WWE Fastlane 2017: Making the Case for Kevin Owens to Defeat Goldberg at Raw PPV

A Kevin Owens victory over Goldberg at Fastlane 2017 would be a victory for WWE.

Owens surviving the powerhouse's challenge at the Raw pay-per-view on March 5 would be an investment in the future, not just a means to set up WrestleMania 33. It would be a bold, unexpected move that bolsters the future.

Goldberg called out the champ on Monday's Raw, challenging him to a Universal Championship match. En route to his WrestleMania battle with Brock Lesnar, the WCW icon apparently wants to taste gold again.

This match is about more than the championship in KO's grasp, though.

Owens vs. Goldberg can change an ascending Superstar's career forever. Or WWE could forgo that to add an unnecessary layer to a WrestleMania showdown instead. 

The choice ahead for WWE at Fastlane is between the here and now and the New Era. It's a choice between halting Owens' momentum or amplifying it.

As a bonus, KO coming out on top is an outcome few would see coming.

Shock Value 

Goldberg feels like a lock to win at Fastlane.

WWE has booked him to be a dominant force since his return last year. At Survivor Series, he didn't just beat the monstrous Lesnar, he stomped all over him with little resistance. Goldberg then tore into the field at the Royal Rumble, ousting Rusev, Luke Harper and Lesnar.

And now with a WrestleMania match looming against The Beast Incarnate, a good chunk of the audience will assume he's taking home the title on March 5.

It's hard to blame them. Owens has weaseled his way to wins. He's been far from an overpowering champ, and so feels like a sitting duck at this point.

WWE can use those expectations to its advantage. Owens not only holding his own against Goldberg, but outsmarting and outlasting him would be a shocker.

It won't be on the scale of Lesnar taking down Undertaker at WrestleMania, but it would be a major moment. 

Goldberg vs. Lesnar Needs No Gold

The final chapter in the Goldberg vs. Lesnar saga doesn't need a championship at the center of it.

It's already a massive match. It boasts two megastars. Its story will sell it.

Lesnar's pursuit of retribution, of wishing to erase the memories of Goldberg embarrassing him is an ample base for that bout.

Why then rob Owens of the opportunity to have a title match at WrestleMania to fatten his resume? Why crown a champion who probably won't regularly appear on Raw and most certainly won't compete at house shows?  

And as Jake Barnett of ProWrestling.net pointed out, Goldberg's win wouldn't boost the universal title:

The story of Owens' surviving Goldberg and then extending his reign until WrestleMania is the one WWE should tell. His reign would suddenly become far more impressive if he took on this latest challenge and succeeded.

Making Owens a Made Man

Stars are made through big moments and big victories.

Lesnar's career shot into the stratosphere when he beat The Rock in 2002. Ultimate Warrior's win over Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VI catapulted him to top-tier status. WWE would be wise to follow that recipe at Fastlane.

A win over Goldberg would change Owens' position on the WWE food chain.

It would leave him brimming with momentum as he made it clear he belonged on the same level as the company's most heavily promoted stars. It would give him a victory to brag about for years. Owens would then be able to proclaim that he felled both John Cena and Goldberg, a mighty impressive feat. 

Owens needs that win; Goldberg's legacy is already set. 

If WWE decides to push KO aside to anoint Goldberg, it will hurt the bruiser. It will make it clear that he's been a placeholder all this time, that when it came time to set the stage for WrestleMania, WWE didn't value him enough to keep the universal title in his hands.

Long-Term over Short-Term

The reasons to crown Goldberg at Fastlane all have to do with the present. It would increase the buzz around his match with Lesnar. It would make Goldberg's return a bigger deal.

But making a 50-year-old star whose popularity peaked in the '90s your top dog is shortsighted.

Goldberg's ascent would be at the expense of Owens. And only one of those wrestlers will be around in the next few years. Hell, Goldberg may not be wrestling come summer time.

WWE's recent habit of showcasing older stars over building new ones is troubling. That strategy would have stunted the Attitude Era before it could blossom.

Voices of Wrestling compared the Owens-Goldberg situation to Bob Backlund returning to take down Steve Austin:

Goldberg excites casual and lapsed fans. He brings eyes to the product. He will make WrestleMania 33 bigger.

But he can do all that without making a potential cornerstone of the New Era look inferior. He can do all that as a limping, bruised warrior who fell victim to Owens while Lesnar laughs at him in the distance.