Survivor Series 2016: Brock Lesnar v Goldberg

It’s finally happening.

After 12 years, Goldberg will return to a WWE ring for a Mega Match against Brock Lesnar, turning the WWE Universe’s fantasy warfare into hard-hitting reality. The battlefield of choice? Survivor Series, live Sunday, Nov. 20, on WWE Network.

Goldberg’s path to the ring went from pie-in-the-sky hypothetical to signed and sealed over a matter of weeks, as Paul Heyman responded to the former World Heavyweight Champion’s noncommittal SportsCenter interview with a challenge on behalf of The Beast Incarnate. Goldberg, Heyman explained, was not just a mirror image of Brock throughout the Monday Night War, but he holds the distinction of a 1-0 record against The Conqueror. This, of course, is something Heyman could not abide, especially given Goldberg’s casual dismissing of Lesnar in the lead-up to the release of WWE 2K17, where both are featured Superstars (Lesnar is the cover athlete; Goldberg a downloadable exclusive).

Even so, Heyman must have been surprised when Goldberg took him up on his offer, declaring The Beast to be “last” on his infamous hit list, with the time and place confirmed one week later on WWE's official Twitter account. Now, at WWE’s fall classic, Goldberg will either join the ranks of the conquered, or forever be known as The One Who Beat the One in 23-1.