What if Brock Lesnar hadn’t returned to WWE in 2012?

#3 No Goldberg Comeback

If Lesnar hadn't returned, it's doubtful Goldberg would have either.

Goldberg’s comeback from 2016 to 2017 was a feel-good nostalgia story that saw a legend of a previous era make amends with WWE and the fans, and have one last major push as Universal Champion and Brock Lesnar’s foil.

Would Goldberg have come back without Lesnar? It’s not impossible, but it’s hard to imagine whom WWE would have programmed him against, much less anyone ultimately delivering as satisfying of a four-minute sprint with Goldberg at WrestleMania 33. Maybe if Ryback hadn’t imploded in his WWE standing, he could have worked a similar spot, given his superficial similarities to the old WCW standard bearer.

Otherwise, there’s the very real possibility that Goldberg might have returned in a similar timeframe just for a Hall of Fame induction and not another go-round in the ring. We’ll never know for sure, but it’s not unreasonable to think that without Lesnar, we’d have no Goldberg comeback.