When WCW was sold to Vince McMahon in March, 2001, Bill Goldberg was on the shelf readying himself for shoulder surgery. Many fans hoped he'd play a part in the impending 'Invasion' angle, but a guaranteed contract with AOL/Time Warner stopped Goldberg from signing with the WWF. Never a big fan of the industry, Bill wasn't interested in taking a pay cut just to work for McMahon. Eventually, his contract with the media conglomerate did run out. After some brief appearances in Japan, Goldberg signed for WWE just in time to debut the night after WrestleMania XIX. On the March 31st, 2003 episode of Monday Night Raw, he confronted The Rock during a heated segment and nailed him with his trademark Spear. Fans were excited to see Goldberg again, and it seemed he was back in the big time. People were willing to ignore the fact he hadn't been part of the aforementioned Invasion, so long as he was booked strongly by WWE. Things wouldn't quite pan out for Goldberg in the company, but his debut was highly memorable.