10 Things Fan Should Expect From Goldberg's Last WWE Run

Expectations are a funny thing. Heading into the 30th annual Survivor Series, many WWE fans expected that this would be the final time they would witness Bill Goldberg wrestle inside the squared circle. The November tradition's main event was Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar II. and considering the streak that Lesnar had been on since defeating The Undertaker at WrestleMania XXX, the result seemed to be a foregone conclusion.

Surely Lesnar would dispose of Goldberg in convincing fashion, right?

But then WWE pulled a fast one when they not only put Bill Goldberg over, but put the 49 year-old that hadn't wrestled inside a WWE ring in over 12 years over The Beast Incarnate in under 2 minutes. It was an absolute squash that not even the wildest of rumour-mungers could have guessed at.

So, as Goldberg would often ask, who's next? Or more appropriately, what's next?

What should the fans' expectations be for the rest of 2016 and beyond? What should the fans expect to get out of this one more (and likely final) run that Goldberg is in the process of undertaking? How high should expectations be? And what other specific developments will take place with Goldberg as the focal point?

Goldberg's initial return to Monday Night RAW paid dividends immediately thanks to the ratings reported for the show. And that's no small thing - after a year that saw steadily declining Nielsen ratings and an Autumn season that tied record lows set back in 1997, RAW was desperately in need of a boost.

That boost came in the imposing form of the returning star.

After competing as the flagship WCW wrestler for the majority of his career and a brief one-year run in WWE, Goldberg hadn't been seen on WWE television in over 12 years. WrestleMania XX at Madison Square Garden was the last major appearance for Goldberg prior to his recent return and, apparently, the fans had waited long enough.

Goldberg's return popped the RAW number as well as the hype and anticipation for Survivor Series (and likely WWE Network subscriptions). Now that he has announced his plans for entering the 2017 Royal Rumble, future RAW appearances are not only extremely likely, but they're also expected to deliver another ratings jump.

The investment into Goldberg has to be considered a success thus far and if Goldberg continues to improve the RAW ratings , Pay-Per-View anticipation, and WWE Network subscriptions, it may go down as one of the biggest and best investments, in terms of returning talent, of all-time.