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What's the story?
WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg made his return to TV this week on Raw, and it was announced that the planned Dolph Ziggler vs The Miz match at SummerSlam will not be happening, and instead The Showoff will be facing Goldberg.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Paul Heyman has a plan on how to most effectively use Goldberg going forward, so it's possible that his SummerSlam match against Ziggler will not be his final bout.
In case you didn't know...
Goldberg last appeared in a WWE ring at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia, and competed in a match against The Undertaker. The bout was heavily panned by WWE fans and pundits, and Goldberg came up on the losing end after eating a Chokeslam from The Undertaker.
Goldberg admitted following the match in Saudi Arabia that he legitimately busted himself open early on, and the injury, along with the intense heat in Saudi Arabia, contributed to the mistakes made in the match at Super ShowDown.
The heart of the matter
On the most recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, co-host Dave Meltzer reported that there is a plan in place for Goldberg's future in WWE now that Paul Heyman is in charge of Monday Night Raw.
Meltzer added the plan is for Heyman to use Goldberg similarly to the way Bruno Sammartino was used late in his career, and that as long as Heyman is in charge of Raw, Goldberg will have a place in WWE.
"Goldberg has his role right now," reported Meltzer. "As long as Heyman is in charge of Raw, however long this run lasts, Bill has his place as his Bruno...The Undertaker loss was a huge mistake, forget about the injury and everything, that match was a disaster. But that's because [Goldberg] was knocked out."
Meltzer and co-host Bryan Alvarez noted that the Bruno Sammartino role is something Goldberg can pull off for at least the next couple years, as WWE has done a decent job of protecting the former WCW Champion in the ring despite his age.
What's next?
While not confirmed, the general expectation for Goldberg vs Dolph Ziggler at WWE SummerSlam is that the bout will be a total squash match favoring the former, and will likely not last longer than a minute or so.
How do you feel Goldberg should be used in WWE? Let us know in the comment section!
