There is little doubt according to fans on social media about what they think of this match and how the WWE appears to have cut off “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt’s growth by having a 50-something year old legend beat him handily in a squash match. Yep, the Universal Champion was essentially a squash opponent.. The question many are asking is why did Goldberg beat the Fiend?
Sure Goldberg wanted to redeem himself for his botched match against the Undertaker but this? There has to be more to it.
Plenty of possibilities
This is a case of pick your poison.
The most obvious is psychological as Bray Wyatt is the fan favorite and whoever beats him will be an instant heel. It was obvious when Seth Rollins faced him, and in every house show when Wyatt’s opponents gained the upper hand.
Goldberg beat the Fiend soundly after a handful of spears and a jackhammer.
And he was being booed by the end of the match by some of the fans in Saudi Arabia.
It could’ve been because of Goldberg’s limited move set, or the continued repetition many of us have been railing against in the WWE for months if not years. A longer, more diverse match is a rarity in the WWE, so Goldberg fits right in. It’s the standard up and down the roster.
But that’s only part of the psychology.
Assuming the leaks indicating Roman Reigns is to be the promotion’s face by WrestleMania are the plan, then when Reigns beats Goldberg for the Universal Championship, we’ll cheer him for it.
Just like in the movies
It’s typical Vince McMahon and professional wrestling and entertainment in general. They get us to care about a character and use that to manipulate us into backing someone we may not have originally.
In this case, the much maligned Roman Reigns.
The hope most likely is that we’ll forget his limited mic skills and how he would be a mid carder in another era, or how he was shoved down our throats previously and caused many to walk away from the WWE.
While some of us will forget that and cheer for the man following Goldberg’s heel turn (you heard it here first), many won’t. Of course, those that won’t have probably already left for AEW or NWA.
It’s part of the fallout from this past Super Showdown, but more on that later.
On tonight’s Smackdown (2/28), we can expect Goldberg to make an appearance — assuming there are no airplane issues this time — and will probably be booed when he mentioned defeating the Fiend. Reigns will then come out when/if a challenge is made. He’ll respond and challenge Goldberg with a probable, “I respect everything you’ve done, but I never lost my championship and I want it back.”
The loyal fans will go crazy cause this is a match we’re supposed to want and the buildup for WrestleMania will begin and Reigns will have his moment.
But this could be problematic for various reasons.
Super Showdown blowback
Remember the aftermath of the Fiend and Seth Rollins’ Hell in a Cell match? This is just like that on social media.
Everywhere we look, fans are furious and losing their minds over Wyatt being cut off again and the months of building the Fiend up was ruined. Some are pointing out how as a legend, Goldberg would be the only type capable of beating the Fiend.
Sorry, but no. Super Showdown started with a bad at best gauntlet match that saw some really bad finishes early on (and I say this as an R-Truth fan) and ended with a single choke slam (no other offense) from the Undertaker on AJ Styles.
There’s no where in the world those ending would’ve been believable. And the Goldberg/Wyatt match was similar.
Fans everywhere have claimed they discontinued their WWE Network. Again. The same thing happened following the botched HIAC pay-per-view.
This could be one of the biggest mistakes McMahon has made, but we’ll have to wait and see. One thing is for sure, AEW has to be drooling over this given their next pay-per-view, Revolution, is this Saturday.
The paradigm shift may begin this week.
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