quite the contrary. At WrestleMania, it is more than likely that Roman Reigns will be vying for the championship that he was forced to relinquish in October 2018. Reigns is undoubtedly the flagship player in all of WWE — like him or not — and will be the biggest current era name for the company for years to come.
The Fiend Would Lose the Universal Championship Anyway
SPEAR AFTER SPEAR AFTER SPEAR.#WWESSD #UniversalTitle @Goldberg pic.twitter.com/kiyzWlRCzA
— WWE (@WWE) February 27, 2020
Regardless of if it was at Super ShowDown or WrestleMania, The Fiend was going to most likely lose, and Reigns was going to win the Universal Championship again. Moreover, Goldberg vs. Reigns is a much more marketable match at the biggest pro wrestling event of the year than The Fiend vs. Reigns. This means that Roman Reigns, a current era, non-part-time guy, will win a top title at WrestleMania. This means that Goldberg winning the title and Reigns winning it from Goldberg makes Reigns a bigger star. I call that a win-win.
The Fiend also benefits from this loss. If he was going to face Reigns at WrestleMania, there is a very high chance that he would have lost. Now, this could also be a big change of plans. Why? Because The Fiend can now leave Tampa, Florida on April 5 with a quality win against John Cena. Moreover, The Fiend popping up from Goldberg's Jackhammer also shows that Vince McMahon has not given up on his character, and still wants to protect him.
Since debuting this character against Finn Balor at SummerSlam, the Bray Wyatt project as "The Fiend" has slightly decreased in stock. However, with a big win against Cena at WrestleMania 36, this could not only quickly boost Wyatt, but also lead to a future Universal Championship match against Reigns following WrestleMania.
WrestleMania 36 Looks Like a "Passing of the Torch" Event
EXCLUSIVE: @WWERomanReigns is ready for the next chapter following Steel Cage scrap with King @BaronCorbinWWE at #WWESSD. pic.twitter.com/arO8xS9Pay
— WWE (@WWE) February 27, 2020
At the WrestleMania 33 PPV, Goldberg lost the Universal Championship to Brock Lesnar, after winning the title by defeating Kevin Owens at Fastlane. While this still was a much bigger WrestleMania match than Owens vs. Lesnar, this was a better argument because Goldberg vs. Lesnar was at the expense of a current era name. However, this time, Super Showdown has most likely created wins at WrestleMania for both Reigns and Wyatt. In addition, Goldberg appearing on SmackDown heading into WrestleMania will be a much bigger ratings boost than Wyatt.
Come the end of April 5, 2020, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, fans who criticize the lack of building characters in this current era will most likely see Roman Reigns as the Universal Champion, Drew McIntyre defeating Brock Lesnar to become WWE Champion, and possibly The Fiend defeating John Cena to continue his push.
This, in turn, made Super ShowDown serve its purpose excellently. So, what are people really complaining about?
