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.
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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.
WWE Royal Rumble: Edge Returns, Brock Lesnar Sets Record & More
Who will Edge feud with on the road to Wrestlemania?
WWE kicked off the road to Wrestlemania on Sunday at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, and there is plenty for wrestling fans to be excited about. For one, WWE legend Edge is officially back.
The R-Rated Superstar made his shocking return as the No. 21 entrant in the Royal Rumble event, marking his first real in-ring action in over nine years.
Edge delivered several spears during the Rumble before finally being eliminated by Roman Reigns in the final moments of the match. It remains to be seen which superstar Edge will feud with moving forward, but fans can expect the big payoff to come at Wrestlemania 36 in Tampa in April.
Earlier in the Royal Rumble, WWE Champion Brock Lesnar set a record by eliminating 13 people in a row up until NXT's Keith Lee entered the fold. Shortly thereafter, Drew McIntyre got into the mix and sent Lesnar over the top rope with a well-timed Claymore Kick. McIntyre stared down Lesnar after the fact and later went on to win the Royal Rumble, which will surely set up a clash between The Scottish Psychopath and The Beast Incarnate at Wrestlemania.
Elsewhere on the card, Charlotte Flair won the 30-woman Royal Rumble, "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt defeated Daniel Bryan in a brutal Strap Match, and Becky Lynch retained the Raw Women's Championship against Asuka.
Check out some more highlights from the 2020 Royal Rumble below.