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Goldberg made a surprise return to WWE on RAW Legends Night to set up a WWE Championship match against Drew McIntyre at the Royal Rumble.
Prior to this week’s RAW, it had been expected that the WCW icon would feud with Roman Reigns when he next appeared in WWE. The two men were originally supposed to face off at WrestleMania 36 in a Universal Championship match.
However, Reigns pulled out of the event due to COVID-19 concerns, meaning Goldberg took on Braun Strowman instead.
Appearances from the likes of Brock Lesnar and Goldberg often cause debates amongst the WWE Universe. While some fans enjoy the intensity and believability of those high-profile names, others believe they are taking up positions on the card from full-time Superstars.
Whether people like it or not, WWE matches between part-time and full-time Superstars are not going away. Goldberg, for example, is only contracted to have two matches per year. Another legendary Superstar, The Rock, has even hinted that he is interested in returning for a one-off match.
With Drew McIntyre vs. Goldberg now penciled in, let’s count down five other blockbuster matches that WWE could book between legends and current Superstars.
#5 WWE blockbuster match: AJ Styles vs. Triple H
At the age of 43, AJ Styles is still widely considered to be one of the best in-ring competitors in the world. The two-time WWE Champion recently told talkSPORT’s Alex McCarthy that his preferred WrestleMania 37 opponent is WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. If not him, then Styles wants to face either Edge or Triple H.
Since his return in the 2020 Royal Rumble, Edge has had two singles matches against Randy Orton. Meanwhile, Triple H has not competed in a televised WWE match since he lost to Orton at Super ShowDown in 2019.
Styles has never faced Triple H in a one-on-one match. Although he is unsure if the match will ever happen, The Phenomenal One has made it clear that he has The Game in his sights.
“There’s a reason why he’s still doing what he’s doing. NXT is a brand because of Triple H. There’s no question of that. So I would love to see how that would work in a match with him. Will it ever happen? I don’t know, but I’m trying guys!”
Styles successfully convinced a 54-year-old Undertaker to reverse his unofficial retirement to face him at WrestleMania 36. Triple H, 51, has still not called time on his in-ring career, but he rarely competes in matches these days.
#4 WWE blockbuster match: Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar
Bobby Lashley has made no secret of his desire to face Brock Lesnar. The two men were on the same WWE roster from 2018 to 2020 but their paths did not cross.
Right now, Lesnar is reportedly a free agent after his contract talks with WWE hit an impasse in 2020. Lashley, meanwhile, is arguably enjoying the most successful run he has had since he returned to WWE in 2018.
Speaking on Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast in 2020, the United States Champion discussed a possible match against Lesnar. He even revealed that he would want to hit The Beast with a Shooting Star Press if they ever face each other.
“I would definitely hit that on him. And I'll even get to the top rope. But that's something that's needed to happen, either I went for it and he stood up and caught me, or he took it and kicked out of it, or I hit him and pinned him, because that match is that big that it would need a big punch.” [H/T SK Wrestling’s Nishant Jayaram]
Lesnar famously attempted to hit a Shooting Star Press on Kurt Angle in the main event of WrestleMania XIX. The former UFC star misjudged the distance and landed awkwardly on his head, causing him to suffer a concussion.
#3 WWE blockbuster match: Sasha Banks vs. Trish Stratus
Regular WWE viewers will know that wrestling retirements can usually be taken with a pinch of salt. In 2019, Trish Stratus announced ahead of her match against Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam that she was going to retire.
It initially looked as though the WWE Hall of Famer was going to stick to her word. After all, the match took place in her hometown of Toronto and the standing ovation she received seemed like the perfect send-off.
Despite Stratus' retirement, there has been lots of talk in recent months that she could potentially return to WWE and face Sasha Banks. Stratus even told POST Wrestling that she would be open to working with Banks one day.
“So I respect her so much as a worker, as a person, as a friend and so yeah, I think as a fan and personally, I think that would be an interesting thing to pursue, possibly at some point. Maybe possibly down the line at some point.”
Prior to her SummerSlam 2019 match against Flair, Stratus was supposed to face Alexa Bliss at WWE Evolution in 2018. Unfortunately, Bliss suffered two concussions in the build-up to the event, meaning the dream match could not take place.
Stratus ended up teaming with Lita to defeat Alicia Fox and Mickie James instead.
#2 WWE blockbuster match: Roman Reigns vs. Goldberg
Before Goldberg’s confrontation with Drew McIntyre, the WWE Hall of Famer looked almost certain to face Roman Reigns in early 2021. The two men had a war of words as recently as last month, with Goldberg making it clear that he wants to battle Reigns next.
Speaking on The Bump, Goldberg claimed that The Tribal Chief “backed out” of their WrestleMania 36 match. In reality, Reigns took time away from WWE at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic because his wife had just given birth to twins.
Goldberg also took exception to the current Universal Champion using his move as his finisher.
“He backed out on me at WrestleMania. He stole my move, God knows how long ago. And he continues to perform it at sub-par level. Let's be perfectly honest, I'm the dude who delivers the spear and I don't think that he understands what it's like until I deliver one to him. So Roman, it's coming and I'm coming for you. I may be old, I may be gray, but I'm still Goldberg.”
Regardless of the outcome of Drew McIntyre vs. Goldberg, it looks as though the Reigns vs. Goldberg rivalry will definitely be revisited.
#1 WWE blockbuster match: Roman Reigns vs. The Rock
Blockbuster WWE matches do not get much bigger than Roman Reigns vs. The Rock. A decade ago, John Cena vs. The Rock was the biggest match that WWE could possibly stage. Now, 10 years on, The Rock’s star power has reached a whole new level.
One of Reigns’ first career milestones came in January 2015 when he received help from The Rock to win the Royal Rumble. Other than that, the real-life relatives’ WWE characters have hardly interacted.
With Reigns now referring to himself as The Tribal Chief, there is a ready-made storyline in place for The Rock’s return.
Speaking in a YouTube video, The Rock confirmed in 2020 that he would be interested in facing Reigns in a dream WWE match.
“You know what, the truth is, I would be honored not only to share the ring with Roman and to go back to the WWE, but of course I would be honored to have him raise his hand in that one.”
The Rock’s most recent WWE match came in 2016 when he defeated Erick Rowan in six seconds at WrestleMania 32.
