What’s the story?
Goldberg looks likely to end his working relationship with the WWE after WrestleMania, where he is expected to drop the WWE Universal Title to Brock Lesnar. However, the door is open for him to return.
Kurt Angle will remain with the WWE and is likely to be given a role on TV, although it has not been decided if he will wrestle. Original plans called for Goldberg to lose to Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series and go into the Hall of Fame over WrestleMania weekend. Kurt Angle was added to replace Goldberg as a viable headliner.
In case you didn’t know...
Goldberg was one of the bonus characters on WWE 2K17 and returned to the WWE last October, after leaving on bad terms in 2004. He was originally set to have one match with Lesnar, but crowd reaction inspired Vince McMahon to change those plans and sign Goldberg to a three PPV extension.
Kurt Angle was last seen in the WWE in 2006. He also left the WWE on bad terms, as the WWE could not convince Angle to enter a drug rehab facility. He left WWE for TNA. Goldberg defeated Brock Lesnar at the Survivor Series in just 86 seconds, in one of the most shocking finishes ever seen in WWE history.
It planted the seeds to continue the feud with Goldberg and Lesnar, as did Goldberg eliminating Brock from the Royal Rumble. He will now go on to face and defeat Kevin Owens at WWE Fastlane for the WWE Universal Title and will face Brock Lesnar in the main event at WrestleMania 33, with the WWE Universal Title on the line.
WWE should be applauded for booking Goldberg far better than they did in 2003, where his run was considered a failure.
The heart of the matter
Kurt Angle had been in talks with the WWE for over a year before his return was agreed. The original plan called for Kurt Angle to return quietly and induct Ray Stevens into the WWE Hall of Fame, and increase fans’ appetite for his return to WWE TV, with plans to induct him into the WWE Hall of Fame once he had concluded his final run with WWE.
However, Goldberg catching fire forced WWE to find a new headliner. The decision was made to induct Kurt Angle early, over Daniel Bryan.
What’s next?
As previously mentioned, Kurt Angle will remain with the WWE and will be on TV at some point in 2017. Goldberg has been announced for UK tour with Inside the Ropes. Inside the Ropes have restored UK fans’ faith in booking tickets for UK appearances, after other companies failures to deliver on former WWE Superstars they had promised.
1PW actually stole the money of 500 fans, including yours truly, when they failed to deliver Shawn Michaels for a heavily promoted UK tour.
Inside the Ropes have bought Sting, Matt Hardy and Cody Rhodes to the UK. My fellow UK fans will be safe if they choose to buy tickets on for any of the dates on the tour. I will definitely be at the London show, which I will cover for Sportskeeda and my podcast, “The Dirty Sheets.’
The three stops on the tour will include Glasgow, Scotland on June 26th, Manchester, England on June 27th and London, England on July 2nd. Tickets for the events will be available starting on February 10th from www.insidetheropes.co.uk.
Sportskeeda’s take
I am a big fan of both Kurt Angle and Goldberg.
I look forward to seeing what role the WWE find for Kurt Angle on WWE TV. Hopefully, he can pass a WWE medical and participate in two or three more matches before the final bell rings on his WWE/wrestling career. Goldberg is certain to return to the WWE at some point, to take his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame, that is a given.
It is uncertain if he will ever wrestle again after WrestleMania 33. I am sure that this will be a question that Goldberg will address during his Inside the Ropes UK tour this summer. I encourage fans to go out and take the opportunity to meet Goldberg. I met Goldberg at Wrestlecon in 2014 as you can see below.
Goldberg truly makes an effort with fans and is not one of these guys who keeps his head down, signs your item, fake smiles for a photo and doesn’t speak to you. Goldberg is very personable and well worth meeting.
I expect Goldberg to headline the WrestleMania 35 Hall of Fame class, and possibly do another match or two before he calls it a career. I feel it makes much more sense for Daniel Bryan to headline next year’s class in New Orleans, as that is where he won the WWE Title at WrestleMania XXX.
There is still money to be made from Goldberg wrestling for WWE past WrestleMania. I feel that a match with Roman Reigns will take place before Goldberg finally hangs up his boots.
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