Goldberg, Patrick Clark in NXT, The Club and More from the 'Who's Next?' Mailbag

Goldberg is back, and it was glorious. How do I know? Because not only did he have the Pepsi Center eating out of the palm of his hand, but ratings also skyrocketed, per ShowBuzzDaily (h/t Marc Middleton of Wrestling Inc), as WWE had a much-needed dose of mainstream.

With WWE going all-in on niche independent wrestling prototypes, Goldberg was just another example of the type of real-life superheroes who once made wrestling great. He's now back to make wrestling great again.

Boo-Hoo's Next?

Goldberg's return couldn't have gone any better. A series of vignettes showcasing his greatest moments to build up the nostalgia? Check. Taking his accomplishments, win streak and impact on professional wrestling seriously? Check. Promoting WWE 2K17 without coming off as pandering and desperate? Check.

All that was needed to make this a perfect comeback was a believable babyface promo. Thankfully, Goldberg gave us so much more. Fans were already on board, with a Denver crowd that was devoid of the loud, anti-mainstream hardcore fans who have influenced WWE into booking a product that is delivering all-time-low ratings.

Instead, chants of "Goldberg" filled the Pepsi Center to the point where Goldberg seemed legitimately moved and may have been tearing up prior to unloading the best promo of his career.

Michael Cole mentioning Goldberg as the greatest WCW champion of all time is a far cry from Goldberg's original run, where WWE announcers would basically laugh off his otherwise famed stint as a top star down south. 

WWE has made a positive first impression with the Goldberg comeback, but its work is far from done. The unpredictable Air Canada Centre will likely have final say as to how he is received in his match against Lesnar. Dave Meltzer of Figure Four Online has reported the match is all but confirmed for Survivor Series.  

Prince of Controversy?

Patrick Clark is just living life. I like the new gimmick—probably because I love Prince.

Clark's new risk-taking character is different, and it stands out in NXT, which is becoming an increasingly difficult task. Sure, WWE is not always easy to trust in situations that incorporate social issues, but NXT has yet to do anything with this gimmick that suggests any homophobia. 

He's a flamboyant personality who has an over-the-top style of dress. Gorgeous George did this to perfection and, in turn, influenced every combat sports star from Ric Flair to Muhammad Ali.

This template usually translates to a heel persona initially, but if Clark believes in this gimmick and performs it to the best of his ability, the NXT Universe will inevitably cheer him. Diversity is a good thing, and lord knows a roster filled with the same old song ("He traveled the world on the independent circuit!") needs it. I can't wait to see how this plays out.  

Clubhouse to the Outhouse?

The Bullet Club was nothing more than a dog whistle in WWE. Only a small amount of fans knew its importance in Japan, but WWE didn't stick with the stable as it was gaining momentum. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson are a fine tag team, but WWE tried to incorporate humor into their simple, tough-guy personas to mixed results.

Although they're doing fairly well as a tag team, and AJ Styles is fitting right in on SmackDown as WWE world champion, Styles would be much more effective as a top heel with The Club by his side as henchmen.

The New Day isn't losing the Raw Tag Team Championships anytime soon, so Anderson and Gallows could have been a good choice to defeat Heath Slater and Rhyno for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships sometime down the road.

Still, Anderson and Gallows have found a niche as a heel tag team on a Raw roster with limited pairings. But it's fair to question the decision to split The Club when Styles could benefit from having a stable as a world champion. 

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.