Reports: Backstage update on original plan for RAW main event, how WWE kept Goldberg hidden

Goldberg made his surprise return last night on RAW, where he challenged Drew McIntyre to a WWE Championship match at the Royal Rumble in just over three weeks.

"Honestly, fighting you would be like fighting my own dad, mate!" 👀 ⚔️#WWERaw #RoyalRumble @DMcIntyreWWE @Goldberg pic.twitter.com/5oJbK2c1zt

— WWE (@WWE) January 5, 2021

The former Universal Champion ended this week's RAW episode when he confronted McIntyre, only to be laughed at. According to PWInsider, after RAW cut off, McIntyre delivered the Glasgow Kiss to Goldberg.

RAW's main event was supposed to be different

The site also notes that this wasn't the original main event scheduled for the show. Instead, WWE was prepared to round off the first RAW of 2021 with Randy Orton vs. Jeff Hardy. That could have included the legends since Orton had provoked several Hall of Famers earlier in the night.

Mike Johnson notes that it was a decision made later in the day for the WWE Championship match to main event the show so that Goldberg could then end the show with his Royal Rumble challenge.

"The original plan for the show was for Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton to close Raw but the decision was made late in the day to close with Keith Lee vs. Drew McIntyre instead and do the Goldberg angle."

Goldberg was kept as a surprise throughout the show and was reportedly well-hidden backstage. The former Universal Champion wasn't even listed on the show's scripts to ensure that his appearance remained a secret.

😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲😲#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/k9cSOjyCBk

— WWE (@WWE) January 5, 2021

Following RAW, the company had several issues with timing, which is why Drew McIntyre's entire promo was cut, and the show went off the air without a finish to their angle.

At present, it is unknown as to whether or not McIntyre has accepted the challenge, but the WWE Champion is expected to face off with Goldberg at the Royal Rumble so that he could accept the match on next week's show.