Great Ending to Goldberg's Career

[Ace]

And let me tell you all why:

A good chunk of wrestling fans, people I know personally & even people ON THIS FORUM don't care too much for Hall of Famers or retired wrestlers who return, put on an ugly, broken match in a shell of their former selves. It may appeal to the older demographic but it does nothing for younger talent trying to get the spotlight; especially when these matches are on the main card.

I can understand that frustration but there are a couple things we need to consider.

1. Goldberg's old
The man's gonna be 50 next month. Instead of becoming the Undertaker, who constantly returns to wrestle matches when he should've hung up the gloves awhile ago; even before the streak was over, Goldberg decided to wrestle 1 match. Also, instead of having a long-winded, god-awful match like ones we've seen from other, older wrestlers, Goldberg & WWE decided that his last match was gonna be quick & easy. Something to remember & move on from. I appreciate this fairly simple approach. 1 match & now he can return to his daily life in piece. I just hope that he announces his departure tomorrow night on Raw Live.

2. His family
He wasn't with his current wife even during his WWE run & his son obviously hadn't even been born. While his match with Lesnar might not be the most interesting or technical match his son will ever see, he'll always have the memory of his father getting a massive ovation, whooping Brock's ass & even climbing into the ring himself. Whether you care for it or not, there was sentimental value behind his short-lived return, as well.

That's my story & I'm sticking to it. I was an ecstatic child seeing Goldberg's face in the WWE again & while I did hope for at least a 10 minute match, I'm glad that at the end of the day, everyone decided that it was best for him to return, do his thing & probably induct him into the Hall of Fame next year.

That's my spiel...
Thanks guys
✌

[KaiserGlider]

If it really was the end of Goldberg's career, it really couldn't be a more fitting sendoff - the match and his promo when he returned. But I think him announcing that this was his last match was a red herring, and they're going to do Lesnar/Goldberg III at Wrestlemania, which is gonna be huge.

[Ace]

If it really was the end of Goldberg's career, it really couldn't be a more fitting sendoff - the match and his promo when he returned. But I think him announcing that this was his last match was a red herring, and they're going to do Lesnar/Goldberg III at Wrestlemania, which is gonna be huge.

I heard that too. I suppose I don't have a problem with that as long as we can end it there I suppose. I was thinking Hall of Fame next year

[KaiserGlider]

Goldberg Inked Deal To Appear In Royal Rumble Match Prior To Bout With Brock Lesnar

This is going to turn out exactly like the last time Goldberg was in the Rumble

[The Legend]

It was a good showing for Goldberg, but what does it show to the rest of the roster? I mean in the past week between SD and Survivor Series, the three most intimidating and dominating wrestlers are all 50+ part timers between Brock, Goldberg and Taker. All these 20/30-something year old athletes supposedly in the prime of their careers can't hold a candle to these old farts.

[Hanley!]

It was a good showing for Goldberg, but what does it show to the rest of the roster? I mean in the past week between SD and Survivor Series, the three most intimidating and dominating wrestlers are all 50+ part timers between Brock, Goldberg and Taker. All these 20/30-something year old athletes supposedly in the prime of their careers can't hold a candle to these old farts.

I agree that it comes off that way, and I hate that WWE treat the 40/50 year olds with so much more respect than the active roster. But there was no finish that they could have done with the Lesnar/Goldberg match that wouldn't have come off this way. If you weren't a star 15 years ago, you're not a star. That's just how they think.

[The Legend]

It was a good showing for Goldberg, but what does it show to the rest of the roster? I mean in the past week between SD and Survivor Series, the three most intimidating and dominating wrestlers are all 50+ part timers between Brock, Goldberg and Taker. All these 20/30-something year old athletes supposedly in the prime of their careers can't hold a candle to these old farts.

I agree that it comes off that way, and I hate that WWE treat the 40/50 year olds with so much more respect than the active roster. But there was no finish that they could have done with the Lesnar/Goldberg match that wouldn't have come off this way. If you weren't a star 15 years ago, you're not a star. That's just how they think.

It would have bothered me less if Goldberg had to work to beat Lesnar in a somewhat lengthy match, but now through the transitive property Lesnar's run through the roster without much sweat for a couple years now and now Goldberg is that much superior to Lesnar. Although, the best thing for the roster would have been Lesnar winning so there's only one guy like that, not two.

[Messiah]

Eh, I think the story they are trying to push though isn't necessarily that Goldberg is that much better than Lesnar but that Lesnar's arrogance finally caught up with him. He didn't take Goldberg seriously, hence the smirk in the beginning of the match and toying with him by taking him to the corner, and got his ass kicked because of it.

[DBSoT]

I didn't care about the match before and didn't watch it. I did read the results and remembered why I didn't watch it. What a waste of TV time. Goldberg winning is one thing, but putting that lazy example of a match as your main event is a sham. People paid good money to watch two legends in the ring. Maybe give them something worth watching. Btw, I think we just found out who the Undertaker is facing at mania.

Taker beats AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble for the WWE championship
Goldberg wins the Rumble match
Taker (c) vs Goldberg at Mania for the title.

I lose all hope in the WWE and choose to do anything else with my time.

[Messiah]

I didn't care about the match before and didn't watch it. I did read the results and remembered why I didn't watch it. What a waste of TV time. Goldberg winning is one thing, but putting that lazy example of a match as your main event is a sham. People paid good money to watch two legends in the ring. Maybe give them something worth watching. Btw, I think we just found out who the Undertaker is facing at mania.

Taker beats AJ Styles at the Royal Rumble for the WWE championship
Goldberg wins the Rumble match
Taker (c) vs Goldberg at Mania for the title.

I lose all hope in the WWE and choose to do anything else with my time.

Yea, I think you are being a tad bit too pessimistic. There is literally no chance in hell that happens.

[Hanley!]

I'm probably taking another break from the product if Styles loses the title before Wrestlemania. If it's to the Undertaker, it could be a lengthy break.

[Everlong]

Yeah, I'm totally fine with the Goldberg win as well. Not only did it give the fans a huge moment to mark out for, but it also helped bring Lesnar back to earth a bit. They've built Lesnar up to be so powerful that nobody on the roster could realistically contend with him. So they bring in the guy who had previously been built as the most powerful wrestler of all time to squash him. Suddenly Lesnar looks beatable again, so they can realistically have guys on their roster go toe to toe with him again.

Of course, that all assumes they'll actually go that route rather than have Lesnar get super pissed and bury everyone in his path. But they'd have a really cool potential here to go with a "has Lesnar lost his nerve/touch?" storyline, having him appear quite human in his matches.

[Ali]

I like this move because it's kind of "UFC Booking". In the UFC and MMA in general, you have a load of hype that leads to an eventual clash at a Pay Per View. Sometimes, this hype leads to a five-round classic that goes to the judges. Sometimes, you get a seventeen-second knockout. Either way, you get something out of it that is memorable.

What I like most is that there was a story here. Lesnar was supremely overconfident, Goldberg hadn't been in the ring in twelve years, Goldberg also apparently hurt his shoulder... this should've been a cakewalk for Lesnar. He even smirked after Goldberg first knocked him down. And it worked, the crowd bought into it, and even though it was quick, I don't get the feeling that the fans were largely dissatisfied. I think this kind of booking can work in the future, with more buildup and more dramatic action.

[Hanley!]

Well the live crowd went ape-shit. It's debatable how much this got over with fans around the world, or how good it was for business. But for that crowd on that night, it's hard to argue that it was anything other than a resounding success. There were no boos because the match didn't last as long as people were expecting, or anything like that. They freaking loved it. Which made it a much cooler moment to watch sitting at home too actually.

[Str8Shooter]

Good point you guys brought up about Lesnar overconfidence. He started the match picking Goldberg up and driving him into the corner, but instead of laying shoulders into him like he usually does, he let up and basically laughed in his face, then got knocked on his ass.

I don't buy the "killing" of Lesnar's aura either. You could easily have Brock steamroll through a bunch of people in matches or just interrupting matches, until he gets the Goldberg rematch.

[Everlong]

It's debatable how much this got over with fans around the world

Not really actually, social media has exploded with people marking out about it. Part of that is just the simple fact that almost nobody saw it coming.

[Hanley!]

It's debatable how much this got over with fans around the world

Not really actually, social media has exploded with people marking out about it. Part of that is just the simple fact that almost nobody saw it coming.

Well there's a lot of people bashing the decision online too. Seems 50/50 to me at a glance. Though at least it's people talking, I guess.

[AkydefGoldberg]

From an emotional point of view, I would think Goldberg feels he has achieved the two objectives he wanted to achieve. That is, performing for his wife and son and eliminating the bad feeling of Lesnar v Goldberg I in 2004.

If I was in his shoes, considering the aforementioned points, I would be content to call it a day quite happily.

However a Goldberg v Lesnar III appeals to me more as a casual than Lesnar v Shane so it could work from a numbers perspective. But in the brief match last night, Goldberg seemed, as expected, rusty and whether that's after 12 hiatus or age catching up with him IDK but he's had a potential finale that sums up the Goldberg character to a tee. Why have one more match (OK, it's WrestleMania) in which he could lose to Lesnar, the match will be longer so his flaws are more exposed and the fans don't enjoy it. Just sounds too much at risk for me.

[Hanley!]

Goldberg's reaction last night, along with Shane's accident has to be motivation enough for them to call off this fucking ridiculous Shane vs Goldberg feud, right?

[KaiserGlider]

Well there ya have it!



No brakes on the Goldberg train. He's over as fuck and they're going to get as much out of it as possible. Do you guys think there's a legitimate chance they'll actually give Goldberg the belt? Brock/Goldberg III is way more likely but I wouldn't rule out anything.