Even though he didn’t announce that he would be returning to WWE anytime soon during his appearance on Wednesday’s SportsCenter , it appears that former WWE and WCW World Heavyweight Champion Bill Goldberg will be returning to face Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series next month.
On Thursday’s Wrestling Observer Radio , Dave Meltzer, who was one of the people that originally reported that Goldberg would be coming back to face Lesnar at Survivor Series , said that the match is scheduled to happen, and that Brock Lesnar has been made aware that the plan is for him to face the former WCW megastar in Toronto next month.
“[Goldberg] is coming back to wrestle Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series , unless something’s changed. It’s scheduled, it’s cleared with Lesnar, everything’s setup. All I know is Vince McMahon had that scheduled.”
Before his appearance on ESPN, there was a ton of speculation that Goldberg would announce that he’s coming back to face Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series during his interview segment on SportsCenter . But he actually did just the opposite, as he seemed like he didn’t want to come back and, in his words, ruin his legacy.
Goldberg, who’s 49, said that at his age, people may not buy him as a legitimate threat to Brock Lesnar, which is why he’s worried that he’ll ruin his legacy as one of the most dominant and scary pro wrestlers of all-time. However, he did tell Jonathan Coachman that Brock Lesnar is the one guy he would want to face if he comes back to the squared circle.
It’s been a little over twelve years since Goldberg last wrestled, but he remains in fantastic shape. Since leaving WWE in 2004, he’s been training in muay thai on a regular basis, and in several recent interviews, he said that, for the first time in his life, he’s started doing a good amount of cardiovascular based training.
Since making the deal with 2K Sports to be the pre-order bonus for WWE 2K17 , which will become available for PlayStation 4 and XBox One on October 11, Goldberg has said that he considers the issues that he had with WWE upon leaving in 2004 to be “water under the bridge,” adding that he’d be open to talking with Vince McMahon and Triple H about a return if they were interested.
Even though it’s being reported that Goldberg is coming back at Survivor Series , the ex-WWE World Champion said during his aforementioned appearance on ESPN that he hasn’t spoken to Vince McMahon since he left wrestling twelve years ago. Of course, he could very well be telling the truth there, as Triple H — who is in charge of bringing in talent — is the one who hammers out the details with both new and returning WWE superstars.
WOR: Lesnar vs. Goldberg update, Del Rio stabbing, Impact future, more! https://t.co/O8ZDbN3l8g pic.twitter.com/zGwcrE2L5m
— Wrestling Observer (@WONF4W) October 6, 2016
If the reports are true and Goldberg does return at Survivor Series , it’ll be the third year in a row that 2K has brought a wrestling legend and WWE together, as they helped facilitate the return of The Ultimate Warrior and Sting’s WWE debut over the last two years.
Another interesting note is that WWE wants to do Lesnar vs. Goldberg at Survivor Series because they have something else in mind for Lesnar at WrestleMania 33 . So, apparently, Lesnar vs. Goldberg will be a one off, and as of this writing, it’s unclear if Goldberg will return for another match at some point.
During an interview with WWE.com over the summer, Goldberg said that he has more than just one match left in him. Additionally, he said during his interview on ESPN that, aside from Brock Lesnar, there are several guys on the WWE roster that he’d love to face. So, it’s possible that WWE could put together another match for him at WrestleMania 33 .
[Featured image by WWE]