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WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg didn't sign with WWE after WCW shut down and was bought out by Vince McMahon. He finally made his WWE debut on the RAW after WrestleMania 19 in 2003, while The Rock was delivering a promo in the ring. Goldberg hit a devastating Spear on The Great One, kicking off one of the most dominant 12 months in WWE history. Goldberg won the World title on one occasion during this run and defeated the very best that WWE had to offer at the time.
Goldberg would leave WWE immediately following his WrestleMania 20 victory over Brock Lesnar, and wouldn't be seen on WWE TV for the next 12 years.
At this point, the WWE Universe had lost all hope in regards to a Goldberg return, but all that changed in late 2016. Since then, Goldberg has returned to WWE on five different occasions, targeting the same number of WWE Superstars in the process.
In the following list, we will chronicle all five Goldberg WWE returns, and the aftermath.
#5 Goldberg returns to WWE after 12 years and confronts Brock Lesnar
On the road to Survivor Series 2016, Brock Lesnar and Goldberg traded jibes on social media in what was WWE's way to promote its upcoming game named WWE 2K17.
Goldberg finally made his WWE return mere weeks before Survivor Series and accepted Paul Heyman's challenge for a rematch against Brock Lesnar, his arch-rival. On the November 14, 2016 edition of WWE RAW, Goldberg and Lesnar finally came face-to-face, with a bunch of security personnel separating them.
Paul Heyman berated Goldberg on the mic while Brock Lesnar stared down his opponent. In the end, Goldberg decided to take matters into his own hands and put an end to Lesnar before Survivor Series.
Goldberg defeated Lesnar in a matter of seconds in their match at Survivor Series 2016
Lesnar and Goldberg finally collided at Survivor Series, where the former World Champion finished him off in a matter of seconds.
Goldberg would go on to eliminate Lesnar from the 2017 Royal Rumble as well. The fans hadn't seen anyone dominate Lesnar like this in years. Goldberg later defeated Kevin Owens for the Universal title on the road to WrestleMania 33, and finally lost the belt to Lesnar at The Show of Shows. This put an end to his first return stint.
#4 Goldberg returns to WWE and faces The Undertaker at Super ShowDown 2019
Goldberg didn't wrestle for a long time after his WrestleMania 33 loss to Brock Lesnar. He was honored with a WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2018, with Paul Heyman himself inducting the former WCW World Champion. Goldberg was the WWE Hall of Fame headliner that year.
He came back to WWE to have a dream outing against The Undertaker, a year later. Goldberg and The Undertaker came face-to-face on an episode of SmackDown, days before their Super ShowDown encounter.
Goldberg vs The Undertaker was a disaster
The match was marred with botches from both WWE legends, and was heavily criticized by the fans and wrestling critics. The Undertaker came out victorious in the end, putting a stop to what was dubbed by fans as a disaster.
Many slammed WWE for putting two veterans in the ring without any concern for their safety and well-being. Goldberg himself acknowledged the fact that he didn't perform well in the match, and was genuinely upset about the same.
The former Universal Champion didn't appear on WWE TV again for weeks, but his next return was going to happen much sooner than fans had expected.
#3 Goldberg returns to WWE and is revealed as Dolph Ziggler's opponent at SummerSlam 2019
Goldberg returned to WWE on the road to SummerSlam 2019, and was revealed as Dolph Ziggler's opponent for the Biggest Party Of The Summer.
The Showoff had kicked off a feud with The Miz and WWE Hall of Famer, Shawn Michaels, and had signed a contract for a match at SummerSlam. He believed that the match was against The A-Lister, but was taken by surprise when the former WWE Champion revealed that he wasn't Ziggler's opponent.
Goldberg's music hit to a loud chorus of cheers, and the WWE legend came out to the ring. He signed the contract and declared that Ziggler's next.
Goldberg squashed Ziggler at The Biggest Party of the Summer
Goldberg and Ziggler faced off at SummerSlam, in what was a quick squash. Goldberg stated that he had been wanting to regain his self-confidence after the debacle at Super ShowDown, and thus needed to have this match against Ziggler.
At the same event, Goldberg had a backstage confrontation with Riddle, after being on the receiving end of The Original Bro's social media jibes for months on end. Goldberg and Riddle exchanged a few words, but thankfully, didn't get into a physical confrontation on that night.
#2 Goldberg returns to WWE and confronts The Fiend for a Universal title match at Super ShowDown 2020
Goldberg wouldn't be seen on WWE TV for the next several months. He finally made his return to WWE on an episode of SmackDown, via satellite. At that point, The Fiend had become the most destructive force in all of WWE.
The WWE Hall Of Famer challenged Bray Wyatt's alter-ego to a Universal title match at Super ShowDown 2020, which the latter accepted.
Goldberg didn't seem scared by The Fiend's presence
The duo had their first encounter on SmackDown, and Goldberg didn't seem to be intimidated at all by The Fiend's presence. He hit a thunderous Spear on him, which didn't have much effect on the sinister entity.
At Super ShowDown though, it didn't take Goldberg much time to finish off The Fiend and win the Universal title. The match lasted less than three minutes, and WWE was heavily bashed for putting over Goldberg at the expense of a rising star like The Fiend.
Goldberg would lose the Universal title to Braun Strowman at WrestleMania 36, marking the end of another short-lived Universal title reign for him.
#1 Goldberg returns to WWE on RAW Legends Night to challenge Drew McIntyre for the WWE title
Goldberg wasn't announced for the RAW Legends Night episode this past week, and fans had no idea that he was coming back on the red brand. Many had assumed that Goldberg would return to kick off a feud with Roman Reigns, but this rivalry will have to wait for now.
The main event of the show saw Drew McIntyre take on Keith Lee for the WWE title. In the end, McIntyre emerged victorious and retained his belt, but didn't get to celebrate for long.
Goldberg has his eyes on the WWE title
Goldberg came out to a loud ovation and confronted The Scottish Psychopath. He challenged McIntyre for the WWE title at the Royal Rumble 2021 event, but the latter didn't seem too impressed. McIntyre was then shoved by Goldberg, to which he responded with equal might.
If this match becomes official at Royal Rumble 2021, and Goldberg manages to defeat McIntyre, it would be the very first WWE title win of his career. Goldberg will become a five-time World Champion, if he manages to topple McIntyre at the event.
