WWE News: Goldberg Reportedly Contracted To Compete In Three More Matches In WWE
The Goldberg experiment has largely been viewed as an overwhelming success since he made his return to the WWE this past October. The “never say never” mantra was perhaps never more appropriate than with Goldberg, who had been out of the sports entertainment spotlight for the past 12 years, walking away from the business after his infamous WrestleMania XX match with Brock Lesnar in 2004.
And fittingly, Goldberg returned to a wrestling ring to reignite a rivalry with Lesnar. Just like it did with the Ultimate Warrior and Sting before him, an agreement with 2K Sports paved the way for Goldberg’s actual return to the WWE and set the stage for his showdown with The Beast.
Originally, Goldberg and the WWE agreed to a single match. He’d return in October to participate in a build towards a marquee match with Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series and then ride off into the sunset after writing the final chapter in his professional wrestling career. Additional plans even called for Goldberg to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2017 during WrestleMania weekend next April.
Many fans and journalists wondered why WWE officials weren’t holding off on Goldberg’s one-and-done match until WrestleMania 33. After all, it is the company’s grandest stage, and a match of this magnitude deserved such a stage. However, Vince McMahon did not share those feelings initially. He was wary of his audience’s reaction to Goldberg’s return after a 12-year absence and had other plans in mind for Lesnar’s WrestleMania match.
Those plans called for Brock to face Vince’s son, Shane McMahon, in a feud that was kickstarted back at SummerSlam after Lesnar’s controversial match with Randy Orton. Vince was under the impression that Shane vs. Brock would sell more than Goldberg vs. Brock and thus the decision to book the two at Survivor Series.
But after the unanimously positive response to Goldberg’s return, the two sides ripped up their existing agreement and extended his stay through the first quarter of 2017. Had the original deal been kept in place, it’s likely the Survivor Series match would have been vastly different and would have seen a different winner. The extension allowed WWE officials to book the shocking squash match that unfolded in Toronto in November.
The night after Survivor Series, Goldberg announced that he would be participating in the Royal Rumble in January in what would be just his second appearance in a Rumble match in history. The extension had been finalized behind the scenes in the week leading up to Survivor Series, and now the fans were let in on the fact that his second WWE run would continue.
The rumor mill then ran rampant as to the creative plans for Goldberg at the Royal Rumble and, perhaps, beyond. Once Goldberg announced his intentions to compete in the Rumble match, Brock Lesnar followed suit. The WWE is trying to stack the card at the Alamodome in San Antonio with as many marquee stars as possible, and booking Goldberg and Lesnar in the actual Rumble will go a long way.
Cageside Seats is now reporting that Goldberg has agreed to compete in three more matches as part of his new agreement with the WWE. The first, obviously, is his involvement in the Royal Rumble. The second match is expected to be the WrestleMania showdown with Lesnar that Vince McMahon once viewed with little drawing power.
And now there is a third match, but that remains unknown at this time. The WrestleMania bout is expected to be Goldberg’s final wrestling match, so the third match that was agreed upon could come at some point between January and April. Whether that comes on an episode of RAW or on the flagship show’s exclusive pay-per-view, Fastlane, in March remains to be seen. One thing for sure is that Goldberg will be appearing on Monday Night RAW’s first show of the new year next week.
[Featured Image by WWE]
