On Monday’s special Legends’ Night episode of Raw, we didn’t just get the huge returns
of The Big Show and Ric Flair, but also the major comeback of Bill Goldberg after the
main event.
For his now annual tradition of beating your favourite wrestler for their top WWE championship.
To WWE’s credit, this did come as a big surprise, as we here at WrestleTalk.com first
broke last month that Goldberg was being planned to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 37 - in
a redo of the Mania 36 match of Roman pulled out of last March because of the pandemic.
Goldberg even started building a Reigns feud on The Bump and social media following our
report.
And the real reason it was such a surprise, according to the Wrestling Observer, is because
not even WWE knew about it until two days before the show.
Reportedly, upon realising they didn’t have anyone ready to face McIntyre, WWE officials
decided to book the match on Saturday 2nd January.
It’s your classic, ‘We’ll get to that issue first thing next year, oh crap, we really
should’ve solved this before the Christmas break’ situation.
I said let’s just have a nice New Year’s Eve, Megan, for once, can we not talk about
our problems.
And, as you’d expect from such a significant direction change just two days before your
big themed first episode of the year, it created some obstacles on the day.
We already covered yesterday how timing issues meant Goldberg’s return segment had to be
rushed, with the show abruptly ending on Drew getting shoved to the floor.
But PWInsider is reporting what, exactly, went astray.
Apparently the original main event was set to be Randy Orton vs Jeff Hardy - which would’ve
made far more sense given Orton’s episode-long story of bullying Legends that never really
paid off - but it was decided very late in the day that Drew McIntyre vs Keith Lee for
the WWE Championship would close the show, because they wanted to end with Goldberg standing
face-to-face with Drew.
Face to knee presumably being an acceptable Plan B.
McIntyre was actually meant to cut a promo after his match with Lee, but because his
main event went over time - which can happen when you only decide the show format just
hours before it begins - it had to be dropped.
But Goldberg still came out and cut the same promo that had been scripted to reply to what
Drew didn’t said.
Which is why it made no sense - with Goldberg complaining McIntyre was disrespecting legends,
when Drew had done nothing of the sort.
The ending also received heavy criticism for the closing image of Bill shoving Drew to
the floor.
It made many fear for a repeat of the worst case scenario we’ve already lived through
twice with Kevin Owens and The Fiend on the Road to WrestleMania - Goldberg wins the top
championship.
But PWInsider have also revealed the planned ending to the show was actually to close on
McIntyre looking strong.
As the episode had already overran, the USA Network had to cut to the next program after
Goldberg shoved Drew to the ground.
But McIntyre was then supposed to stand up and give Goldberg a headbutt receipt with
the Glasgow Kiss.
Which probably isn’t the best move to take for a man who just headbutted a locker.
Drew later tweeted: “Hope you enjoyed that @Goldberg, because
it’s the only push you’re gonna get” If only, Drew… if only.
But Goldberg’s return wasn’t the only major segment that went wrong on the show…
Raw’s Legends’ Night was originally meant to begin with an in-ring promo from Hulk Hogan,
but they instead changed it to a baffling cold open where Hogan tried to sell a parody
iPhone called the hPhone - the only smartphone that doesn’t record your secretly racist
conversations!
But at least the Hulkster was booked for his advertised appearance.
Several other Legends weren’t so lucky.
Because WWE seemingly has no problem with promoting stars they have no intention of
getting to appear - which is the dictionary definition of ‘carny’ - Beth Phoenix,
Eve Torres, Hillbilly Jim, Ivory, Jacqueline, Kurt Angle, Michael ‘PS’ Hayes and Candice
Michelle didn’t feature on the episode despite being announced in advance.
Prompting RETRIBUTION’s Mace to ask on Twitter: “And where TF was Carlito?”
Fightful had first reported that Carlito and Candice Michelle couldn’t get to the ThunderDome
because of travel issues.
Which is understandable during a pandemic.
But following Carlito himself tweeting a SHRUGGING RASHIDA JONES FROM THE OFFICE gif, WrestlingInc
is now claiming he was never actually booked for the show.
Despite being one of the most anticipated returns for the episode - because, unlike
many of the other Legends who are there every other month, Colon hasn’t been properly
in WWE for over a decade - Carliote “was never officially booked for the show at all.
WWE sent feelers out to a variety of talents, including Carlito, and someone internally
in WWE apparently simply jumped the gun announcing his appearance.
This was not an issue of travel problems or him being held up due to COVID-19 precautions.”
Apparently there is no heat between the two sides, as “it appears to have just been
a communication error”.
And there’s nothing fans can be angry about because Card Subject To Change.
As Mickie James also appeared as a Legend on the episode, some sites have claimed she’s
quietly retired from the ring.
Inside the Ropes is reporting this isn’t true, writing she “is still an active performer
in WWE and has been cleared to wrestle following an injury sustained in October.”
Maybe she’ll return in a feud at the top of the women’s division right away and win
a titl-nah, just kidding, that’s Charlotte’s story now.
The latest chapter of Charlotte’s Back Now saw more of the same, her fellow tag team
champion Asuka playing second-fiddle, and their entire Raw match being designed around
her.
But it’s come out that backfired, as Ric Flair kinda turned heel when he wasn’t supposed
to.
Because Legends Night, Charlotte’s father Ric Flair was at ringside for her tag match
against Peyton Royce and Lacey Evans.
The match surprisingly ended in Charlotte getting pinned, though, when Lacey distracted
Ric by making him too horny, so he accidentally tripped his daughter for Royce to roll her
up.
Charlotte then screamed at her dad, telling him to stay out of her business.
According to Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live, though, it was meant to be clearer that
Ric tripping Charlotte was an accident, as someone wasn’t in position.
Don’t expect this to be resolved on the next episode of Raw, though.
Charlotte turned babyface again on Twitter, replying to her dad’s apology tweet with:
“I can never stay mad at you ❤️ love you as big as the sky Dad”
Dear God… she’s not just going for record title wins, she’s trying to break Big Show’s
heel-face turn record!
The OmniFlair.
And that’s not the only controversy from this segment on Twitter...
In line with current pornographic trends, Lacey Evans replied to Charlotte’s tweet:
“Now come give your step mama some sugar Kiss mark”
And then turned her Twitter game on popstar Cardi B, who had jokingly called out Vince
McMahon after she was referenced in a 24/7 title segment on Raw.
“Careful what you wish for ya nasty..... we aren't @NICKIMINAJ You'll get sent home
with more than a busted eye.
💅👠” A reference to Cardi B’s reported real-life
fight with Minaj in 2018.
Which brought a seemingly shoot reply from Cardi B herself:
“A white woman can’t never put fear on me sweetie....
Got me f***** up.
I was showing love to WWE the whole night yesterday I don’t know where the f*** you
came from with your unnecessary bulls***.”
And “Wow ! don’t ever wanna hear motherf****** talking s*** to me again !!!!”
Cardi has since deleted that tweet, and Lacey has posted a somewhat backtracking reply,
calling it just a “friendly heads up”.
Raw wasn’t the only WWE show so far this year to falsely advertise, though, as Friday’s
episode of SmackDown promoted a ‘Special Request’ segment featuring Roman Reigns
- which was meant to feature The Head of the Family asking WWE for... something.
We still don’t know, because it didn’t happen.
And according to Ringside News, it’s because Roman himself exercised his increasingly creative
influence on the show.
Reigns and Paul Heyman “nixed” the Special Request segment, instead closing SmackDown
on his latest lengthy beatdown of Kevin Owens.
They turned down the segment after WWE had already told the social media team to promote
it on Twitter, though.
So as the tweets were out there, “WWE acted like it never went out.
This is just another instance of the right hand not knowing what the left is really doing…
Vince [McMahon] didn’t want to even mention or work around the social postings.”
New Japan’s biggest show of the year, the two day WrestleKingdom 15, concluded yesterday,
where Kota Ibushi successfully defended both the IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental
Championships against Jay White, that he’d won from Tetsuya Naito the night before.
Ibushi has now promised to unify the belts in the future, and break Okada’s successful
title defence record.
Following his loss, Jay White has said he’s “done” with New Japan following today’s
New Year’s Dash show - in what is likely a worked quitting angle.
Elsewhere on the show, Takahashi beat Ishimori for the Junior Heavyweight belt, and Shingo
Takagi had a brilliant match against Jeff Cobb.
Head over to WrestleTalk.com for all our New Japan coverage.
And wrestling in 2021 is hitting the ground running, with IMPACT’s big Hard to Kill
show next Saturday - which added an Old School Rules six man tag between Eric Young, Cody
Deaner and Joe Doering against Tommy Dreamer, Rhino and Cousin Jake on last night’s episode.
The card will also feature Eddie Edwards vs Sami Callihan in Barbed Wire Massacre, Deonna
Purrazzo vs Taya Valkryie, and the huge main event of Rich Swann & The Motor City Machine
Guns vs the Good Brothers and AEW Champion Kenny Omega - who yet again said they’re
Bullet Club 4 4 4 4 life on IMPACT last night.
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Watch my review of Goldberg’s WWE return and the whole episode of Raw by clicking the
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Jam that Jam.