Ring Rust Could Hamper Goldberg Despite Impressive Build to WWE Survivor Series

The build and promo work is done. Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar is now just a matter of days away at WWE Survivor Series 2016, and for a guy who hasn't set foot inside a WWE ring for over a decade, Goldberg has done a decent job of promoting his return to the company.

It's been easy to forget that the guy is nearly 50, as he hasn't looked out of place in terms of hyping the match. For the most part, WWE fans have been behind him as he looks to chalk up another victory against Lesnar, and all the signs point to an intriguing match on Sunday.

But there is one potential roadblock for the bout to be a success—Goldberg's ring rust. We saw glimpses of it when Goldberg attacked Rusev and Paul Heyman a couple of weeks ago.

He looked fairly sloppy in taking down Rusev, which, to give him some credit, is understandable. He hasn't wrestled in WWE for 12 years, and it's only natural he looks a shade out of touch.

But given that there's been no physical action to speak of for Goldberg since—apart from when he attacked the security guards on Monday's Raw, which also didn't look great—is that ring rust going to be too obvious for WWE fans on Sunday night against Lesnar?

It's hard to imagine there won't be some sign of it. 

But when ring rust is a problem, the type of opponent you're wrestling often determines whether it's exposed too much.

And with Lesnar being the opponent for Goldberg, it's hard to determine what impact that will have. Against a quicker, high-flying foe, Goldberg could have been seriously shown up.

But WWE obviously knows that, in pitting him against Lesnar, a slow, physical and brutal match is guaranteed. That should hide Goldberg's ring rust, as fans won't expect too much from him on his first outing back with the company.

So long as he stays with Lesnar's brutality—don't forget this is his first match since mutilating Randy Orton earlier this year—he should be able to last the distance and look in decent shape.

But what WWE won't want—and the fans won't want it, either—is a match that is painfully slow. 

So far, Goldberg's return with a microphone in his hand, his physical appearance and his connection with the crowd have all been solid. In fact, he's looked like the stronger of the two men on the road to Survivor Series. That alone deserves massive praise and respect.

But there's an underlying worry that, following the final confrontation between the two men on Raw this past Monday, Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar could be remembered for some sloppy ring work rather than a spectacular, all-star bout.

Here's hoping Goldberg manages to defy us all and show he's still more than capable of putting on a solid match because the build thus far has been worthy of it—at least from Goldberg's perspective, anyway.