Bill Goldberg’s WWE return is in motion and as the wrestler himself recently confirmed, he will be on next week’s episode of Monday Night RAW to personally respond to Paul Heyman’s challenge on behalf of his client, Brock Lesnar. This will presumably lead to both men facing each other in this year’s Survivor Series pay-per-view in November, just as numerous wrestling sites had reported in recent weeks. It will serve as a rematch to one of the most hyped, yet ultimately most disappointing matches in WWE history – Goldberg vs. Lesnar at WrestleMania XX in 2004. But how long will Bill Goldberg be in WWE, per the terms of his deal with the company?
A new report from The Wrestling Observer Newsletter has some key information on the Goldberg deal . According to the publication’s Dave Meltzer, the contract was only finalized a little over a week ago, after weeks of negotiation, and it will all boil down to Goldberg vs. Lesnar being made official for Survivor Series 2016, which takes place on November 20 in Toronto. Brock Lesnar, on the other hand, will be making another appearance this month as part of his part-time deal with WWE and will be on the October 24 episode of Monday Night RAW in Minneapolis.
i lost my father a couple of years ago…this was in honor of him…see you next week to answer the challenge. pic.twitter.com/W2y62KjtWP
— James Maloy (@Gldbrgownslsnr) October 11, 2016
Although that’s pretty much the meat of what’s available to non-subscribers, Meltzer had more to say about Goldberg’s WWE deal. Using the Wrestling Observer report as a source, Wrestling Inc said that the plan is for Goldberg to wrestle only one match — his almost-confirmed match against Lesnar at Survivor Series 2016. But that might not be all, as “fan response” could lead to more ring appearances being booked for his second WWE run.
Still, that could be a challenge at Survivor Series , as Goldberg has “always faced negative crowd reactions” in Toronto. During his tenure in WCW, Goldberg struck Bret Hart with a kick to the head, which led to the Canadian hero suffering a severe concussion and retiring from wrestling soon thereafter.
All things considered, there’s lots of excitement surrounding Goldberg’s WWE comeback and his first match for the company in 12 years. Aside from a couple brief appearances for Legends of Wrestling, he has barely been involved in the wrestling scene since the WrestleMania XX debacle. But Goldberg has since made nice with WWE after over a decade of poor relations, and had recently lent his likeness to 2K Sports’ WWE 2K17 , where he appears as the pre-order bonus wrestler.
One still has to wonder, though, whether Goldberg vs. Lesnar is an excuse for WWE to promote its official video game in its latest iteration or a way for the company to revitalize its business and ratings. And while that talking point has been raised several times, IGN added another reason to cast doubt on the success of Goldberg in WWE circa 2016 — the lack of planning beyond what could be a one-time deal.
“If it’s a match though, who even goes over? And what does it mean? And will any of it involve Shane McMahon and the whole story arc that seemed to start at SummerSlam? It just feels like a one-and-done event of little consequence. Much like their first match, actually. These two will meet during this one moment in time and then go their separate ways with no long-term planning involved.”
Will a match between a 49-year-old WWE returnee who hasn’t competed in 12 years and a part-time performer whose commitment to the company has often been questioned be as bad as some think it may be? At this point, that may or may not be the case, but one thing’s for sure, Bill Goldberg in WWE is a thing once again, and his return has got a lot of people talking.
[Featured Image by WWE.com]