Universal Championship Match For WrestleMania 36 Officially Changed

It had been previously reported that the Universal Championship match at WrestleMania 36 was going to have to be changed when Roman Reigns pulled himself out of the match. This was due to health concerns related to the Coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the world.

There had been rumors about who would be replacing The Big Dog in the match, and those have been confirmed. Tonight on Smackdown, it was announced that Braun Strowman would be replacing Reigns in the match and will now challenge Goldberg for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania.

Here is a clip of what could have been:

From WWE.com:

Braun Strowman will challenge Goldberg for the Universal Championship at the unprecedented, two-night edition of The Showcase of the Immortals, putting The Monster Among Men within distance of the World Title victory that has eluded him for years. The highly anticipated title bout also gives Goldberg the opportunity to score his most titanic conquest since trouncing Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series 2016.

Strowman has come close to the Universal Championship on several occasions, most notably a series of singles and multi-man matches back when Lesnar held the championship, a narrowly thwarted Money in the Bank cash-in and a tight loss to Seth Rollins. Since then, Strowman has rebounded to win the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and record a short stint with the Intercontinental Championship, but the World Title has remained beyond his reach until now.

The dominance of Goldberg, however, has remained absolute. Ever since he was announced as the surprise challenger to then-champion “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, the WWE Hall of Famer has shown little signs of slowing down, plowing through the monstrous titleholder to become Universal Champion for the second time. As imposing as Strowman is, there’s no small chance he’ll simply be a bigger notch than most on Goldberg’s belt, but a notch all the same.

Editor’s Opinion:

“Highly anticipated title bout?” Really, WWE?!?! Also, they just happened to casually mention that this change was happening, right after a recap segment of Elias vs. King Corbin. Not really a fan of how they addressed this; I feel that they should have been more upfront with Reigns pulling himself out. Either way, I anticipate this being a quick match, as it should be.

Are you looking forward to the match between Braun Strowman and Goldberg for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36? Leave us a comment below, or post a comment on our Facebook page! Also, be sure to sign up for our newsletter!

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