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Drew McIntyre will be facing Goldberg at the 2021 Royal Rumble in another WWE title defense and it will prove to be a big test for him. A lot of WWE fans won't be too happy about Goldberg getting yet another World Championship opportunity, but there are several reasons why it's happening - with some good and not-so-good reasons.
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Fans are understandably upset about Goldberg's return to a top spot, so here are five better opponents for Drew McIntyre at the Royal Rumble:
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#5. Brock Lesnar - Last appearance was a match against Drew McIntyre
Brock Lesnar has been notably absent from WWE for 2020 post-WrestleMania 36. He had one of his most inactive years since 2012, having only wrestled in the Royal Rumble, Super ShowDown (for a little over a minute), and at WrestleMania 36.
The Royal Rumble 2020 match was a career-highlight for Brock Lesnar even though he didn't win it. It was the most dominant individual performance in Royal Rumble history as well.
Brock Lesnar reportedly didn't return to WWE after that since the company didn't want to utilize him without a crowd. Instead, they let his contract expire, and he's technically a free agent.
However, he is expected to re-sign. It isn't clear when he will appear again, but he will be expected for WrestleMania season. Brock Lesnar would have been a perfect Royal Rumble opponent for Drew McIntyre - either to take the title off him or to put him over in a big way once again.
That would have been a blockbuster WWE Title match at the 2021 Royal Rumble. Not just that, but with Brock Lesnar, there would be a guarantee of a longer match. The WrestleMania 36 match against Drew McIntyre hardly lasted a few minutes, but it seemed to be a way for WWE to keep the door open to a rematch.
With the rumored SummerSlam clash falling through, Royal Rumble would have been the next best option for a rematch.
#4. Braun Strowman - Drew McIntyre's rumored original TLC opponent
Braun Strowman had a better 2020 than most. He was eliminated by Brock Lesnar in the Royal Rumble match, but he went on to defeat Goldberg to capture the Universal Championship after Roman Reigns pulled out of WrestleMania 36.
Four months as the Universal Champion isn't bad. He was rumored to be Drew McIntyre's original WWE Title challenger at TLC 2020, but a minor injury kept him out and changed plans. He will likely be ready to return by then and would have been a great WWE Title opponent for Drew McIntyre at the 2021 Royal Rumble.
#3. Sheamus
While Sheamus and Goldberg may be on two different levels, the former would have been a great Royal Rumble opponent for Drew McIntyre. WWE can get away with a lazy story for the McIntyre-Goldberg match, using the latter's presence alone to market the WWE Title clash.
With Sheamus, there's a story. Had Sheamus been carefully pushed and protected, he would have had a good feud with Drew McIntyre. Even if he wasn't going to win, a good story between two friends would lead to an exciting match that would likely deliver in a big way.
#2. Keith Lee - Proved to be a legitimate challenger to Drew McIntyre
What if WWE chose to wait and booked Drew McIntyre vs. Keith Lee for the Royal Rumble instead of the first RAW of 2021? While we understand the decision, Keith Lee proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is a main-event-caliber Superstar.
Drew McIntyre defeated Keith Lee in an incredible WWE Title match, narrowly walking out the victor. Keith Lee may not have the same buzz or popularity that Goldberg has, but if he had the same match against Drew McIntyre at Royal Rumble, his stock would only have gone up.
#1. AJ Styles
There's no need to justify why AJ Styles could have been in that spot. He lost to Drew McIntyre at TLC, but he would have been able to put on a clinic with the WWE Champion at the Royal Rumble if given the opportunity.
Between 2017 and 2019, AJ Styles was always in the WWE Championship match at the Royal Rumble, and he would have served as the perfect opponent for the Scotsman.
AJ Styles was likely the best option that WWE could have gone with - at least extending the feud for longer than it was.
