Goldust's SummerSlam plans and 5 possible new partners

This week on Monday Night Raw, a vignette aired of Goldust where he spoke in vague dialogue about how he will be participating in the festivities at SummerSlam.

Apparently, there will be a "big audition" of sorts as Goldust will be watching very, very closely.

Naturally, WWE is avoiding saying too much, as the specifics would kill much if not all of the intrigue, and have thrown out three possible options for how this could play out.

Will Goldust find his next hero, villain, or a beautiful new starlet?

Also read: 10 things we want to see over SummerSlam weekend

This could mean he's studying the performers and he'll start a new feud with someone or perhaps, he'll find a new tag team partner or someone to act as a mentor to.

The latter seems the most likely, as he even states "whoever it is, under [his] direction, they will shine like gold" and the rumour mill has suggested he will indeed be looking for someone to partner up with.

With that in mind, who are the five most likely candidates to be chosen to pair up with Goldust after SummerSlam? Let's take a look.

#1 Darren Young

By far, the most likely option in my mind is Darren Young, who is in dire need of some course correction if he's going to remain employed by WWE.

Young has had years to find his spot and he's been largely unable to accomplish that task no matter what type of gimmick he's had.

At first, he was a party guy in NXT, then a random low-level member of The Nexus, before having the most success of his career as one-half of The Prime Time Players with Titus O'Neil.

That partnership at least led him to tag team gold, but when they split, his attempt to "Make Darren Young Great Again" with the help of Bob Backlund quickly went sour and Mr No Days Off has spent a considerable amount of time on the injured list.

It appears as though he's been cleared to return to action, so that shouldn't get in the way anymore, but what could cause immense problems for him is his complete lack of direction.

Pairing him up with Goldust as a tag team or as a protege could give him a newfound spark to change into a different character and tap into other aspects of his personality we've yet to see in any previous incarnation of Darren Young.