On this week’s “Legends Night” special episode of Monday Night Raw , Goldberg wrapped up the show by getting in a verbal tussle with WWE Champion Drew McIntyre and challenging him for the belt at this month’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view. While this proved to be a surprising development for a lot of fans, new rumors suggest that there was a reason why company officials chose to book a title match between both men at the upcoming event.
Citing comments made by Dave Meltzer on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio , Ringside News wrote on Tuesday that the plans for McIntyre vs. Goldberg were only made a few days ago. Over the weekend, WWE officials reportedly decided that there wasn’t anyone else on the Raw roster who was “ready” to face the defending champion at Royal Rumble , which will be held on Sunday, January 31.
As further explained by Ringside News , Goldberg’s segment with McIntyre came as a shock to fans because it had previously been rumored that the Hall of Famer would be facing Universal Champion Roman Reigns in his next match. Currently, it isn’t clear whether this contest will still take place, but the 54-year-old is reportedly under contract to wrestle two matches per year for the next two years.
In a separate report, Sportskeeda dived deep into the matter and presented several theories that could explain why McIntyre will be defending the WWE Championship against Goldberg. Aside from the possibility that this would allow the two men to have a rematch at WrestleMania 37 , with Reigns facing erstwhile rival Daniel Bryan at the event, the outlet also speculated that this could be the promotion’s way of dealing with low ratings and bringing back lapsed or casual fans.
“The fact of the matter is that whether you like Goldberg or hate him, everyone has an opinion on the WCW icon, and hence, his presence demands your attention. Drew McIntyre vs. AJ Styles was a great feud that culminated in a massive match, but the level of interest is significantly lower, as compared to Goldberg.”
The publication also predicted that WWE might have Goldberg defeat McIntyre at Royal Rumble , only for the Scotsman to win the belt back against the legend at WrestleMania a few months later.
In relation to the above forecast, Sportskeeda theorized that since Goldberg has won multiple world titles but has yet to win the actual WWE Championship, this could be the company’s way of giving him a run with its oldest and arguably most prominent belt. It was also suggested that the new title feud might allow Goldberg to work as a heel — something he has yet to do in multiple WWE stints over the past two decades.
