Goldberg made his return to WWE on last week's season premiere of SmackDown... but not in the traditional way. 

He appeared on-screen in the ThunderDome crowd during the main event, which saw Roman Reigns defend his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman.

So what exactly was the Hall of Famer doing on the show?

According to Inside the Ropes, Goldberg's advertised return was designed to give SmackDown a boost in ratings for their season premiere... but that's not all.

Sources have told the website that this appearance was made with a view of putting 'the wheels in motion' for the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania season. 

Yep, it sounds like Goldberg will be back in 2021.

That's news that won't go down well with too many WWE fans, who feel Goldberg's involvement with the Universal title in recent years has been completely unnecessary. 

Goldberg is a two-time Universal Champion

But in this case, fan opinion won't matter apparently. 

ITR's report claims that 'Vince McMahon couldn’t care less what anyone thinks about him using Goldberg' and the boss still believes there is value in the Goldberg name in WWE. 

So, it looks like we'll be seeing the WCW legend involved for at least a few more years yet. 

It looks like Goldberg is sticking around

What he'll be doing next year is still uncertain. But a storyline with either Reigns or Strowman is already there. 

He could demand a Universal Championship match against 'The Tribal Cheif' considering they weren't able to do it as planned at WrestleMania 36. 

Or, Goldberg could go after Strowman again and seek revenge after losing the belt seven months ago. 

Goldberg could go after Strowman again

Either way, most fans will be hoping to see 'Bill' squashed by whichever opponent he returns to face next year.