Pros and Cons of Goldberg Winning the 2017 WWE Royal Rumble Match

At WWE Royal Rumble 2017, Goldberg intends to mow down 29 other men en route to glory. If he succeeds and wins the annual Battle Royal, the effects will echo throughout the WWE Universe.

Goldberg represents a past era. He's a household name despite a 12-year absence from the company. He's a wrecking ball and a graying warrior.

And according to OddsShark, he is the betting favorite to win Sunday's Royal Rumble match at 5-2 odds.

The last man standing in the Royal Rumble gets a spot on the WrestleMania 33 marquee and a shot at the gold Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns will be fighting over at the pay-per-view. Goldberg has his sights set on that prize.

He told fans on Monday's Raw, "Let it be known that I will stop at nothing to obtain that Universal Championship."

Should WWE pull the trigger and let him hunt that title, it would be showcasing a star in his twilight. It would rearrange the WrestleMania card that much of the audience is expecting. The win would electrify the product in some ways but bog it down in others.

Part of the process in deciding whether to script a Goldberg triumph at the Royal Rumble in San Antonio is choosing between a showdown between him and Brock Lesnar or a clash with someone he has yet to face.

Pro: The Setup for an Intriguing WrestleMania Match

A Goldberg victory at the Royal Rumble would shake up the WrestleMania card in a major way.

Instead of the expected rematch with Lesnar, Goldberg would take on either Owens or Reigns for the Universal Championship. The former WCW cornerstone hasn't battled either man before, and both potential matchups would be appealing.

Seeing Owens slug it out with Goldberg promises to be fun. Reigns vs. Goldberg would result in a heavy-hitting thriller. 

WWE.com's Anthony Benigno named Reigns one of Goldberg's dream opponents:

Aside from the entertaining in-ring action, a match against Goldberg would be a career-changing opportunity for each. Before the former WCW champ heads out the door, he could help propel a rising star by being the head they hang on their wall.

Con: Not Exactly a New Era

A 50-year-old wrestler who may not be around after WrestleMania would be an odd choice as the Royal Rumble winner.

The 30-man Battle Royal has often been a means to elevate an emerging talent, but that would be far from the case with Goldberg. He doesn't need the attention and prestige a Rumble win would bring, but the younger, up-and-coming stars set to battle him on Sunday do.

A Goldberg win would be a continuation of one of WWE's biggest issues: It fails to have faith in current wrestlers, choosing to celebrate the stars of the past more often.

Yelling About Sports co-host Bill Matz tweeted about WWE's penchant for leaning on legends:

It wouldn't be surprising, though, to see Goldberg outlast his foes at Sunday's PPV. In the past four years, two men in their 40s (Batista and Triple H) have won the Rumble.

Pro: Water-Cooler Buzz

If WWE wants to get people talking, a Goldberg Rumble win will do the trick.

Last year's Survivor Series saw the powerhouse dominate Lesnar in a shockingly quick win. That left a portion of the audience buzzing and another bemoaning the result. Either way, WWE was a hot topic afterward.

Should he come out on top in the Alamodome, there will be a similar wave of interest. Some will love it, and some will hate it, but there won't be any ho-hum feelings about the outcome.

Casual and lapsed fans may be more enticed to watch WrestleMania with a familiar name headed for the main event, too.

Goldberg has moved the needle since his return. As Sean Rueter of Cageside Seats noted, the beastly bruiser helped the Jan. 2 edition of Raw garner more than 3 million viewers.

Con: Diverting From the Lesnar Story

Ousting his foes en route to a Royal Rumble win would force WWE to divert Goldberg from his rivalry with Lesnar.

The victory would net him a shot at the Universal Championship at The Show of Shows, leading to a showdown with Owens or Reigns, not with the man he trampled at Survivor Series.

WWE could always get the universal title on Lesnar between the Rumble and WrestleMania, but it would have to hurry that process along. And having Owens or Reigns lose to The Beast Incarnate at the Fastlane PPV to set up Goldberg vs. Lesnar would be a clear preference of the past over the future. 

Goldberg has unfinished business with Lesnar. Paul Heyman's monster will seek vengeance for what happened at Survivor Series.

The obvious route to take is for Lesnar and Goldberg to eliminate each other at the Rumble and then collide one more time at WrestleMania.

That would be a satisfying end to their saga, even if there are more appealing stories out there to tell with Goldberg at the center.

WWE will have to decide if it wants closure or something compelling in its freshness. It will have to choose between showcasing a household name for the sake of bringing eyes to the product and allowing an alpha-in-the-making to rise above the Superstars of yesteryear.