Wrestling fans have been looking forward to Wrestlemania all year although it's going to be very different due to COVID-19. There won't be any fans in sight and some of the matchups have been affected. Last week, Roman Reigns revealed that he would be dropping out of his Universal Championship match against Goldberg due to concerns surrounding the Coronavirus. Reigns has battled Leukemia which means his immune system is compromised, thus making him more vulnerable to the virus.
Fans were very angry at his decision and let him know on social media. In light of this, Reigns took to Instagram where he ripped the fans who have been bad about him. Reigns went on to say that no matter what, no one wins in this situation and that many fans need to dig deep and do better.
View this post on InstagramPer Reigns:
"You already know what’s going on. It’s all over the news, the dirt sheets — whatever you want to call them — that I pulled out of WrestleMania. And it’s funny because, for years now, man — years — people were like, ‘Don’t show up to WrestleMania, we don’t want you in it.’ You know what I mean? There’s like a nice handful of dudes and haters that didn’t want me there, but the moment I make a choice for me and my family, I’m a coward, I’m a sissy, a lot of different things that I am now. But you don’t know the whole story. All you know is what you think. ‘Oh, well, his health and this and that.’ But you don’t know what else is going on in my life. You don’t know if I have newborns, you don’t know if I have family in my household — older family. So, yeah, just like the old saying, man. Go and flip that cover open and read a few pages, get into a few chapters before you really start running your mouth. And just take this time to better yourself, be present, and make the most out of this. Because if we can’t grow in a time like this, I don’t think we have a chance."
With Reigns out of Wrestlemania, it's clear the event won't be as entertaining. Regardless, at least it will be a nice injection of entertainment in these dark times.
Roman Reigns Pulls Out Of WWE WrestleMania Due To Coronavirus
Roman Reigns was set to battle Goldberg for the Universal Championship, but he will be pulling out of the match due to his health concerns.
Roman Reigns is one of the most famous WWE Superstars around but, because of very valid and legitimate reasons, he will be missing the biggest show of the year. The Big Dog was scheduled to face off against Goldberg for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36, where many expected him to win the belt, but because of his history with leukemia, he has decided to back out of the match.
The news broke Pro Wrestling Sheet, reporting that the star would no longer be participating in the match. Dubbed as a "Spear vs. Spear" fight because of both wrestler's finishing maneuvers, the WWE will be tasked with finding a replacement for Reigns. Apparently, Braun Strowman is being thrown around as one Superstar that could potentially be added to the match.
Jon Kopaloff/Getty ImagesRoman Reigns has expressed uncertainty about participating in any more of the Performance Center showcases that the company has been putting on in Florida, noting that he is immunosuppressed because of his past battle with cancer and does not want to risk catching COVID-19 since he is at risk.
WrestleMania 36 is set to take place over two nights with no fans in attendance for the first time ever. The Showcase of the Immortals will happen on April 4 and 5 on the WWE Network. Will you be tuning in?
WWE’s Goldberg Ruined Macaulay Culkin’s Wrestlemania Plans
WWE Universal Champion Goldberg issues a response to Macaulay Culkin following the actor's criticism of his title victory.
The results of WWE's Super ShowDown event in Saudi Arabia has infuriated professional wrestling fans across the globe, including longtime WWE supporter Macaulay Culkin. Following Thursday's main event, during which 53-year old Goldberg defeated WWE Universal Champion "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt in a matter of minutes, Culkin took to twitter to express his frustration - just the way many other WWE fans did.
In fact, The Culkster was so annoyed with Goldberg's victory that he has cancelled his trip to Tampa Bay for Wrestlemania 36. Absolutely devastating.
Jerod Harris/Getty Images
Goldberg caught wind of Culkin's reaction to his match against Wyatt and responded with the following tweet, "@IncredibleCulk duly noted dork [thumbs up emoji] [pouting face emoji]."
Although some wrestling fans suspected that Culkin was just joking around about skipping Wrestlemania, he insists that he will not be among those travelling to Tampa for "The Show of Shows" on April 5th. Check out Culkin's reaction to the main event, as well as the champ's response, in the tweets embedded below.
As it stands, rumors suggest that Goldberg will put the WWE Universal title on the line against Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania, while The Fiend is expected to do battle with John Cena.
We'll likely learn more on Friday's edition of SmackDown as both Goldberg and Cena are scheduled to appear at the TD Garden in Boston.
John Cena, Goldberg Rumored Wrestlemania Opponents Revealed
John Cena and Goldberg will have matches at Wrestlemania 36, but they won't be facing the opponents many expected.
WWE's biggest pay-per-view event of the year, Wrestlemania, is rapidly approaching and rumors continue to swirl regarding which matches will be on the card. The Undertaker essentially confirmed his Wrestlemania 36 opponent during WWE's Super ShowDown event in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, but there are two other legends who still need dance partners for The Show of Shows.
JP Yim/Getty Images
First, we'll start with 16-time WWE Champion John Cena, who is scheduled to make his return to SmackDown this Friday. Initial reports suggested that Cena would be appearing to set up a match with Elias at Wrestlemania 36, although it no longer appears that will be the case.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio's Dave Meltzer, WWE is currently planning for Cena to go one-on-one with "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt on April 5th. Wyatt, who had been rumored to defend his title against Roman Reigns, unexpectedly dropped the Universal Championship to Goldberg at Super ShowDown.
Speaking of Goldberg and Reigns, Meltzer notes that the two former college football players will go head to head at Wrestlemania 36. Reigns wrapped up his beef with Baron Corbin today in Saudi Arabia and is in need of a fresh feud as the road to Wrestlemania nears its end. It remains to be seen how they'll set up a clash between the new Universal Champion and The Big Dog, but we'll likely find out sooner than later as we're roughly five weeks away from the show.
Goldberg Shockingly Wins WWE Universal Title: Fans React
WWE legend Goldberg defeats "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt to win the Universal Championship and wrestling fans ARE NOT happy.
53-year old professional wrestling legend Goldberg defeated fan favorite "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt at the Super ShowDown event in Saudi Arabia on Thursday to become the new WWE Universal Champion. Goldberg squashed The Fiend in a matter of minutes, hitting spear after spear after spear before delivering a lackluster "Jackhammer" that stunningly put the champ down for the count.
Just to reiterate, with Wrestlemania 36 just over five weeks away, Bill Goldberg is your WWE Universal Champ.
Jerod Harris/Getty Images
Wrestling fans were shocked and downright furious at the way The Fiend's matchup wit Goldberg played out, as many expected the haunting figure to defend his title at Wrestlemania. That said, the rumors that began swirling prior to their main event clash hinted at the shocking finish.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio's Dave Meltzer, WWE is currently planning for Goldberg to go one-on-one with Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 36 next month, while The Fiend is expected to go up against John Cena. A Fiend-Cena match, which could be set up tomorrow night when Cena returns to SmackDown, will sell itself without the need of the title. Meanwhile, the company is surely chomping at the bit to have Reigns capture the title he never lost by standing tall over Goldberg on April 5th.
Of course, the rumored Wrestlemania card can change from now until then - but it certainly looks like Goldberg will enter Raymond James Stadium with the WWE Universal Championship around his waist. Check out some of the instant reactions to Goldberg's shocking victory below.
Goldberg’s Rumored Opponent For WWE Super ShowDown Revealed
Looks like Goldberg is in for a rude awakening.
Earlier this week the WWE formally announced that Goldberg would be making his return to SmackDown Live on, February 7th to set the stage for his next match. That match will reportedly take place at WWE's upcoming "Super ShowDown" event at International Arena at The Boulevard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
We'll definitively learn "Who's Next?" during tonight's episode of SmackDown, but reports are already surfacing that the man who will face Goldberg in Saudi Arabia is not a man at all. According to Brad Shepard of Pro Sports Extra, WWE Universal Champion "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt will be the one to answer Goldberg's call.
The Fiend has attacked several professional wrestling legends during his rise to becoming Universal Champion, including Mick Foley, Kane and Jerry The King Lawler, so it wouldn't be out of character for him to lash out at Goldberg. Wyatt just recently defeated Daniel Bryan in a brutal Strap Match at the Royal Rumble and it remains to be seen who will challenge him for the title at Wrestlemania 36 in April, but in the meantime it looks as though he'll go one-on-one with Goldberg in Saudi Arabia.
The last time the WWE held a "Super ShowDown" event, Goldberg squared up with The Undertaker for the first time ever, which ended up being a complete dumpster fire filled with blown spots and botches that had wrestling fans pleading for both wrestling legends to retire for good. In spite of that cringeworthy bout, Goldberg later returned for a match at SummerSlam, where he squashed Dolph Ziggler.
The 53-year old legend will make his first appearance since then tonight and, if the rumors are true, we can all expect the lights to go out and The Fiend to appear.