8 Booking Steps For Goldberg's WWE Return
6. Sorry Bill, No More Gold...
Goldberg’s squash of Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series 2016 was one of the year’s most shocking (and divisive) moments, and the feud didn’t really start losing steam until Goldberg became Universal Champion. This added nothing to the rivalry. The duo were already among the company’s biggest stars, and while giving Goldberg the belt brought Kevin Owens’ atrocious reign to a merciful end, it did nothing to boost his or Lesnar’s status.
In contrast, the championship actively hindered them. Fans were aghast at the prospect of two veteran part-timers fighting for the company’s supposed “top prize” at WrestleMania, and interest in their storyline started to wane. Bill’s once thunderous crowd reactions were slowly turning negative, and had the angle persisted, there’s a strong chance he’d have been rejected outright.
The WWE Title scene is an absolute mess at the moment, but if Goldberg arrives on SmackDown, he should steer clear, at least in the long-run. Letting Creative solve the belt’s prestige issues with full-time performers like AJ Styles the safest option, and will hopefully allow the company to avoid any backlash brought on by Goldberg’s second comeback.