Lack of Build for Undertaker vs. Goldberg Match Another Puzzling Decision by WWE

WWE isn't a stranger to odd decisions lately, with the weird Undertaker vs. Goldberg match at Super ShowDown card in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a prime example. 

The lack of a build there is even more curious. 

Look, WWE might be taking a lighthearted approach to Super ShowDown. They might even be trolling fans at this point. But two legends like this receiving all of zero build besides video packages and social media is a shame, if not a disservice to fans. 

Unless something changes on the go-home shows, WWE has mostly been silent about this matchup despite its heavyweight status. The one big exception is a sub-60-second video package: 

A shame, really. What's the harm in having one of these two come out each week and hype the match before confrontations? They should have plenty to say given their history as representatives for their respective brands during the 1990s. 

Instead...nothing. WWE has treated this like just another match on a WWE Network event that has the feel of one the company would like fans to forget as soon as it happens. It joins a card that has shrug-worthy items like Triple H vs. Randy Orton, Braun Strowman vs. Bobby Lashley and Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon, not to mention Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin challenging for titles they won't be winning. 

This '90s throwback match between legends should be a massive talking point for longtime fans. Even if it was going to be much better in the ring 20 years ago, that doesn't mean WWE shouldn't have put its immense production values to work here. It doesn't mean the company couldn't have carved out some of the all-too-long three hours of Raw each week to have them show up and build it up. 

Instead, all fans get is something like this, which is a callback to when the two briefly squared off during a Royal Rumble encounter: 

These two being shoved into a social media feud in 2019 is fitting, really.

It feels like social media is often the only way talents can keep feuds interesting and alive these days. Would Becky Lynch have remained as hot as she was with fans, especially while out hurt, if she hadn't become a superb Twitter troll while weaving in other Superstars? Probably not, with her cooled off post-WrestleMania run starting to drag out. 

So maybe it isn't too surprising even outright legends like Goldberg and Undertaker are relegated to making their own story work via social media and little else. 

This all sounds a little hypocritical, of course. One of the main complaints fans seem to have right now is part-timers coming back to work big events and taking up spots other guys could have. 

But this is slightly different. This isn't Brock Lesnar holding a title hostage for a year and rarely defending, robbing the top show of its top prize. It isn't Triple H inserting himself and his 10-plus minute entrances into a WrestleMania. 

This is actually a dream match between legends on a card where it won't interfere with long-term booking plans. So why not build it up? If it takes a Saudi Arabia show to finally make this one happen (which is a shame in the first place because WWE fans have always wanted it), at least take an extensive amount of time to tell a story, right? 

What's unfortunate is this could end up being a really fun, short match. Undertaker hasn't looked great lately, but Goldberg put on some memorable, UFC-type brawls with Lesnar while the universal title was involved. But even those had an interesting story, even if it was Lesnar seeking out a bit of redemption. Goldberg-Undertaker doesn't have to feel like a UFC bout in that there is no story more than the two looking for a fight, yet here it comes. 

In the ring, if these two can capture the same snappy, brief vibes of those Goldberg-Lesnar bouts, they could strike magic. But not only do other Saudi Arabia matches involving legends suggest this won't be the case, even a good show from Goldberg and Undertaker will underwhelm because there hasn't been any worthwhile build.