The Journey of Goldberg in WWE

Based on Goldberg’s roller coaster of a time in WWE, either could occur.

Prior to the First Stint

When the then-WWF purchased WCW in 2001, wrestling fans were thrilled with the idea of the top stars of WCW facing off against the top stars of WWF. One of these superstars fans hoped to see in the squared circle was the strongly booked Goldberg.

Unfortunately for the fans, although WWF purchased WCW, AOL Time Warner still controlled all of the major stars’ guaranteed contracts. WCW wrestlers were offered a 50 percent buyout to begin wrestling with WWE immediately. They could also wait out their contracts to earn their entire pay. Goldberg decided to stay under contract, worth 3.5 million dollars, until May 2002, when he reached a buyout.

First Stint and World Heavyweight Title

The long-awaited appearance of Goldberg in the WWE came the night after WrestleMania XIX. He appeared by interrupting a promo by The Rock, who was celebrating his victory against Austin the night before, and posing the question of what was next for him. Goldberg arrived, proclaimed his catchphrase, “You’re next!”, and speared The Rock. This set up their match at the following pay-per-view, Backlash.

Goldberg would defeat The Rock at the pay-per-view. Unlike his quick squash matches from WCW, this match would go 15 minutes. Although not a marathon, this would be a tell of many of his matches during his first go-around in WWE, as he would wrestle more of these longer battles.

The WWE did go back to the squash format for Goldberg after Backlash. In the following months on Raw, he would take out the likes of Christian, Chris Jericho, Lance Storm, and Randy Orton. This would lead to an elimination chamber match for the World Heavyweight Title at SummerSlam.

Many fans assumed this would be Goldberg’s crowning moment based on how strong he looked leading up to the match. In the elimination chamber, Goldberg had a strong showing, eliminating Orton, Jericho, and Shawn Michaels. Surprisingly, defending champion Triple H eliminated Goldberg last by using a sledgehammer to retain the title.

Backlash and anger from fans were immediate, leading to a rematch between Goldberg and Triple H at the following pay-per-view, Unforgiven. This time, Goldberg came out on top to win the World Heavyweight Championship.

Goldberg would hold on to the championship for nearly three months before dropping it back to Triple H in a triple threat match at Armageddon that also included Kane. He would not get another chance at the championship in his first run.

First Match with Lesnar and Departure

He would earn the number 30 spot in the 2004 Royal Rumble. Goldberg would enter last, and looked like a strong contender to win the match before interference from Brock Lesnar led to his elimination. In retaliation, Goldberg interfered in Lesnar’s WWE Championship match at No Way Out. This led to Lesnar losing his title to Eddie Guerrero.

The back and forth resulted in a matchup between Goldberg and Lesnar at Wrestlemania XX with Austin as special guest referee. Prior to WrestleMania, news broke that both Goldberg and Lesnar were planning to leave WWE after their match. When the match occurred, the fans booed and heckled both wrestlers relentlessly, feeling as though they were abandoning them. Goldberg would win, but the way he was leaving left the fans upset.

Second Stint and First Universal Title Run

Goldberg returned to WWE on the October 17, 2016 episode of Raw after a 12-year hiatus. In his return promo, he called out Lesnar, with whom he traded barbs on social media leading to the return. This led to a matchup in the main event of that year’s Survivor Series. In a pleasantly surprising move, Goldberg would squash Lesnar in just under 90 seconds.

He would next return at the 2017 Royal Rumble, entering at number 28. He eliminated Luke Harper before The Undertaker eliminated him. His next match was against Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship at Fastlane. In another surprising move, this time not as favorably for him, he would defeat Owens in only 22 seconds to win the title. This would set up a title match against Lesnar at WrestleMania 33.

In a match that saw the two wrestlers trade multiple finishers, Lesnar would finally get his win over Goldberg for the Universal Championship. The match lasted just under five minutes, and it was considered one of the best matches that night. Originally meant to be Goldberg’s final match, it was the perfect ending to his career.

Undertaker Match and Following Universal Title Matches

After being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018, Goldberg would return to fight The Undertaker at Super ShowDown. This match was considered one of the worst of both wrestlers’ careers. Goldberg was concussed early in the match and nearly dropped The Undertaker on his head after a botched jackhammer.

A lackluster chokeslam led to a victory for The Undertaker in an eight-minute fight. This match left fans feeling sad, seeing their childhood heroes looking older, slower, and vulnerable. Goldberg did gain some favorability back with the fans with an entertaining squash match against Dolph Ziggler at SummerSlam.

He would return once again at Super ShowDown 2020 to defeat The Fiend in three minutes for his second Universal Championship. Fans were upset with the move, as they felt this move hindered The Fiend’s rise. He would drop the title to Braun Strowman during Night 1 of WrestleMania 36.

After multiple matches that saw him lose to Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley in 2021, he would fall victim to Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber 2022 during the Tribal Chief’s record-breaking Universal Title run. This was his last match before his face-off with Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Final Match

There has been an array of thoughts on Goldberg’s two runs in the WWE. Fans have had their moments of supporting him as well as frustrations with him. In his later run, there have been universal feelings that Goldberg was halting the pushes of other wrestlers like Owens and The Fiend.

How should Goldberg’s last match go? There is a divide in opinion. Some believe he should lose and put Gunther over. Others believe that Goldberg’s character deserves a squash victory for one final title. Either way, the end of a slightly divisive yet heavily celebrated wrestling career will occur at Saturday Night’s Main Event.