The feud between Brock Lesnar and Goldberg has really been one of the brighter business decisions by WWE this year, and the wrestling promotion will be continuing that bright run in 2017 at the Royal Rumble and like again at WrestleMania 33.
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However, Lesnar vs. Goldberg wasn't always the plan for WrestleMania, and according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, what WWE had planned for Lesnar is 2017... probably leaves a lot to be desired in most people's opinions.
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That plan? Brock Lesnar vs. Shane McMahon. From Wrestling Observer Radio: (subscription required)
No, Shane McMahon was. That's why it was such a fight to get Goldberg because there were people who were very much pushing that "we've got a plan, we've got plan" you know? And Vince [McMahon] ended up being convinced that Bill Goldberg was a better plan than Shane McMahon as a plan.
While Shane McMahon has been a part of memorable matches before — including a match with the Undertaker at this past year's WrestleMania that featured a jump off of a 20-foot cage — the idea of Shane facing Lesnar on that big of a stage to have what would likely be a long match is somewhat off-putting. McMahon, 46, isn't as spry as he used to be, and even in a worked environment like WWE, the believe-ability of McMahon legitimately squaring off with Lesnar just isn't there even for the hardcore wrestling fans.
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The WWE's usual M.O. for WrestleMania is to put on the biggest spectacle possible in a pro-wrestling ring. Lesnar-Goldberg definitely fills that bill more than Shane-Lesnar, which is something that probably shouldn't be on the table at all in 2017.
