Fans who tuned into Survivor Series were definitely surprised that the long awaited rematch between Goldberg and Brock Lesnar turned into a squash match. Many expected Goldberg’s appearance to be a one and done, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.
The plan has been somewhat in flux ever since it was first announced, most of it predicated on how much interest Goldberg would draw. If the reception had been lukewarm, WWE would have probably booked it as a one and done and called it a day (though that tweaked shoulder on RAW did also have a hand in that decision). The positive response he received led WWE to work out a longer deal with the superstar, reportedly at Lesnar’s encouragement.
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Goldberg made an appearance on RAW the following night, announcing that he might have one more title run left in him and that he would be using the Royal Rumble to take hold of that opportunity, the winner of which gets a championship match at Wrestlemania. That opens up the possibility that Goldberg will either win the Royal Rumble or that Lesnar will be involved in costing him the victory.
That would line up with Dave Meltzer’s sources (via Heavy.com) who say that Goldberg and Lesnar will face off again multiple times before Goldberg leaves the company, with rumors also pointing to a match between the two at Wrestlemania acting as Goldberg’s swan song from the company.
While that might be the overall plan, Goldberg is just focusing on one match at a time and is considered a part-timer with WWE. He talked about his outlook on this run in an interview with PWMania.
“I’m only as good as my next appearance and my next match. I’m concentrating on the Royal Rumble and that’s it. I don’t have any plans of doing anything afterwards. My focus is on the 29 other men that I’m going to have to crucify to win that damn match.”
“It’s completely dependent if you are a smart businessman upon the return on your product. I believe that you have to wait and see if that investment is going to pay off and I think each and every time I was given the opportunity, I hoped that I was able to carry the ball and give [WWE] the confidence to have me back and further include me in their plans.”
Goldberg’s next confirmed appearance is on the Royal Rumble, which airs on WWE Network January 29th, 2017.
