While announcing that the company would put on a third show in Saudi Arabia, WWE announced some massive names that will be present, including Goldberg.
When Goldberg wrestled Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 20 many believed that it would be an ugly send-off for two of the most iconic wrestlers to ever grace a WWE ring. Neither were tactical geniuses, but both held the allure and luster of a bonafide superstar.
Little did everyone know, both Lesnar and Goldberg would return to WWE, which really is not all that surprising considering that wrestling is a “never say never” business. Lesnar returned in 2012 with a thunderous F-5 to John Cena and has enjoyed a part-time role in the company ever since.
Goldberg returned in October 2016 to start a feud with Lesnar. He then squashed Lesner at Survivor Series, entered the Royal Rumble, took the belt off of Owens in a squash match at Fast Lane, and then dropped the belt to Lesnar in a short, explosive slugfest at WrestleMania 33.
That high-octane slugfest was the perfect way to send Goldberg off into the sunset. Nostalgic wrestling fans were lucky in the first place that he returned to the squared circle, and the first clean singles loss of his career was the perfect way to end an iconic career.
Except, like Shawn Michaels, a lot of money was persuasive enough to bring Goldberg back out of retirement. For the third time in just over a year, WWE is putting on a massive show in Saudi Arabia and announced that Goldberg, Lesnar and The Undertaker would all be participating.
Goldberg is not going to wrestle the match of the night and instead is probably being brought in for a five minute or less spectacle to draw more money into the event. Here are the three opponents that make the most sense for Goldberg.
1. The Undertaker
When the news was announced that Goldberg, Lesnar and The Undertaker would all be participating in the third Saudi Arabia show, it was probably a common consensus that Goldberg would be wrestling one of the other two.
However, to avoid cheating the system and including two obvious wrestlers in this list, we are not going to include Lesnar. We have already seen Lesnar vs. Goldberg enough and it would be nice to see Goldberg wrestle someone else. That someone else could be The Undertaker.
Heck, I would not be surprised if WWE does a triple-threat match to try and keep all three guys fresh and keep the match from totally stinking. However, in terms of a singles match, Taker is the guy.
This would be perfect for Goldberg. He would be wrestling someone that does not put on long matches anyways, but is still able to call the match as it goes along. It certainly would be spot-heavy, and there is a worry about Taker’s health against a stiff Goldberg, but it would be entertaining regardless.
The seeds are there for this as well and WWE can easily start to plant them. Taker is the one that eliminated Goldberg in the 2017 Royal Rumble, making it easy to write in some kind of storyline for Goldberg wanting his vengeance.
2. Roman Reigns
‘The Big Dog’ is going to need something to do at this Saudi Arabia show, and one of the easiest ways to give him something to do in a short-term storyline is to put him up against Goldberg.
The timing of this short feud would be perfect for Reigns and his quest to the WWE Championship. I made the case that WWE is going to use Kevin Owens as a stopgap champion for Reigns to take the belt off of him at SummerSlam and with this PPV being in June, it gives Reigns something to do until then.
It is really easy to write into a storyline as well, considering Goldberg could come out on an episode of Monday Night Raw and demand the best guy they have. The creative team could then throw someone like Jinder Mahal out there for Goldberg to spear in half as a way to get him reintroduced to the WWE Universe.
Then, on Smackdown Live the next night, WWE can do the exact same skit. Goldberg calls someone out, a jobber comes out and gets obliterated, then as he is complaining that there is nobody to give him a true fight, Reigns’ music hits and he makes his way to the ring.
It would be smart to have Goldberg on SmackDown as well, as it could evenly distribute some ratings bumps, which would be much-needed. Having Taker and Lesnar on Raw with Goldberg on Smackdown gives both shows a marquee name to draw in ratings.
Plus, who wouldn’t love to see a spot where Reigns and Goldberg continuously spear each other back and forth with each guy kicking out until one finally caves? Count me in.
3. Braun Strowman
At one point in the not so distant past, Braun Strowman was one of the most popular guys on the roster and was booked as an unbeatable monster that leaves nothing but destruction. However, in the past few months, Strowman has really lost his momentum as one of the marquee guys and seems doomed for a life in the mid-card.
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It seems inevitable that Strowman would have a run with one of the two major belts at some point in his career just two years ago. Now, it would not be all that surprising if Strowman never gets that run.
Heck, his only run as a champion was with the Raw Tag Team Championships, which he relinquished the next day because his tag team partner was a child.
Rumors sparked by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter are stating that Strowman is not in favor with WWE management right now due to several botches during WrestleMania, which might make it seem very unlikely that he gets this match against Goldberg.
However, that is why Strowman is a sleeper selection and when you really think what creative can do in this feud it makes sense to put Strowman against Goldberg.
They can still have Goldberg do the “I want the toughest guy” schtick, which is when Strowman would come out of the back.
The two can work a relatively short match and still have it be successful with several big spots, the biggest being if Goldberg can get Strowman up for the Jackhammer, which quite frankly, might not be all that possible.
It is that doubt of whether or not it is possible that makes it so intriuging and would make it a draw. Plus, Strowman is a guy that the creative team would have no problem booking Goldberg over, so that is something.
What do you think? Who would you most want to see Goldberg wrestle in Saudi Arabia? Let us know in the comments as well as on Twitter!