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Royal Rumble 2021 kicked off with Goldberg and Drew McIntyre who took each other to the limit in a massive opening contest.
Both men hit their finishers on one another, and at the end of the day, it was Drew McIntyre who emerged as the victor, defeating the WCW icon, Goldberg.
Why did WWE choose to have Goldberg, one of the most proven draws in the history of the business, come up short against Drew McIntyre on this occasion?
Do remember that Goldberg has defeated others like The Fiend and Brock Lesnar, two people who were portrayed as seemingly bulletproof.
#5 Goldberg was only brought in to elevate Drew McIntyre, as reported in an SK Wrestling exclusive
A source told SK Wrestling how Goldberg vs. Drew McIntyre would play out a long time ago. This is what he had to say:
A WWE source informed SK Wrestling that Vince McMahon booked Drew McIntyre vs. Goldberg in an attempt to "propel Drew to the stratosphere of Superstars.
The same report said that Drew McIntyre would be the man to defeat Goldberg. As well as he has been booked thus far, he did lose a lot of momentum losing to Randy Orton at Hell in a Cell and then losing to Roman Reigns at Survivor Series 2020. For him to diminish the aura of Goldberg, by beating him clean does him a world of favor.
Drew McIntyre has suffered from there not being any fans in the arena, and this is a way to rehabilitate him in a significant way by defeating a man who's been bulletproof for most of his career. The question now is whether Goldberg will look nearly as strong when he shows up at WrestleMania or later, for his second appearance of the year.
#4 Keeping Goldberg away from the WWE Championship picture, and having Drew McIntyre carry the title all the way to WrestleMania
With Goldberg losing to Drew McIntyre, it is very unlikely that he will go into WrestleMania as the WWE Champion. The thing about a performer like Goldberg, who is a household name because of his streak in the 90s and the way that he has been presented through the course of his career is that he does not need the WWE Championship.
Goldberg can still have a match at WrestleMania away from the title picture, away from Drew McIntyre, and still, add to the star power of the event.
Drew McIntyre can now have a competitive match for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania, provided he carries the title all the way to the event, that is.
Maybe Goldberg actually goes over at WrestleMania, defeating a heel like Corbin or even Seth Rollins, who does not really need a win at this point. For him to lose too often would not be wise, truth be told.
#3 The incredible fan resentment towards Goldberg and backlash if he'd defeated Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre and Goldberg are both babyfaces and we can tell that from the show of respect that we saw at the end of the match. However, the one thing to remember is that Drew McIntyre was the clear babyface for a very vocal minority heading into his big match with Goldberg.
This is the internet fanbase that has been very critical of Goldberg's wrestling, especially if you consider that the veil has been lifted and the world has realized that he isn't exactly Daniel Bryan in the ring. This vocal minority would have been very critical of the fact that Goldberg was the Champion once again, defeating a full-time performer like Drew McIntyre, as can be gauged from the Tweet shared below.
WWE would not have wanted this backlash, especially to start off an event of this magnitude, which is why Drew McIntyre went over on this occasion. The internet is never happy, but at least on this occasion, they seem satisfied.
#2 Drew McIntyre becomes one of the few people to kick out of Goldberg's Jackhammer
Drew McIntyre vs. Goldberg may have been a more significant match than you think, all said and done. Drew McIntyre becomes one of the few people to kick out of Goldberg's Jackhammer. Thankfully, the Jackhammer that Goldberg delivered to Drew McIntyre was significantly better than the one he delivered to The Undertaker, though it was far from perfect.
If you want a comprehensive list of all of the performers that have kicked out of the Jackhammer, do check out this list put together by Lennard Surrao, which indicates that Drew McIntyre is part of a special category of top-tier performers from Hulk Hogan to Brock Lesnar to The Undertaker.
If the two men ever meet again down the line, there's always this statistic that Drew McIntyre can bring up to get under Goldberg's skin. It just becomes something that Tom Phillips can also talk about, giving Drew McIntyre the rub by painting him as a special performer from behind the commentary desk.
#1 To make Drew McIntyre the man who ended Goldberg's new streak
To hype up Drew McIntyre vs. Goldberg, the WWE Champion caught up with SK Wrestling prior to the match. During the course of the interview, Drew McIntyre spoke about ending Goldberg's new streak.
This is what he had to say:
He's on a new streak where he comes back to the company and he wins the title and so I'm looking to end that new streak he's on right now. He comes back, he can fight me at the rumble but with all the respect in the world for him, and it hurts me to say it, but Goldberg I'm going to have to kick your head off and beat you because you ain't winning my title. I'm ending the streak.
Now, Drew McIntyre has bragging rights, saying that he ended Goldberg's new streak.
What did you guys think of the opening contest between Drew McIntyre and Goldberg? Do you think that it was exactly what it needed to be or would you have booked it differently?
