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THE CYNICAL VIEW WONDERS...JUST WHAT WENT WRONG WITH GOLDBERG'S WWE RUN?

The Cynical View
Re-booking Bill
By Michael Campbell



Welcome to the Wonderful World of the “Cynical View”, where for today at least, I’m trying to not be cynical in the slightest, and instead serve up some swell food for thought.
For a long time, I resisted really thinking of this. For a long time, people have went on about Bill Goldberg, and how poorly booked he was during his WWE run, from April 2003- April 2004. And I’ve always kind of sat on the fence about it. I’ve never been a fan of Goldberg’s, not in the slightest. Therefore, I’ve always maintained a large reason that his presence on Raw was so uneventful, was largely a result of his own failings. While I maintain he is a performer with many, many flaws, I have had a chance to rethink the whole situation.

It doesn’t really matter that I didn’t like Bill as a performer. Many did. No matter how he was booked, my opinion probably wouldn’t have changed. As it was, I was probably slightly prejudiced, and ignorant to the fact that the bookers simply didn’t give the majority of the fans what they genuinely wanted. That would surely have had a much more significant impact than what we did get. The Goldberg that I saw, was a watered down version of the WCW original, unconvincing for non-believers, and not likely to convert us, while his existing supporters felt that this was a cheap impostor. At least, in his former state, he may have had a chance.

What happened to Goldberg during his year long run in the WWE? Well, it was pretty damn eventful, just not especially memorable. In short.. This was it…

-Goldberg debuted the night after Wrestlemania, on Raw, interrupting a Rock segment. The fans were hot for the debut.
-He defeated the Rock in his PPV debut at Backlash in an average match that featured a disappointing response from the fans..
-He defeated Chris Jericho (re-igniting their real-life issues from WCW) at Bad Blood (Raw’s first brand-only PPV) in a very entertaining bout, during which he was booed almost as much as the heel Jericho. Bill reacted by tearing up fans Jericho signs at ringside, which made him look like a complete tool.
-He was announced as the No1 Contender to Triple H’s World Title, at Summerslam.
-Feuded with Evolution members Randy Orton, and Ric Flair, in the build up to Summerslam.
-His main event was changed, to a six-man Elimination Chamber Match, to protect the injured HHH from having to work a full-match (He didn’t have to, Bill could have went over HHH in less than ten minutes, and the fans would have loved it. Instead Hunter wanted to drop the belt in a match where he could “prove”, he could bring out the best in anyone, even someone as awkward as Goldberg).
-He was defeated by HHH at Summerslam, after eliminating everyone else in the Chamber, before a stunned crowd that were absolutely 100 per cent behind Goldberg. It was the last time Goldberg would receive such a phenomenal reaction.
-He received a second shot, for the Unforgiven PPV, during which his career would be on the line, which completely telegraphed the outcome.
-At Unforgiven, Bill raised the World title from Triple H in a fair, but overlong bout during which the fans half fell asleep, only offering a polite reaction to the title switch.
-The Evolution feud continued throughout the autumn, along with a variety of squashes, and other insubstantial moments. Triple H was also announced as the No 1 Contender for the title at Survivor Series, even though he was absent from television throughout the majority of this period.
-At the Survivor Series, Goldberg defeated Hunter again, in a better match than their previous effort, thanks to a ridiculous amount of outside interference. Incredibly, this bout was given the main event spot, even though the promotion of it featured only Goldberg, who wasn’t really over. Meanwhile, the fans, who barely responded to this match, went nuts for the Elimination Tag Match, that featured all of Raw’s top stars, and was hyped with the stipulation that Steve Austin’s team had to win, or he’d be fired as Commissioner of Raw.
- At the Armageddon show in December, Bill defended the strap in a triple threat against Kane, and HHH, in a match so poorly promoted and unappealing, that I did not actually watch it until at least several months later. Hunter won the title again, whilst everyone groaned. No-one however, particularly cared that Bill had lost the belt.
-At the Royal Rumble PPV, Goldberg enjoyed his most scintillating WWE moment yet, interrupting a Promo by Smackdown champion Brock Lesnar. This foreshadowed a Wrestlemania match between the two. Later, Goldberg (the last man to enter the Rumble, which made him look like such a pussy) was ousted from the battle royal by Kurt Angle, after Brock ran in, and f5’d Goldberg. It was one of the highlights of a great match.
-Smackdown-only PPV, No Way Out, was built around Eddie Guerrero finally stepping up to the plate, and getting his title shot against Lesnar. Lesnar had the added distraction of Goldberg to worry about as their feud intensified. Supposedly Goldberg was due to turn up on the show. He did of course, helping Guerrero win the WWE title. The fans were definitely more interested in Eddie than Bill, who in this instance, could have been anybody.
-Lesnar and Goldberg feuded for much of the month. The online community became aware that Bill was going to leave after Mania, as his contract was up. Steve Austin was announced as the referee for their Wrestlemania bout, which was probably set to be the 2nd on top of the bill (behind HHH v Shawn Michaels v Chris Benoit). The feud progressed fairly, however Goldberg disappeared from TV, leaving the promotion to Lesnar and Austin.
-At Wrestlemania, Lesnar/Goldberg was a colossal flop. Days before, Lesnar gave his notice to the WWE, announcing he was no longer happy in his role (he felt he was being de-pushed following his title loss- what idiocy) and wanted to pursue a career in the NFL. The WWE planned to put Brock over on the show, which would have sent Bill packing, and left Lesnar as an unquestionable mega-star. However, they changed the outcome, to simply have the face win. Afterwards, Austin stunnered both guys. The fans at Madison Square Garden viciously bombarded both men with “you sold out chants” and crapped all over their awful encounter.
-And that was that!

How would I have booked Bill though?

I would have changed his debut right from the beginning. At Wrestlemania 19, what we saw, was a video package, announcing his arrival. This was greeted with a monster reception from the crowd gathered in the Safeco Field, Seattle (and rightly so). It basically said, he’d be at the next PPV, Backlash. However, the following evening’s edition of Raw, from the start, was clearly designed as the vehicle for his arrival.
At ‘Mania, I would not have named him. I would have shown an awesomely ambiguous, memorable video, that stated “HE was arriving” making a huge deal out of a big superstar appearing on Raw (maybe two or three weeks later, would have been better than the following night, as The Rock could have cut promos each week, running down the significance of the new guy). Instead of the “victory ceremony” being rehashed, and having Goldberg interrupt Rocky, we would simply have the Rock become annoyed over a couple of shows, being annoyed about all the hype, ruining his glorious run in the WWE. The hype, and involvement of the Rock, would have held ratings and interest, allowing for the anticipation to be raised to the roof for the actual day of his debut. Akin to the “Save Us” Jericho return, fans would have buzzed over who this could be. The smart fans would have been enthralled by the stories, the rumours, and the evidence that would point to it being Bill. This brash conviction would have rubbed off on the casual fans, creating great excitement in arenas. When Goldberg did arrive, it would be a huge event, and one that would have been better received by Jaded fans, who had seen a bunch of WCW guys arrive in basically the same spot over the previous year. This time, it was a really big deal. And the heat for the Backlash PPV match between The Rock and Goldberg, would have been off the charts. Goldberg, instead of receiving a lukewarm reaction, spurned from newer/unfamiliar fans seeing only one video package of him, then his bland debut, would instead bear witness to a guy they had seen built over several shows, who had been talked up by others, while run down by the jealous Rock. Itching for revenge, they’d see Goldberg demolish The Rock. At this point, if all had went well, the match quality wouldn’t have been overly important (as it turned out to be), because the crowd heat would have totally made the event.

Following this, I would simply have had Goldberg beat mid-carders for a couple of weeks, then place him in a No1 contenders match, with Kevin Nash, for a shot at Triple H’s title at the next PPV. During that bout, Jericho would have ran in, screwing Goldberg out of the victory, and taking him out with an “injury” before the PPV. This would have prolonged Goldberg’s shot, and built a feud, prior to the shot that we would know, he would eventually get. Throughout this time, I would certainly have avoided segments such as that which saw Gold-dust place a wig on Goldberg’s head. It wasn’t funny, it was just awful. At the PPV, Jericho (who didn’t wrestle), could have came out, and cut a promo, maybe beating up a jobber. Goldberg would then have came out, and scared Y2J off, before annihilating the jobber himself, and telling Jericho that he was “next”.
At Badd Blood, we would then be treated to Jericho/Goldberg. Except Chris would have been the completely cowardly heel, and fans would have been desperate to see Bill complete destroy him. I imagine the match could have worked as well as it did, but the fan reaction would simply have been much more positive.
This would have left almost two full months before the Summerslam match. For me, the Elimination Chamber match, which wasn’t especially well introduced into the fold, could have been announced in a better manner, but in itself, was a fair idea, especially given Triple H’s limitations. The night after Badd Blood, I would have had Goldberg interrupt a Kevin Nash promo, during which he would announce his intention to face Nash, and defeat him in a definite fashion. The following week, that’s exactly what he would have done, utterly demolishing the previous challenger to the World title. This would have given Goldberg the bragging rights to demand a title shot, and also excused Nash from television, as he was due to disappear anyways. Jericho would have gotten involved in the scene in a cowardly manner, attempting to use his history with Goldberg as an excuse to get in tight with HHH, whilst eyeing up the title himself. It would have appeared for a while in fact, that Jericho was in line to get the title shot. Somehow, the elimination chamber could have been introduced by Eric Bischoff, as a conspiracy to protect the injured HHH, with all three members of Evolution (Batista was not a member, and was sidelined) as competitors, as well as Jericho. Shawn Michaels would have been included as part of the build up on Raw.
Prior to Summerslam, Nash would have then returned, and turned heel on Goldberg. Nash would have been included in the chamber, largely as another obstacle for Goldberg to face. This would have meant Goldberg had to earn his shot, and deserved to be included, as fans clamoured for him to get his hands on Triple H. But he would have had the added inconvenience of Jericho to deal with, as well as his new enemy, Nash. Goldberg would then have placed in a series of two matches to earn his spot, the first of which would have seen him take out Orton. For the Elimination Chamber I would have replaced Orton with Booker T. Booker had history with HHH, and would have been a better fit than Orton, whose presence only distracted people from Goldberg, and towards internal strife in the Evolution group. It also would have meant Orton could have been utilised more at ringside and in the build-up, as a decoy. Goldberg would then have beaten Ric Flair to finally become the sixth man in the elimination bout. Goldberg would have entered the chamber a wounded animal, having suffered beat downs from the returning Nash, his arch-nemesis, Jericho, and Evolution members Orton and Flair.
As it was, the bout started out with Jericho and Michaels. Here, we could have had Booker start out, meaning that both other baby faces were exhausted early. Nash would have been third in, followed by Jericho. In a stunning upset, Jericho would have eliminated Michaels, leaving Booker against two heels, who then would form an alliance to pound the crap out of the “Book”. Goldberg would enter fifth, saving Booker (though not intentionally), destroying Nash, and eliminating him. Hunter would be in at this point, but would refrain from involvement, instead having Flair and Orton run in. Somehow Goldberg would avoid defeat, while Jericho was eliminated by Booker, and get rid of the Evolution cohorts. Then, with Triple H looking on, Goldberg would defeat Booker (who also would have looked like a star here) in a respectful, intense exchange. That would leave the Game to sneak in, pedigree Goldberg, but get… a two count! Going for the sledgehammer, Hunter would instead taste the spear, and fall prey to a Jackhammer, as a new champion was crowned.
Like the previous PPV’s I’ve discussed, I’ve booked the same match, but in an entirely different way. The crowd really were behind Goldberg, and treated him as a star, but felt robbed by the outcome, and lost interest. I feel this idea instead gives them the pay off they wanted, and also creates more opportunities for the future.

Heading into Unforgiven, we’d have a fresh champion, and it would have been the perfect time to give Triple H a little break, as he was suffering injuries. Instead of stupidly working the Main Event, he’d be off television, while Jericho and Booker would contest a number one contender’s match. Interference by Kevin Nash on Jericho’s behalf would see the self-proclaimed “king of the World” challenge at the PPV. At this point, Jericho had been woefully underutilised in the main event ranks, having only challenged for the strap in multi-person bouts. Here, he would be presented with Nash in his corner, as added heat-magnet. Nash would have been much better served in smaller roles like this, where his broken down body was called upon to do a lot less. Plus the dynamic of having two guys on the mic who could cut terrific promos, going up against Goldberg, a guy hugely over thanks to his charisma, and destructive style, would have been a fine draw for the show.
Obviously, Goldberg would once again go over the Canadian, soundly defeating him, and probably saying cheerio to Nash’s WWE run. At this point, his next PPV offering would not be until Survivor Series. Goldberg would, on television, play roles in tag competition, alongside the likes of Booker, and Shawn Michaels, in competition with Jericho, and Evolution. He’d also be defeating guys like Test and Scott Steiner, in non-title matches, in quick, devastating fashion.

With Triple H absent, playing a role in Blade III, it made no sense to book those two in a on-on-one match (which remember, by my booking, we still haven’t seen), as the hype would have been a let down. The WWE did anyway, but I certainly wouldn’t have done. But I would have planted the seeds for Hunter vs. Goldberg at the December PPV, Armageddon. Thus, Survivor Series would have featured an encounter between new Evolution member, Batista, and the champion. Obviously this would have been short, and sweet, and more of an angle than a match, with Hunter really getting the beat down on the champ. But at this PPV, it would not have main evented, therefore a non-substantial match, or an iffy ending, would not have had a negative effect. The big draw of the show, would have been Bischoff/Austin, with the focus being a feud between team leaders, Jericho and HBK. Also on the card, a Smackdown elimination bout, and a Undertaker/Vince McMahon battle all would have compensated for the hijinks.

As we all know, Armageddon featured Kane, Hunter, and our Bill, in a triple threat. There was no need to include Kane in this, anything else would have been more satisfactory. Thus, the PPV would be carried by the first time ever, one-one-one between Goldberg, and the Game. Elsewhere, Michaels and Jericho would have their Wrestlemania rematch, and Orton would face Rob Van Dam (which did occur). Here, Bill would find himself screwed out of his precious World title, as the stunned fans were disappointed to see Trips likely to head to ‘Mania with the strap. Now, with the Royal Rumble and Mania on the horizon, Bill was again on a quest, and a mission, a role in which his no no-nonsense determination has always been at it’s peak.

The 2004 Rumble featured an extraordinary Last Man Standing match between HBK and Triple H. I’d certainly have stuck with this one, as if anything was the weak link on the PPV, it was the Brock Lesnar/ Hardcore Holly title match. As Holly was such a flop in this role, I’d have increased interest by suggesting that Goldberg may get involved, but in a way which showed Goldberg was just toying with Brock. This would have been enough to piss Brock off, and have him interfere in the Rumble, causing Goldberg (who I would have had enter about half-way through, and have him go after about ten-fifteen minutes) to be eliminated by Kurt Angle.

Of course, Bill would still be after his rematch for the title. Built up for a couple of weeks after this, it would have been hyped up as a bout in which Goldberg would get his last shot at the World title, in exchange for one last shot at the main event of Wrestlemania. In the meantime, he also would further the Lesnar feud with brief promos, and talk of coming to take Lesnar down, once he’d be crowned champion. Again however, Brock would have cost Goldberg his dream, interfering in Triple H/Goldberg 2, and ensuring the belt did not change hands. From there, it would be plain sailing, as it was, with Eddie challenging and defeating Lesnar at No Way Out thanks to Goldberg, while Steve Austin became involved on the Raw side, to “police” the match, and prevent any title matches from being ruined. Austin’s heat with both men would come from the fact that he just wouldn’t have been able to keep either guy apart, as they just hated each other that much. Stuck in the middle, he would have been frustrated, and by Wrestlemania, ready to kick some ass. Fans would have been looking forward to this development, but also keen to see Lesnar get his comeuppance.

With Goldberg’s run, a strong success, and feuds post Wrestlemania, with Chris Benoit, Shawn Michaels, and even Kane in the pipeline, in addition to a possible re-match with Brock, he would have certainly been happy to extend his contract. Lesnar would have been tentatively scheduled to defeat Bill at the showdown, putting over “The Next Big thing”, in a match that nonetheless, would have still had a feel-good ending, featuring Austin and Bill having a beer. Leading up to the Madison Square Garden, the WWE would be rocked by Lesnar’s sudden decision to depart, for numerous ridiculous reasons. Forced to change their booking decision, they instead would decide to have Goldberg go over, in the same dominant fashion that won him over with fans in the first place. Shocked at the rather easy outcome, Austin would have been overshadowed by Bill, who would have made it clear that they were not friends, planting a seed for a future battle, if Austin would ever be able to return.

Where to from here? Well, that would be too much to go into now methinks, but needless to say, the potential would have been huge. A rivalry and big match with Shawn Michaels would obviously have been a priority, as would a rubber match in the Triple H feud. Never mind title shots against Chris Benoit, who perhaps could have been the one guy Bill just couldn’t beat. Plus, on the blue brand, Bill would have had “that” match… yes the match with Undertaker, as well as a rivalry with Kurt Angle (remember the Rumble?) Plus , with young guys like Batista, John Cena, and Edge on the rise, the possibilities would have got greater and greater. I can’t imagine Goldberg would ever have stuck around for a real long time, perhaps another year at most. But still… what a lost opportunity. What a year that could have been. Of course, hind-sight is everything…

With everything I’ve looked at here, it’s possible that the issues with Bill’s run, weren’t necessarily due to the personnel involved. In fact, in many instances, I’ve used the same guys in PPV bouts, that he did face. However, it’s the little things that the McMahon’s got wrong. It was the way in which his character was treated. While not a favourite of mine, he was reduced to a joke, gallivanting around with Goldust and Booker T, and emerging for his entrance from a Janitor’s closet (remember that, Christ that was ridiculously stupid). These things should simply never have happened. Therefore, the fans would have been more open to the guy, and treated his matches as big events, rather than just another, bland part of the package.

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading this nonsense. This isn’t the sort of thing I usually write, but hey…change is good! Just ask Chris Jericho’s hairdresser. If you have any comments/questions/queries/or anything to say, get in touch at bazilalfonso@hotmail.com, whether you agree/disagree/hate me, or whatever if may be, I welcome all correspondence. Thanks again!