Survivor Series weekend has already kicked into high gear with NXT TakeOver: Toronto. But what long time fans are most excited about is a rematch between the two Goliaths of sports entertainment. Two bulls ready to lock horns and collide in a battle of brute strength.
There will be nothing pretty about this encounter, nor do we expect it to last very long. However, it’s an encounter we never expected to see again. The ‘Beast’ Brock Lesnar battles WCW legend Bill Goldberg in a beast vs myth encounter. So what can we expect from the match then?
Background
Let’s start with Brock Lesnar, a man who’s faced much criticism for his recent performances. It came to the point where Dean Ambrose called him lazy on screen, based on their Wrestlemania 32 encounter.
Brock has been booked as a dominant beast in the recent past, as can be evidenced from his matches against Ambrose, Orton (at Summerslam) and even Cena (Summerslam 2014). Because of this unconquerable booking, Brock does not allow his opponents to get too much offence in, before he delivers the final death blow.
However, as we’ve seen from his match against C.M. Punk at Summerslam 2013, we know he has the ability to put on long, compelling fights as well. Unlike his opponent – Goldberg.
Goldberg was a man who was pushed into the top spot at WCW, presumably because of his physical resemblance of Stone Cold Steve Austin, a man who was lighting the world on fire in the rival company, WWE. Without much experience or training, he went on a 173 match undefeated streak. He accomplished the feat through short squash matches, where Goldberg’s look and charisma got him over.
Initial WWE runs
When Brock Lesnar debuted – Steve Austin and The Rock – the two men who had anchored the company were on their way out. Brock Lesnar ran through the roster with blitzkrieg speed, defeating big names and becoming not just the youngest undisputed champion in history, but also the youngest King of the Ring and Royal Rumble winner.
Similarly, WCW’s highest paid athlete Goldberg was brought into WWE with much fanfare from Japan, shooting to the top spot straight away. His first program was against The Rock and months after his debut, he did go on to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
But neither really cared about the business as one would believe. Lesnar would set his sights on the NFL soon after, and Goldberg would want to wind down after a breakneck career. But before that, the two men would collide at Wrestlemania 20.
Neither man was invested in the match, and the crowd booed both these monsters out of the building. An unceremonious end to two legendary careers, or so we believed.
Prediction
Goldberg returned to the ring in 2016 to showcase to his wife and son that he once was a superhero. On the other hand, Brock Lesnar has been a part-time performer in the company, adding star power to the main events. After a storied MMA career, Lesnar returned to end The Undertaker’s fabled ‘streak’ and took his spot as the most dominant monster in WWE.
While nobody expects this match to be a technical masterpiece, we predict that Brock Lesnar will go over Goldberg this time. Lesnar has captured a spot for himself that few can claim; that of the unconquerable monster at the top of the WWE food chain. Goldberg defeating Lesnar at this juncture makes no sense, because it is a one-and-done deal for him, to the best of our knowledge.
This almost seems like Brock Lesnar’s opportunity to get his win back against Goldberg, who’d bested him under different circumstances in 2004.
What makes us conclude it is so is the fact that Goldberg could not wrestle long matches even during his prime. In 2016, at the age of 49, when Brock Lesnar is a different beast from what he used to be in his youth, we hate to say it, but we think it will be a squash match with Lesnar emerging victorious.
The same kind of squash match that Goldberg made famous, only this time with a different outcome. Not one in his favour.
A head to head analysis
It is rare to see either Brock Lesnar or Goldberg take a pinfall in any match. A head to head analysis proves that Lesnar has won 71.65% of his matches whereas Goldberg has won 84.54% of his matches. Whatever the outcome is, it is a rare sight to see either man eat a pin.
We are certain that Lesnar will emerge the victor, but will it lead to a rubber match later? Only time will tell.
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