WWE Monday Night Raw results and observations (10/17/16): Goldberg loves the kids, but hates Brock Lesnar

WWE touted all week that Bill Goldberg was making his first appearance on Raw in 12 years Monday night and made sure it was the only thing most people will remember about the show.

I say that because the rest of the show felt like it meant little to nothing. It almost felt like all three hours were building to Goldberg's appearance and that's where the bulk of WWE's attention went to.

However, that isn't the only takeaway I have from this show and I will get into all of them in a moment.

Before that, here are the full match results from the Pepsi Center in Denver:

- Seth Rollins def. Chris Jericho

- The Golden Truth & Mark Henry def. The Shining Stars & Titus O'Neil

- Big E def. Sheamus

- Bo Dallas def. Neville

- Dana Brooke def. Bayley

- Braun Strowman def. The Mile-High Trio

- Big Cass def. Karl Anderson

- Drew Gulak, Tony Nese & Brian Kendrick def. T.J. Perkins, Cedric Alexander & Rich Swann

Goldberg accepted the challenge

As expected, Goldberg returned to WWE television Monday night and accepted Paul Heyman's challenge to fight his client/beast, Brock Lesnar.

When and where this fight will take place was not announced this past Monday night, but it will happen at some point. I suppose the when and where parts could be settled next week in when Lesnar is scheduled to appear.

While Goldberg accepting the challenge wasn't surprising, what was apparently surprising to some was the reaction he received from the fans in Denver, which was overwhelmingly positive.

Yes, the fans still remember Goldberg after all of these years. I guess the successful DVD sales and "Goldberg!" chants at Ryback weren't evidence enough before Monday night, but I think everyone knows now that the fans — at least in Denver — still remember who Goldberg is and what he was back in the glory days of World Championship Wrestling.

Goldberg had the entire entrance everyone knows him for. He walked through the backstage area, which was strangely lined with current WWE superstars cheering him on, while the fans chanted his name to the rhythm of his iconic WCW theme song. Thankfully, his awful WWE theme was left in the past where it belongs.

His pyro consumed the stage and out he came to an even louder reaction. He went to the ring and kept his speech simple and to the point.

He said that he wasn't sure about coming out of retirement, but then Heyman challenged him on Lesnar's behalf and he essentially figured, "Why not?"

He also seemed genuinely taken aback by the fact the fans in Denver still knew who he was. I guess Goldberg himself didn't think fans still remembered him after all of these years.

To those that are still skeptical about WWE's use of Goldberg, even after Monday night, you all have every right to feel uneasy about the company bringing back a man that turns 50 in a couple of months and that hasn't had a match in more than a decade back out of retirement for a high-profile match.

I understand that because of that and the fact that Goldberg and Lesnar didn't have a stellar showing the first time around, fans aren't all that enamored with the potential quality of the match to come.

To all of you I say you are missing the point. If you are looking for a five-star classic match, then look elsewhere. This is not about that. This is about the attraction. Andre the Giant built an entire career of being purely an attraction, not a mat technician.

How many five-star classics did Hulk Hogan or Steve Austin have? The answer: Who cares? People paid money to see them. That's a lot more real than the subjective rating of a match.

Believe it or not, Lesnar versus Goldberg is still an attraction. Is it going to create a wrestling boom? Of course not, but it will help, even if it is just a little bit, it will help.

This is about putting two guys in the ring that have a lot of name value and reputations — one built on being a former UFC Heavyweight champion and the other going a long stretch of time without losing in professional wrestling — of being tough guys that don't back down from a fight.

The fans in Denver Monday night should have told the skeptics that there is indeed an appetite for Goldberg and this match.

If you're really worried about match quality, it won't be a contender for match of the year. At least I don't think it will, but I do think Lesnar and a seemingly motivated Goldberg are still capable of putting on at least a decent match.

Is Hell in a Cell really Hell?

I already expressed last week that I was not enamored by WWE stacking the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view card with a trio of Hell in a Cell matches.

Well, now I'm even less enamored by how WWE is presenting each of them.

None of the three matches feel like how Hell in a Cell should feel. Charlotte and Sasha Banks are the first two women to enter Hell in a Cell. I raved about it last week because WWE was finally stepping out of its comfort zone and giving these women a chance to make history.

I even let it slide that WWE made it seem like a badge of honor that they got the match.

However, that was last week. This week, WWE should have moved on from the historic significance of two women entering Hell in a Cell and delve into the rivalry between Banks and Charlotte and why these two have to settle their differences in the company's most dangerous match.

Instead, everyone was still talking about making history Monday night. Let's move on from that and tell a real story.

The one between Rollins and Kevin Owens is a disaster from the standpoint of building up the Hell in a Cell. Jericho did his best to make the match seem dangerous, but all it did was point out why Rollins and Owens don't need a Hell in a Cell match.

But since it's October, WWE has to break out the structure. This feels like a title match that just so happens to be taking place inside a Hell in a Cell, which shouldn't be the case.

There is more focus on the cracks in the foundation of the Owens-Jericho friendship than there is on why this match is headed inside Hell in a Cell.

With that said, the interaction between Jericho and Owens was very good.

As far as Rusev and Roman Reigns, that brings me to my next point.

The Family Rusev

In a vacuum, Rusev going through his family tree and showing the world how great and successful his family is was pretty entertaining.

For a supposedly dominant super athlete, Rusev has great comedic timing without telling everyone he is trying to make you laugh.

However, none of this fit the tone of a man that is less than two weeks away from entering the most dangerous match WWE has to offer.

The Hell in a Cell is not the time to break out a comedy segment, which is what this was. I'm not sure WWE truly meant it that way, but Rusev is so funny on his own it simply turned out that way.

Plus, the idea of gloating over Papa and Mama Rusev is just plain funny. The unfortunate part is that it does not help sell the seriousness of entering a Hell in a Cell match.

I simply don't understand the tone WWE is trying to convey with these matches.

Hell in a Cell comes slightly early

Speaking of Hell in a Cell, it seems as though it will come slightly early next week.

I say that because the WWE Raw Tag Team title match that is scheduled for Hell in a Cell will take place on Raw, as The New Day will face Sheamus and Cesaro. The only difference is that the titles are not on the line.

Why is this match happening? It is because it will be a test to see if Sheamus and Cesaro can get along during a match. That's not good enough.

Also, Rollins will face Owens and Jericho in a triple threat match next week, six days before Rollins will face Owens inside Hell in a Cell.

Why? I honestly don't know.

I could easily knock WWE for doing this, but at the same time I can't. That is because the company's options for matchups, especially on Raw, are rather limited because of the brand extension.

When Raw has roughly 60 percent of WWE's roster at its disposal and three hours to fill, the options will run out rather quickly.

On top of that, WWE is trying to keep the ratings from its continual nosedive, so it feels the need to put on big matches every single week.

Smackdown Live will face the same issues soon enough, but its saving grace is that it is only two hours. Having one less hour is a major advantage for the blue brand.

Sami Zayn stands up to Braun Strowman

Zayn became the first person to stand up to Strowman Monday night after the big man annihilated three men at once and was about to demand stronger competition yet again.

Zayn stood right in Strowman's face before the big man shoved him all the way out of the ring. During an interview backstage, Zayn was asked why he picked a fight with Strowman. Zayn said he did so because no one else has.

I saw a lot of fans on Twitter worried about what this could mean for Zayn. It seems as though people are worried that Zayn, a guy who was the face of NXT at one point, will be another stop on Strowman's destruction tour. Knowing WWE's track record with large men, they're probably right.

But maybe, just maybe there is a slither of hope that WWE is setting Zayn up for the biggest upset since James Ellsworth defeated AJ Styles.

Unfortunately for Zayn, that seems unlikely.

Gallows and Anderson look kind of silly again

Remember when WWE said Luke Gallows and Anderson ran roughshod over Raw's tag team division.

Well, Anderson lost a two-minute match to Big Cass Monday night — so much for that.