10 Matches of Goldberg you probably didn't know about
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!