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Goldberg returned to WWE after nine months in 2021 to challenge Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship. At that point in early 2021, McIntyre was in his second reign as the WWE Champion and was considered the most crucial superstar in the company during the pandemic/Thunderdome era.
Goldberg normally only returns for a couple of matches a year, and his first in 2021 was at the Royal Rumble. On the special edition of "RAW Legends Night", Drew McIntyre defeated Keith Lee to retain the WWE Championship. After this, the Hall of Famer returned to announce that he was next for McIntyre.
In the opening match of the 2021 Royal Rumble, Drew McIntyre defeated Goldberg to retain the WWE Championship. The match lasted for less than five minutes, but it was a great and entertaining opening bout. After the match, Goldberg embraced McIntyre and raised his hand in victory:
Goldberg's loss to Drew McIntyre marked a big shift
Goldberg had a mini-streak going on where whenever he came back to challenge for a World title, he was victorious. In February 2017, he defeated Kevin Owens to capture the Universal Championship before losing it to Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 33.
In 2020, Goldberg controversially defeated 'The Fiend' Bray Wyatt, ending the latter's undefeated streak and capturing the Universal title once more. His reign would end soon after at WrestleMania 36 to Braun Strowman.
Goldberg put Drew McIntyre over clean, with the latter even kicking out of his spear. It was a huge boost for McIntyre, with many considering it his most important victory since he defeated Lesnar at WrestleMania 36. There's no doubt that the two biggest names that Drew McIntyre has victories over are Brock Lesnar and Goldberg.
McIntyre would lose the WWE title a month later to The Miz while Goldberg would only return in July 2021, challenging Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam.
