Roman Reigns will not face Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36, according to a new report from Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet. According to Satin, Reigns “didn’t feel comfortable doing anymore of the Performance Center shows during the coronavirus pandemic” due to his immune system being compromised from his battle with leukemia last year. Satin added that WWE will choose a replacement for Reigns and respected his decision to step away. This marks the first WrestleMania Reigns hasn’t been apart of since WrestleMania 28.
WWE is reportedly pre-taping WrestleMania 36 at the WWE Performance Center this week.
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Goldberg captured the Universal Championship back at Super ShowDown in February after beating “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt with relative ease. On the following SmackDown Reigns approached him, claiming “I’m Next!” and setting up a world championship match between the two.
Days before the tapings started Reigns tweeted out that he wasn’t concerned over whether or not his match would be the main event for either night of the two-day event.
“Don’t care where my match falls,” Reigns wrote. “Just happy to be healthy and fit enough to participate. Grateful to share the ring with a legend and icon on our industry’s biggest night(s). As should everyone else, in a time like this. Be safe, healthy and grateful.”
While no one on the roster has been confirmed to have the coronavirus, both Rey Mysterio and Dana Brooke have reportedly been placed in quarantine. Brooke was originally booked to take part in the SmackDown Women’s Championship six-way match.
The company is reportedly pre-taping up through the April 6 episode of Raw, and a stay-at-home order for Orange County (Florida) is set to expire a day before the April 10 episode of SmackDown. In a separate report, Satin said WWE plans on continuing to produce shows from the Performance Center with no crowd in attendance for the foreseeable future due to the ongoing pandemic.
Here’s the WrestleMania 36 card as of now:
- WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre
- Edge vs. Randy Orton [Last Man Standing]
- John Cena vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt
- NXT Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair
- Raw Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler
- Raw Tag Team Championships: The Street Profits vs. Andrade & Angel Garza
- SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bayley vs. Lacey Evans vs. Tamina vs. Naomi vs. Sasha Banks
- SmackDown Tag Team Championships: The Miz & John Morrison vs. The New Day or The Usos
- The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles (Boneyard Match)
- Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins
- Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley
- Elias vs. King Corbin
