FanPost

The Phenom, The Man and The Beast - From stare-down to Wrestlemania?

At the end of a strong Royal Rumble go-home edition of Monday Night Raw, we saw three legends stare each other down in the middle of the ring. It was a surprising moment that teased a likely confrontation between Brock Lesnar, Goldberg and The Undertaker in this Sunday’s Royal Rumble match. But who says this encounter has to end at the Rumble? I think WWE may just have stumbled on what could be an iconic Wrestlemania triple threat match. This would be the ultimate way to prove which one is better – the man who created a 21-0 streak at Wrestlemania, the man who conquered that streak or the man who conquered the conqueror?

This match carries behind it some very intriguing storylines. The Undertaker never really managed to get his revenge on Brock for ending his 21-0 streak at Wrestlemania 30. Brock won their feud in 2015, defeating the Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell. What better place does the Deadman have to seek redemption then the birthplace of the streak – Wrestlemania. Brock on the other hand was embarrassed by Goldberg at Survivor Series and will be looking to avenge that loss and prove he is still a very dominant force in the WWE. Then we have possibly the most interesting story out of the three with Goldberg and the Undertaker. The two have never faced each other in the ring. Both have been defined by iconic streaks – Taker at Wrestlemania and Goldberg’s 173-0 record in WCW. Also, since Goldberg beat Brock, and Brock beat the Undertaker, doesn’t that make Goldberg better than the Undertaker by default?

The dynamics of a triple threat also make this an interesting affair. There’s the possibility that the Undertaker could pick up his second Wrestlemania loss without even getting pinned. Taker will want to pull out all the stops to make sure no one steals a win from him. At least one guy can lose this match and still be protected by not taking a pinfall. If Goldberg were to sign a longer deal with the company, this would be great way to keep him looking strong. Meanwhile, you have Brock who has already proved he is better than the Undertaker in previous feuds. So surely he will be trying to pin Goldberg to get his revenge on the Man before he leaves the company for good. Or will he? Perhaps the Beast will be intimidated by Goldberg and actually tackle the weaker (in his mind) opponent in the Undertaker.

The match is genuinely unpredictable. The Undertaker has only lost one match at Wrestlemania so statistically he is likely to win. However, Brock was the guy who beat the Undertaker at Wrestlemania and he has rarely lost since breaking the streak. With one year still left on his contract, Brock would be an ideal winner if they want to use him to put over a new star in the future. If Goldberg was to extend his WWE deal, he would also be a possible winner as there would be mileage of creating a new mini streak for him. If I had to pick one out of the three to win it, I would probably say it would be Brock Lesnar. This way Brock can get his heat back from the Goldberg squash at Survivor Series. Then again, an Undertaker win would make this whole thing come full circle. If the Phenom beat the two guys who are better than him in kayfabe, surely he would return to the top of the mountain as the greatest competitor there is.

With the advancing age of all three combatants, a triple threat match is an ideal match for them to work in. In traditional WWE triple threat matches, two people fight in the ring allowing the other to recover on the outside. We’ve already seen Goldberg get tired from delivering just a few spots on RAW. A triple threat could allow him to look strong whilst prolonging the match. The Undertaker has also had some tired performances in recent years so this would benefit him as well. With Brock probably being the fittest out of the three, he could do the majority of the heavy lifting in the match, alternating between facing off with Goldberg and Taker. The match could be booked so it makes all three guys look good whilst still retaining the length of a traditional main event.

WWE has a fantastic track record when it comes to Wrestlemania triple threat matches. Last year’s Women’s Championship match was arguably the highlight of the card. A triple threat saved Wrestlemania 30’s main event from being a complete disaster with the addition of Daniel Bryan. My personal favourite triple threat at Mania was Kurt Angle vs Randy Orton vs Rey Mysterio at Wrestlemania 22. Brock was involved in a terrific triple threat match at Royal Rumble 2015 against John Cena and Seth Rollins. It all bodes extremely well for the prospect of another three way this time around.

Let’s be honest, Brock vs Goldberg at Wrestlemania 33 in a singles match would probably not be a good idea. History shows us this. The two had possibly one of the worst matches in Wrestlemania history when they faced off at Wrestlemania 20. It was a match that the fans completed turned on and there were way too many instances of absolutely nothing happening in it. Granted both men were on their way out of the company at the time but that certainly wasn’t the only reason why this match sucked. I don’t think we’re likely to see a squash match in a marquee Mania main event like this. But anything much longer than a squash between these two doesn’t bode well. In his prime, Goldberg rarely wrestled matches that exceeded 10 minutes and he is far past that point now. How on earth could you make these two have a decent 20-30-minute match?

If the Undertaker vs John Cena is off the table, who would the Undertaker actually face at Wrestlemania in a one-on-one match? Sure there are a few intriguing options like Braun Strowman and AJ Styles but nothing is going to feel as big as this triple threat could feel. WWE has a unique opportunity with Taker, Goldberg and Lesnar all in the company at the same time. The chances of this happening after Wrestlemania 33 are very slim. Now is the time to create a truly ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ Wrestlemania match that would achieve much more than another Brock vs Goldberg match could ever achieve.

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Cageside Seats readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cageside Seats editors or staff.