Fastlane takes place this weekend and it is WWE's last pay-per-view before WrestleMania, so storylines for the company's biggest show of the year need to be put in motion if they haven't already.
That is why when you look at the odds for this weekend's event, there is a high chance of The Undertaker appearing to cost Roman Reigns his match against Braun Strowman, a good possibility of Chris Jericho showing up during Kevin Owens' match, and also why Goldberg is the favorite to win his match against the Universal champion.
There are many wrestling fans against the last one from happening because of the former WCW icon's age and part-time status within the WWE, but here are three valid reasons why he should, and why Goldberg should squash Owens at Fastlane.
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Momentum
After obliterating Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series and once more at the Royal Rumble, it's fair to say Goldberg has a lot of momentum behind him right now. The fans have caught onto it, as seen through their admiration of him when he appears on Monday Night Raw.
It was a huge risk for the WWE to give The Iconic an easy win against The Beast last year at Survivor Series, but it has paid off in the long run. They need to capitalize on this energy in the best way possible for The Myth and give him a squash win against The Prizefighter.
While another squash match might be risky due to fan reaction, it won't damage K.O. as a superstar if booked the right way. The company could play this out by having Jericho appear at ringside to distract Owens, only for him to turn around into a spear and the pin, which brings us onto the next reason.
Owens-Jericho Feud Focus
It is highly expected that K.O. will be taking on Y2J at WrestleMania 33 later this year now that their friendship is over. It's widely established that Jericho will be the face in this feud, so he mustn't interfere in Owens Universal title match at Fastlane, only distract the champ from retaining.
The Owens and Jericho storyline has been one of the best storylines in the WWE over the past year. While it might not culminate with the two fighting against one another for the Universal championship, they can still have a very technical match that has the capability of stealing the show for the United States title.
Fans will be invested in this feud even if there was no title on the line, so for storyline purposes, it's better for The Prizefighter to drop the title to Goldberg, and pin the blame on Lionheart to add fire to their feud.
Restoring Title Prestige
Owens has managed to retain the Universal championship at pay-per-view after pay-per-view thanks to, in large part, his former best friend Jericho getting involved in his matches. However, despite the title being relatively new, it's already losing prestige as a major title if you compare it to the WWE championship on SmackDown Live.
This is not to say The Prizefighter hasn't been a great champion, he has been. He's one of the best heels in the WWE right now. Yet, the constant involvement of him, Jericho, and Reigns in the main event on Raw has made some fans become tiresome. They want something new.
Enter Goldberg and Lesnar who, while not exactly a new feud, will help us transition from WrestleMania to SummerSlam with some exciting feuds we haven't seen for a while, or are yet to see in the WWE. This will especially come into effect after the draft takes place, as we could potentially have AJ Styles vs Lesnar, Finn Balor vs Lesnar, Balor vs John Cena, Lesnar vs Randy Orton, Balor vs Orton, and many more.
