Till date, we do not know if Goldberg has officially become a member of the WWE Raw roster. The last time he appeared on Raw, the graphic showed he is still appearing under WWE 2K17 contract. The Raw vignette featuring all the superstars also does not include him. But, we are assured of one thing that he has extended his contract with the company and hence we’ll witness him again at the Royal Rumble 2017 PPV.
Now, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has something to offer regarding Goldberg’s contract status in the WWE. The veteran journalist noted Vince McMahon wanted him as a star attraction in the WWE for future. Due to his appearances on Monday Night Raw, the episodes saw a huge rating beating Smackdown Live and hence he wanted to stick around for some more dates.
His role will be similar to that of Brock Lesnar. Since Lesnar’s return in 2012, he worked only on special dates as a bigger box office attraction. Goldberg has been considered for the same but this time, it’s in a superhero role rather than being a villain.
Vince McMahon had to deal with the fallen ratings of Monday Night Raw over the previous months. So, he did not want to let go such a golden opportunity presented to him. Also, Goldberg will be a major boost to the star power en route to Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania. His inclusion in the Rumble event will certainly be helpful in terms of ticket selling.
Also, this is going to wide open the choices for the WWE creative. Previously, the creative was planning for a Brock Lesnar-Shane McMahon feud for Wrestlemania by bringing in the fall-out from the Summerslam PPV. During the end of the show, Lesnar hit Shane with an F5. The rivalry was supposed to reincarnate in time of Royal Rumble. But since Goldberg will be around, Vince is still pitching the idea of a rematch. Lesnar might cost Goldberg his spot at the prestigious Rumble match to set up their final match at Wrestlemania.