10 Wrestling Matches That Were Controversially CANCELLED

9. Goldberg Vs Roman Reigns (WWE WrestleMania 36)

Roman Reigns Goldberg
WWE

The graphic above may as well be a farewell to 'The Big Dog' as much as a monument to a lost WrestleMania match.

Roman Reigns was certain to dethrone Bill Goldberg for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36, but instead the ‘Tribal Chief’ took a decision that made him more of a locker room leader than any blue piece of leather ever could have done - he went home.

2020’s ‘Show Of Shows’ was the first major wrestling event to be impacted by the onset of lockdowns enforced by a new and terrifying global pandemic. Electing to run the event from their makeshift Performance Center television studio, Vince McMahon - knowing about as little as anybody else did in those early days - forged ahead, and nearly every major talent gingerly obliged. Reigns wasn’t as easily convinced.

With newborns at home, fresh memories of the relatively time he’d taken away to battle leukaemia, and a clearer head than many, the Number One contender glanced at the bigger picture and thought better of it.

Braun Strowman was instead inserted as an eleventh hour replacement, and Reigns wasn’t seen again until a SummerSlam return that proved transformative for his entire career.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett