Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar: Poor Booking Puts WWE WrestleMania 33 Match in Danger

Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar was a feud that was never supposed to happen again. Fans knew it, both guys knew it, and everyone seemed perfectly happy to let the past stay in the past. But then Goldberg returned to the WWE in 2016, and he became hotter than anyone could have possibly imagined.

Suddenly, Goldberg vs. Lesnar was a feud that had to happen. The rivalry caught fire, and fans were ready for WrestleMania 33. But now it's all been put in danger.

To put it another way, the situation went from zero to 60, back down to zero. Lesnar is getting cheered again, while Goldberg is getting booed. The WWE faithful has decided they've had enough, and now many can't wait until The Beast Incarnate destroys Goldberg once and for all on April 2.

The funny thing is this didn't have to happen.

Goldberg's return was working. He looked amazing for a man who had been out of the ring for 12 years, and fans respected him for that. They also respected Goldberg as the family man who wanted his son to see him perform in the WWE.

Goldberg was genuine, he was sincere, and more importantly, he was real. 

This was not the man that had spit, snarled, and speared his way to stardom in WCW. This was a man that had found happiness away from the business, but who missed the fans that made him a household name. Goldberg wasn't necessarily back for a payday; he was back to say thank you.

It was the feel-good story of WWE in 2016.

That story took on a whole new meaning when Goldberg defeated Lesnar in a shocking 86 seconds at Survivor Series. Fans loved it. They couldn't get enough of it. When Goldberg eliminated Lesnar in The Royal Rumble, fans loved it even more.

Finally, Lesnar was put in his place.

The Beast was a beast, there was no disputing that. But every time he squashed a Superstar in the ring, fans began to ask questions. How long would Lesnar continue destroying his opponents? How would the WWE eventually transition from that monstrous run and allow it to finally benefit another guy?

Was there even another guy to begin with?

Goldberg's return answered all of those questions in short order. He was the one man Lesnar couldn't beat, the one man who would not break so easily. Goldberg was the perfect foil for Lesnar, and he always had been. Fans may not have seen that in 2004, but they certainly did 12 years later.

Lesnar was not meant to be unstoppable; Goldberg had his number. It was all going perfectly for the WWE, but now? Not so much.

The biggest problem with the feud now is, of course, the booking. It's the one thing that could have doomed the rematch at WrestleMania, and it's done just that. The moment that Goldberg beat Kevin Owens for the WWE Universal Championship was the moment it all went south.

The irony is that Goldberg vs. Lesnar needed the title at Mania.

KO and Chris Jericho's WrestleMania match became personal. Owens' attack on Jericho brought out the best in both men and created one of the most anticipated WrestleMania matches in recent years. If Owens wins and takes Y2J's United States Championship, then he continues on with more momentum than he's perhaps ever had.

KO didn't need the Universal title to make that happen, and judging from Y2J's Twitter, Jericho didn't have time to even defend the belt had he won it.

But selling Goldberg vs. Lesnar as the main event of WrestleMania 33 was made that much more important by including the championship. The Universal strap has never had that much hype behind it, and now it has. That's thanks to Goldberg vs. Lesnar.

However, when Goldberg won the belt at Fastlane, fans suddenly saw through it.

It was as if the curtain was pulled back and fans were made wise to the WWE's booking. The only thing that mattered was getting the Universal Championship to Mania, and getting it there in the main event. When fans saw KO essentially get squashed to make that happen, they turned on Goldberg.

The fact that Lesnar also squashed KO didn't seem to matter all that much.

The WWE faithful has made its voice heard. Goldberg is once again the man who doesn't belong, and Lesnar is once again the beloved beast. Everything about Lesnar's character screams heel, but that doesn't matter now.

The Beast Incarnate is going to do Beast Incarnate stuff at WrestleMania 33, and he'll conquer like always. It's the same old song, along with the same old dance.

With less than a month until WrestleMania, there's precious time left to repair the booking here. If the intent was to continue with Goldberg as the hottest babyface on Monday Night Raw, then he should have had a competitive match with Owens at Fastlane. Lesnar could have interfered and either cost KO the match or attacked Goldberg after it was over.

If the decision to not book Goldberg in a competitive match was because it would expose his inability to perform, then maybe he shouldn't have faced Owens to begin with.

The WrestleMania match needed the Universal title, but it's crippled the match as a result. It was an impossible situation, and it has remained that way. Lesnar isn't hated, but he should be. Goldberg should be cheered, but he's not. 

The match at WrestleMania 33 should have wrapped up all the loose ends and given both men the chance to correct the failure of their first match at WrestleMania 20. But instead, it looks as though a second failure is imminent.

That failure didn't have to happen. Fans knew it. But apparently the WWE did not.

Tom Clark can regularly be seen on Bleacher Report. His podcast, Tom Clark's Main Event, is available on iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Android, Windows Phone and online here