WWE Bad Blood in Atlanta was bookended by two stellar visual moments: the Hell in a Cell match between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre and The Rock’s stare-down with Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes. Most of the show, outside of that, was totally missable and relatively predictable, except for Goldberg.
Bill Goldberg and his family, including his “glowed-up” son Gage, went to the show presumably because it was in Georgia, where he was and still is quite popular.
He got involved in yet another Gunther promo, where the world champion admitted he lied to Bret Hart about WCW’s powerhouse being his favorite wrestler.
After insulting his family, Goldberg jumped the barricade and tried to start a fight. This segment was almost certainly just for the fans in attendance. If, though, TKO was interested, what does a WWE return for Goldberg look like?
GUNTHER just called out GOLDBERG at #WWEBadBlood! pic.twitter.com/AOv2Xj5dGd
— WWE (@WWE) October 6, 2024
WWE Return for Goldberg to Tackle Gunther
The direction that makes the most sense as of right now is, and always will be, a match with Gunther. The rationale for this matchup is twofold. Firstly, Gunther has now invoked Goldberg’s name twice after Bad Blood.
That puts him danger close to saying it three times. At three, the rules of life and wrestling demand Goldberg respond.
Secondly, Gunther was long rumored to have a star-making match, and presumably a win, over Brock Lesnar. The Brock match is unlikely, given his ties to the ongoing cases against Vince McMahon, and in my personal opinion, should never happen.
The next best thing to defeating the Beast Incarnate is to take out his WCW mirror in Goldberg.
Gunther is already a well-established act on WWE Monday Night Raw. Additionally, he somehow gets better each week, which didn’t seem possible when he won the title. Still, Goldberg is one of wrestling’s biggest stars from its most prominent era culturally.
He may not have the moves for the modern era, but “aura,” for an unfortunate lack of a better word, transcends time. Beating Goldberg would still matter for Gunther. Getting a win off a Hall of Fame star as champion plays well into his character.
The overconfident ring general would become insufferable. That makes for good television.
Phantom Payback From the Wyatt Sicks
This may amount to nothing more than a revenge fantasy. There are numerous reasons a WWE return for Goldberg flies with fans like a lead balloon. One of the biggest was his unbelievable championship victory over “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in a tragically poor match.
That match proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that Goldberg was out of touch and was part of a long string of matches that painted the legend as out of step (and out of breath) in the ring.
The late Bray Wyatt never truly recovered from that moment, either. Bo Dallas, as Uncle Howdy and The Wyatt Sicks, has the opportunity to use a horrendous piece of business and make it mean something more.
@wwe WELCOME WYATT SICKS 👀😱 #WWE #WyattSicks
Fans of the dark and twisted cinematic style of wrestling are still hanging with the Wyatts, but they have yet to do much by way of making an impact since their initial debut. That moment was perfect, but fans need more.
If Goldberg’s rage and thirst for Gunther lead to a meeting with our favorite uncle, that could be interesting.
A one-and-done match, quick run time, and lots of theatrics are precisely how you hide the worst parts of Goldberg in his advanced age. It is also the best way to highlight the attributes he has in spades.
It is box-office, it is a spectacle, and there are a lot of side characters for him to run through before being conquered by Bo. Most importantly, it is a heck of a way to say goodbye.
WWE Return for Goldberg Builds a Bron Breakker Streak
If WWE has a future Goldberg amongst its roster, it would really come down to two names. Those names are Bron Breakker and Oba Femi. From what fans have gathered in the past, it is safe to assume Goldberg believes he is quite a big deal in wrestling.
It is also safe to say that he would not be into working an WWE NXT show. So, with Oba dominating NXT and out of the main roster, Bron Breakker is the closest WWE has to Bill’s “heir-apparent.” That is until his actual son finishes his football career.
The family ties and WCW of a Bron Breakker and Goldberg match were also on display at Bad Blood. Bron’s uncle, WCW superstar and wrestling icon Scott Steiner, was in attendance as well. Those two are connected through Scott and Rick Steiner, which adds a level of logic and personality to their feud.
Bron also competes in an updated Goldberg style. He is all about uncontrolled power and peak athletic performance. Goldberg, in his day, was both of those things. He was faster than a guy like him should be, stronger than any guy could be.
His strategy was to throw you down as hard as he could and chase you down if you tried to escape his onslaught.
The parallels are apparent, and a passing of the torch would be touching and a big sign of Bron Breakker’s future trajectory.
The Case Against a WWE Return for Goldberg
So, why not use Goldberg? If there are numerous ways his one-time appearance could improve the show, why wouldn’t WWE want him back for more than just a moment in Georgia?
Some of that comes down to time. Raw is now two hours, and premium live events are around five matches, save for the two-day spectacles of WrestleMania or SummerSlam.
WWE already has too many talented stars to book everyone based on the parameters they have given themselves. Second and most importantly, all of the scenarios where he, and really all Attitude Era guys, return require them to lose. The Rock is perhaps the lone exception, but the final judgment is still out on that.
It seems unlikely that Goldberg would want any of these matches. The fear is he would instead face off with Bronson Reed, which ends quickly and doesn’t help anyone.
It is just about Goldberg saying goodbye again. There isn’t much use in that, so this quick appearance is all that is left to try.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – WWE – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an almost unlimited array of WWE content on the WWE Network and Peacock.
