wrestling / News

Backstage Update on WWE Pivoting to Drew McIntyre vs. Goldberg for Royal Rumble

January 5, 2021 | Posted by Jeffrey Harris

As previously reported, WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg appeared on last night’s Raw, and he challenged Drew McIntyre to a match for the WWE World Championship at the 2021 Royal Rumble event. Dave Meltzer commented on this development on today’s Wrestling Observer Radio, and why WWE pivoted toward this matchup for McIntyre.

Recently, it looked like WWE was teasing a Universal title matchup between Goldberg and reigning champion Roman Reigns. Goldberg even said Roman Reigns was “NEXT” on The Bump, which Reigns responded to. According to Meltzer, WWE officials made the sudden decision on Saturday (Jan. 2) to move forward with a Goldberg vs. McIntyre matchup instead, essentially jettisoning the past buildup for Roman Reigns vs. Goldberg.

Meltzer speculated the matchup was changed because there was no one else ready on the Raw roster to be plugged into a title matchup with Drew McIntyre at the Royal Rumble. WWE has not yet officially confirmed the world title matchup yet, but it appears to be the plan now, per Meltzer.

The 2021 Royal Rumble event will be held on January 31 at the Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. It will be broadcast live on the WWE Network.

article topics :

Royal Rumble, WWE, Jeffrey Harris