
The 30th annual Survivor Series airs live tonight on the award-winning WWE Network.
Goldberg returns to action for the first time in 12 years to face Brock Lesnar in a Mega Match.
Plus, Raw and SmackDown LIVE go head-to-head in a series of Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Matches to determine which brand reigns supreme.
After 12 years, Goldberg will return to a WWE ring for a Mega Match against Brock Lesnar, turning the WWE Universe’s fantasy warfare into hard-hitting reality. The battlefield of choice? Survivor Series, live Sunday, Nov. 20, on WWE Network.
Goldberg’s path to the ring went from pie-in-the-sky hypothetical to signed and sealed over a matter of weeks, as Paul Heyman responded to the former World Heavyweight Champion’s noncommittal SportsCenter interview with a challenge on behalf of The Beast Incarnate.
That hot period for WWE should begin at Survivor Series, with a massive encounter between Lesnar and Goldberg, who figure to up the WWE Network subscriber count and set the stage for the company’s busiest season.
There will be a lot of pressure on Goldberg and Lesnar to deliver a memorable match, but also on the creative team to book the bout in a way that makes fans excited about what is next for both stars.
Goldberg, Heyman explained, was not just a mirror image of Brock throughout the Monday Night War, but he holds the distinction of a 1-0 record against The Conqueror.
WWE Survivor Series 2016: Best Finishes For Brock Lesnar Vs. Goldberg
This, of course, is something Heyman could not abide, especially given Goldberg’s casual dismissing of Lesnar in the lead-up to the release of WWE 2K17, where both are featured Superstars (Lesnar is the cover athlete; Goldberg a downloadable exclusive).
How will Lesnar vs. Goldberg: Part Two play out? Here are four possible finishes for the blockbuster encounter, ranked from worst to best.
4. Paul Heyman Turns On Lesnar And Costs Him The Match
Paul Heyman turned on Lesnar at Survivor Series in 2002 when he joined forces with The Big Show, so it would only be fitting if he did so again in 2016.
With WWE seemingly stuck in between a rock (Lesnar winning clean) and a hard place (Goldberg winning clean), the easiest out is some sort of tomfoolery leading to a victory for either Goldberg or Lesnar.
The most jaw-dropping finish to the match would be Heyman repeating his mistake of 2002 and costing Lesnar the match, aligning himself with a newly heel Goldberg in the process.
Even so, Heyman must have been surprised when Goldberg took him up on his offer, declaring The Beast to be “last” on his infamous hit list, with the time and place confirmed one week later on WWE’s official Twitter account.
WWE has done a very good job of clearly establishing Goldberg as the babyface and the very popular Lesnar as the heel, thanks in large part to Heyman’s fantastic mic work.
If the goal of this rivalry is to cement Lesnar as a heel both now and for the future, then the best finish of this match is for Heyman to help Lesnar pick up the win over Goldberg in dirty fashion.
That would accomplish several goals: It gets Lesnar the win, keeps Goldberg looking strong (in case he does decide to wrestle again) and solidifies Lesnar’s heel turn.
While Lesnar has been over with the crowd during his babyface run, he’s much better in the heel role and could solidify himself as Raw’s top villain by utilizing Heyman to aid him in beating Goldberg.
Rumor has it that Shane McMahon will face Lesnar at WrestleMania 33, and if that’s indeed the case, then expect WWE to reignite that feud at Survivor Series.
The last time these two were in the ring together, Lesnar laid out McMahon with an F5, and since they will both be at Survivor Series, there’s a good chance that they will interact on the show in some way.
WWE Survivor Series 2016 Results live updates, Brock Lesnar vs Goldberg and more
The most logical booking would see McMahon cost Lesnar his match against Goldberg as revenge for that F5 at SummerSlam, which could set up the revelation that Shane-O-Mac slyly brought in Goldberg for the sole purpose of getting back at “The Beast.”
If Goldberg isn’t going to wrestle again, then booking this match should be a piece of cake.
There is no reason why Goldberg should beat Lesnar if he’s going to ride off into the sunset post-match because that would kill all of Lesnar’s momentum (which WWE has literally been building up for the last three years) for the sake of putting over a retiring legend. That makes zero sense.
This would go a long way toward establishing a sensible angle for Lesnar vs. McMahon at WrestleMania 33, giving them a much needed backstory to explain exactly the inter-promotional battle between Raw’s Lesnar and SmackDown’s McMahon.
Now, at WWE’s fall classic, Goldberg will either join the ranks of the conquered, or forever be known as The One Who Beat the One in 23-1.
Tune in to see this epic clash of icons when WWE Survivor Series airs live Sunday, Nov. 20, at 7 ET/4 PT, only on the award-winning WWE Network.