5 Reasons why Goldberg returned and confronted Bobby Lashley on RAW
The rumor was true about Goldberg returning. WWE Champion Bobby Lashley had a non-title open challenge on RAW. It was answered by the returning Keith Lee - who made his comeback after five months away.
Lashley won the match clean and WWE wasted no time with Goldberg's return. The WWE Hall of Famer returned after half a year away. The last time we saw him was at the 2021 Royal Rumble when he lost to then-Champion Drew McIntyre.
It's a different Champion this time around and a different stage as well. It seems as though both blockbuster World Championship matches have been set for SummerSlam 2021. Here are five reasons why Goldberg returned to challenge Bobby Lashley on RAW:
#5. Goldberg is the alternative to Brock Lesnar
While Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley is the obvious first-choice match that fans would have wanted, Goldberg seems to be the alternative. When asked about why WWE hasn't booked the dream Lashley vs. Lesnar match, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter said that the match was constantly denied:
"The Lesnar match was talked about a lot but constantly denied. The feeling was that Lesnar isn’t coming back for a number of shows right now, so he’d have to lose"
Meltzer elaborated by saying that there is a party in WWE that views Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns as a bigger program, especially with Paul Heyman's involvement. But Meltzer also admitted that having Lesnar lose in 2021 doesn't affect a 2023 program.
Either way, Goldberg appears to be a Brock Lesnar alternative, for better or worse. Lashley would likely have preferred the Lesnar match since he has openly admitted before that it was his main motivation behind returning to WWE.
The window seems to be closing on that match, but at least The All Mighty will have a legend on his résumé if he wins at SummerSlam.