The very next pay-per-view (PPV) event for WWE is taking place this Sunday, and it will be the SmackDown Live-exclusive Elimination Chamber. While that show is going to affect the card of WrestleMania33, tonight’s Monday Night Raw could end up revealing the very first match for the early April PPV. There may be much more happening this evening too as the main event for Fastlane could be revealed as well.
Tonight’s episode of Raw may not seem like it has a lot on the schedule when looking at the preview from the official website of WWE. When taking in the whole picture and thinking about what is on the way in the coming months, this could be a huge show.
Will @BrockLesnar‘s #WrestleMania 33 challenge become a reality? @Goldberg responds TONIGHT on #RAW! https://t.co/fAEteQdgPb pic.twitter.com/iEXU41H78p
— WWE (@WWE) February 6, 2017
When Monday Night Raw takes to the air in hours, everyone will be waiting to see what Goldberg says in response to Brock Lesnar’s challenge made last week. It was then that Paul Heyman, on behalf of his client, issued the challenge for a third and final match at WrestleMania 33. Well, Goldberg will answer that challenge in just mere hours, and it is expected that he will accept.
The official page for WWE Live Events shows that Brock Lesnar is also scheduled to be on tonight’s show, but it isn’t known if the two will have any kind of interaction. While their next match against one another won’t take place until early April, there is a lot that will play into it.
As recently reported by Inquisitr, a major stipulation is rumored to be added to Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg bout at WrestleMania 33, and it will be for the Universal Championship. For that to happen, one of those two superstars would have to be in possession of the title currently held by Kevin Owens.
ComicBook.com has reported that the main event of the Raw-exclusive PPV known as Fastlane will be Goldberg vs. Kevin Owens for the Universal Title. This is already falling into place since Owens doesn’t really have anything to do since Roman Reigns is moving into a feud with Braun Strowman.
Fastlane is less than a month away now as it will take place on March 5 and not a single match has been announced yet. Tonight could very well bring about the start of that card being built, and Kevin Owens needs something to do, so, why not put the title on the line against Goldberg?
Cageside Seats recently reported that Goldberg is now scheduled to be on the go-home episode of Monday Night Raw before Fastlane. He is also scheduled to have a match on the PPV, but Lesnar is not. They also report that the plan is for Goldberg to take on Kevin Owens for the Universal Title at this PPV and have the belt change hands.
Now, the Elimination Chamber card needed to be created in just two weeks, and there were four matches announced on the last SmackDown Live. More are set to be announced tomorrow night, but Fastlane has a month to be built up, and the company will likely begin it tonight or next week.
As confirmed by PW Insider, all three of the superstars needed for all this to happen – Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, Kevin Owens – are going to be on Monday Night Raw this evening. If a program is going to get started for the main event at Fastlane, it would have to begin on this show.
Looking at the live events pages for the next two episodes of Monday Night Raw, Goldberg is not scheduled to appear in Las Vegas on Feb. 13 or in Los Angeles on Feb. 20. Wrestling Inc. reports that Goldberg is indeed confirmed for the main event of Fastlane, and him facing off with Kevin Owens just makes sense for the rumors to be true.
Don’t forget that even though Randy Orton won the Royal Rumble and the right to main event WrestleMania 33, he doesn’t have an opponent. That being said, the PPV does not have any full matches set in stone yet.
WrestleMania 33 is what every single fan and all of WWE has their sights set on, but no-one can forget about the two PPVs taking place before that one. Goldberg showing up on tonight’s Monday Night Raw will be to answer Brock Lesnar’s challenge, and the first full match for Mania should be in place. With the rumors of that bout being for the Universal Championship, it is only a matter of time until the Fastlane main event of Goldberg vs. Kevin Owens is confirmed as well.
