Legions of fans saw it coming from a mile away, but no one seemed to believe the legitimacy of it. Who can blame them after all, when a myriad of rumours and ‘scoops’ resurface every other month to burn the fans to near distrust. All said and done, it finally happened on RAW, and boy oh boy wasn’t it the epitome of hardcore nostalgia.
One of the most dominant yet technically impaired wrestlers to have ever graced the ring pulled off the return of the decade, and how! Regardless that the element of surprise was marred by the build-up, Bill Goldberg may have got any nonchalant and yesteryear Attitude Era fan – who grew up to be too ‘mature’ for pro wrestling, to tune into RAW.
Polarising is not the word to describe the materialisation of WWE's ever-so-reluctant decision to get Goldberg back. Be it the widespread furore over a washed up 50-year-old part-timer coming back to the company’s fold, or the eventual fulfilment of round two of the greatest match to miserably fall short of prodigiousness; the fans are evenly split.
One thing that is certainly beyond doubt is that every pro wrestling fan, who’s faithfully watched the man demolish the best from the best years of the business, were left with a bundle of overwhelming emotions to fathom. While Goldberg's celebrated career is finely documented, there are always a few unnoticed gems that slip past our radar.
So before Goldberg adds another episode to his WWE story, let’s take a look at these matches which may not have reached the five-star classic pedestal – barring a select few, but still are certainly worthy of a watch.
10. Animal instincts
Goldberg ran roughshod on the entire WWE roster ever since he made his debut back in 2003, and after going over The Rock, Chris Jericho and a bunch of other superstars of the roster, WWE knew the time was right to push Goldberg as a bonafide babyface champion.
The task of doing so was delegated to the most wicked faction at the time, The Evolution. Led by seasoned shot callers in Triple H and Ric Flair coupled with a volatile up and comer in Randy Orton and a beast in Batista, Evolution were apt in making Goldberg look like a million bucks.
Triple H denied Goldberg the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on various occasions, courtesy of his trusted lieutenants and the infamous Sledgehammer. However, Goldberg eventually won the title at Unforgiven, much to the dismay of The Game, who announced a $100,000 bounty for any superstar who could end Goldberg’s career for good.
Many stepped up but didn’t even come close until The Animal took matters upon his own hands and interfered in Goldberg’s match against Shawn Michaels for the WWE World Heavyweight title. Batista exhibited his mean streak by placing Goldberg’s ankle between a folding chair and shattering it by jumping off the second rope. An exasperated Goldberg demanded a match against Batista and Stone Cold Steve Austin found no reason to deny him.
The brief match was nothing special as the backstory of the feud hindered it from becoming a hard-hitting and lengthy brawl. Nevertheless, the fans witnessed the beefed up dream match, and till date, envisage what a proper feud between the two would have been like. It can still happen, just saying!
9. The Icon vs. The Undefeated (WCW Monday Nitro – 14th September 1998)
This match between Sting and Goldberg had legendary written all over in the bold letters. While Sting was the lovable babyface going into his match, Goldberg had transitioned into the man the fans loved to hate due to his superhuman booking, no-selling, and the bloated-up streak.
A majority of the fanbase were rooting for the Icon to go over Goldberg, but the bookers thought otherwise. In the end, WCW went ahead with a widely disparaged move to have Hulk Hogan cost Sting the match with a mindless interference, crushing the hopes of many who envisioned the streak to be broken at the hands of Sting.
While many still feel Sting should have been handed the distinction of breaking the streak, the next man on this list validates a stronger case.
8. The best match of his career
For a match that didn’t fit the bill of a classic from a duration’s standpoint, this had everything you’d expect from a classic battle. The storytelling, in-ring phycology, and the dynamics were all top-notch in what was arguably the best match of Goldberg’s career.
Goldberg’s inability to execute the Jackhammer due to the perfected selling of his injured right arm, the countless near falls and that Diamond Cutter reversal from a Jackhammer – every moment kept the fans faithfully invested in the clash between two of the greatest fan favourites in WCW history.
Goldberg’s astuteness in putting on five-star matches has always been a matter of deep conversation, but here he proved his detractors wrong. A bulk of the credit goes to DDP for carrying the match and being the cherished underdog to the best of his ability. Despite the solidity of the bout, a lot was left to be desired at the end of it all, as till date, many fans feel DDP should have been the one to break Goldberg’s streak.
7. The Japanese undertaking
If you’ve made waves the way Goldberg did, rest assured, Japenese promotions will come knocking at your door without prior notice. After bidding adieu to WCW, Goldberg took a short break before returning to the squared circle in August 2002. One of the biggest promotions in Japan, All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) got Goldberg on board in a non-exclusive deal and the former WCW Champion worked two matches as per the agreement.
He faced Taiyo Kea and Kojima Satoshi in two short-lived, squash matches before WWE took notice of him and wasted no time in signing up the hottest talent in the world at that time. ‘In addition to his AJPW stint, Goldberg worked two matches for Wrestle-1. The first was a tag team contest in which he teamed up with Keiji Muto and went up against Brian Adams and Bryan Clark. The second was a one-on-one match against Rick Steiner.
6. In a cage with a monster
Calling out Goldberg and ending up getting locked inside a steel cage would probably go down as the definition of stupid. Christian was just a sacrificial lamb to put over Goldberg as a legit beast, the one the fans had gone accustomed to seeing in WCW.
‘Christian isn’t James Ellsworth who could rely upon his two hands and hope for a fighting miracle; thus he smartly came equipped with the ‘People’s Chair’. After a showcase of chair shots and Goldberg’s selling, the tables turned and in a matter of seconds, Christian was busted open. A spear, the subsequent jackhammer, pinfall, end of story.
5. The beginning
Goldberg would be wholly grateful to Lex Luger and Sting for perceiving a commanding pro wrestler in him while he was busy training at a gym in 1996. Pro wrestling was the perfect substitute to a dwindling footballing career and Goldberg was sold on the idea.
After training extensively at the WCW Power Plant, Goldberg made his in-ring debut as Bill Gold at a Monday Nitro event in an untelevised dark match by defeating Buddy Lee Parker. He featured in five subsequent dark matches before making his televised debut on the Nitro episode of September 22nd against Hugh Morrus. And thus began the career of a megastar, who was blessed with an envious resume in the years to come.
4. The Viper’s turn
Goldberg’s feud against the Evolution had everything you’d expect from the babyface vs. heel faction dynamic – singles matches with each member, the unavoidable handicap bouts and endless instances of unassailable beatdowns.
The Elimination Chamber match for the World Heavyweight title at SummerSlam was right around and Goldberg was naturally the red-hot favourite. Thus, WWE booked Goldberg to go up against the Viper – who was also a part of the Elimination Chamber match, on the go-home episode of RAW for Summerslam.
With Stone Cold at ringside as the special enforcer, Triple H and Ric Flair on commentary and Goldberg aching to squash the Viper, the match was bound to end in chaotic fashion. The match had all the cliches – the referee getting knocked out, Ric Flair’s interference, Stone Cold’s timely ass-whooping and Goldberg’s eventual victory.
The twists didn’t end there! Kevin Nash laid out Goldberg, Triple H got super kicked by HBK, who in turn got a chair shot to the back courtesy of Chris Jericho. Add to that Jim Ross’s legendary commentary in all of this and you’d imagine why the fans still yearn for those golden years to return.
3. Matt Hardy gets broken in half
Many purposeless stars are needed to build up a beast and Goldberg was no exception. While Goldberg was already the unstoppable wrecking machine by then, he needed to trample someone on his return to in-ring action after a brief lay-off, and Hardy was the perfect scapegoat.
Matt Hardy was incensed that he doesn’t get the spotlight he deserved and went on a rant about the Texas Rattlesnake, Stone Cold Steve Austin. Stone Cold came riding out in his quad and showed no qualms about whooping Hardy’s sorry butt. Hardy, though, demanded fresh opposition, someone he’d never faced before and Stone Cold obliged to it by calling out anyone who would want to do the honors for him.
Goldberg’s music hit, the Coliseum crowd were sent into a frenzy and Matt Hardy’ cocky expression transitioned into one of transparent horror. Goldberg snugly dispatched Hardy in a match that was ruined by Jonathan Coachman's horrendous work on commentary.
2. The World Strongest Jackhammer
A $100,000 bounty to prune Goldberg's career was quite the bait for the roster to step up despite the fact that some of them didn't even stand a chance from a physical standpoint. Mark Henry, though, was an exception.
Out of all the ineffectual candidates, Mark Henry was the only one who looked like he could get the job done for Triple H. The story of the match revolved around Goldberg being the underdog against Mark Henry’s overpowering strength. The biggest highlight of the match was when Goldberg showed off his raw strength when he first scoop slammed the World Strongest Man into the mat and then went on to deliver the Jackhammer.
After countless attempts of picking up Henry for a slam or a Jackhammer all throughout the match, Goldberg gave the fans what they wanted to witness – a showcase of absolute toughness.
1. The Unstoppable Force vs. The Immovable Object
The rousing criticism towards Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar 2 wouldn't have been prevalent, to begin with, had the infamous WrestleMania XX debacle between Brock Lesnar and Goldberg been anything close to this match between Scott Steiner and Goldberg.
The said bout from Fall Brawl 2000 had everything you’d expect from two freakishly jacked up monsters – hard-hitting exchanges, a clinic of power moves, a solid story and the twists to add the finishing touches. If there is anyone who can pull off the quintessential babyface comeback to perfection (even though it wasn’t needed of him), that man has to be Goldberg.
There were numerous moments in the match when the chips were down for him, yet he powered back and popped the fans to their feet. The match ended with an unfamiliar sight when Big Poppa Pump choked the life out of the former WCW Champion. But that doesn’t mean Goldberg was booked to be a weakling as it took Vince Russo and the uncountable pipe shots for him to fall in the end.
At the sound of the final bell, this match undoubtedly ended up being one the best matches in either man’s career.
Teddy Long snaps when Swerve Strickland's race is brought up HERE
