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The Rock vs. Roman Reigns; Bischoff Rips Goldberg; Christian Talks WWE Creative
March 17, 2021
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Heyman Talks Potential Reigns vs. The Rock Match
A clash between Roman Reigns and his cousin, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, is among the biggest potential dream matches with a realistic chance of happening in WWE in the coming years.
Reigns' special counsel, Paul Heyman, didn't confirm that the match will be happening, but he did suggest that some huge stars are champing at the bit to get in the ring against The Tribal Chief.
In an interview with Oliver Browning of GiveMeSport, Heyman said:
"If I could show you one day's worth of text messages, emails and calls that come into my phone from some of the biggest superstars in sports and entertainment on this planet, it would blow your mind.
"Crossover celebrities in their prime would love to step into a WrestleMania ring with Roman Reigns. It's not just Dwayne Johnson. The Rock is just one of many."
Both Reigns and The Rock have been asked about facing each other many times over the years, and they have both been receptive to the idea.
In October, The Rock said a match against Reigns would "make sense" for him if he ever does return to the ring, adding that he would be "honored" to face Reigns and put him over.
When Reigns was asked about facing The Rock in February 2020, he suggested it would be wise to do that match at WrestleMania in the Hollywood area.
WrestleMania was supposed to go Hollywood this year, but some shuffling was required because of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning WrestleMania 39 in 2022 will now be held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
That is quite a ways off, but it gives WWE, Reigns and Johnson time to prepare if there are plans in place for the match to happen.
It also gives WWE an opportunity to continue presenting Reigns as a dominant force, which is precisely what he has been since returning to action and turning heel over the summer.
Reigns is doing the best work of his career by far, and since his character is so focused on the idea that he is the provider for his family, it would be ideal for the actual biggest star in his family to show up and challenge him at some point.
Bischoff Questions Goldberg's Love of Wrestling
Former WCW president Eric Bischoff gave his take this week on why Goldberg continues to wrestle for WWE at the age of 54.
During an appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Bischoff expressed his belief that it's all about the money for Goldberg these days:
"Goldberg is doing it for the money, come on. This is not love of the business or love to get out there and perform. In my opinion, sorry Bill you and I aren't close friends, but we are friends. And if what I am saying Bill offends you then I apologize because I don't mean it to, but come on dude, do you think he's doing it for the fun, or do you think he's doing it for the money?"
While Bischoff believes Goldberg's motivations are monetary, he didn't blame the former WCW star for taking advantage of the opportunities presented to him:
"It's smart; it's not a bad thing! I'm not putting it down. If I had the ability at Bill's age, and look the way Bill did and someone gave me a seven-figure check to work five minutes, come on! Let's be honest with ourselves and not bust anybody's balls over this. Anyone would do it. We dream about that opportunity."
After going 12 years without wrestling a match, Goldberg returned at Survivor Series 2016 and beat Brock Lesnar in quick fashion. Since then, Goldberg has wrestled eight more matches for WWE.
He has twice won the Universal Championship during that time as well, beating Kevin Owens in 2017 and then dropping it to Lesnar at WrestleMania 33, followed by winning it from "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt last year and dropping it to Braun Strowman at WrestleMania 36.
Most recently, Goldberg unsuccessfully challenged Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble in January.
Goldberg divulged last year that he is under contract through 2023 and scheduled for two matches per year, meaning his tenure is far from over.
Regardless of Goldberg's reasons for continuing to wrestle, he is in WWE to stay for now, and he will continue to get people talking whether positive or negative.
Christian Comments on Talks with WWE Before Signing with AEW
After making a surprise debut for AEW at Revolution recently, Christian Cage discussed what led him to leave WWE and sign with the rival promotion.
In an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Christian suggested that he was unsure of what the plans were for him in WWE before signing with AEW: "There were some cordial talks, and I can't really elaborate beyond that. I'm not sure where their heads were at creatively."
Christian returned to action as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match in January, ending his seven-year hiatus from in-ring action because of injuries.
It was widely believed that he would sign with WWE and end his career with the company after that, but Christian instead decided to bet on himself and go elsewhere, just as he did back in 2005 when he left WWE for TNA.
There was disappointment among some fans about the move to AEW since it took one last Edge and Christian run out of the equation and eliminated the possibility of dream matches against The New Day, The Street Profits, The Usos and other teams.
It also means one last rivalry and match between Edge and Christian won't happen unless Christian returns to WWE once his AEW contract expires. Even then, there is no guarantee Edge will still be wrestling by then.
Ultimately, the 47-year-old Cage said his conversation with AEW President Tony Khan is what convinced him to sign with AEW, as he felt Khan was "providing me the right platform at this stage in my career."
Cage already seems to be in a top spot in AEW, as he had a confrontation with AEW World champion Kenny Omega last week, which is a pedestal he may not have been put on in WWE.
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