2 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Apr 3)

1. Sheer. F*cking. Laziness

Braun Strowman Goldberg WrestleMania
WWE

It doesn't help when the creative team are channeling WCW in 2000.

Michael Cole announced that Braun Strowman was replacing Roman Reigns against Goldberg like he was telling the world he planned to cut his toenails after the show. The sheer lack of oomph in his delivery told the full story; WWE couldn't even be bothered to concoct some sort of explanation for Reigns' removal.

It's happening, so deal with it. That's how the reveal came across, and it sucked hard. Whether some fans already thought Goldberg vs. Roman was inessential or not, it was 10x the attraction Bill vs. Braun is. That doesn't have any heat whatsoever, and it'll do more damage to Strowman's aura if Goldberg mows through him at 'Mania.

That's the most likely outcome, because it wouldn't make sense to take the title from Bill - he and Reigns can still wrestle later in the year when things calm down, and it's not like Braun would be an excellent Universal Champ at this stage in his comedy-laced babyface career.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.