3 stars Goldberg buried and 2 he put over during his last WWE run
WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg is an iconic superstar. He first rose to fame in World Championship Wrestling, where he was known for his infamous undefeated streak. He went on to hold the United States Title and the WCW World Championship.
In 2003, Bill Goldberg joined the Sports Entertainment juggernaut. While the run wasn't quite what many would have hoped for, he did win the World Heavyweight Title at that year's Unforgiven PLE. Still, it was Bill's return to the company in 2016 that truly solidified his time with the promotion.
Goldberg went on to win the Universal Championship on two separate occasions. He competed in 12 matches overall, with 11 of those being high-profile singles bouts. The other was a Royal Rumble Match.
While fans loved much of what Goldberg did from 2016 to 2022, not everything was perfect. The legend helped build up some big names, but he also squashed the momentum of others. This article will take a look at three stars Goldberg helped elevate during his six-year run with the promotion and two he unfortunately buried.
Below are three stars Goldberg buried and two he put over during his last WWE run:
#5. PUT OVER: Braun Strowman
WrestleMania 36 was a weird time for WWE and the entire world. The COVID-19 pandemic was in full effect, and fans weren't allowed at shows. Additionally, health concerns often caused big changes to major cards.
One such change was the absence of Roman Reigns. He had to miss WrestleMania relatively last minute. This meant his Universal Championship match against Bill Goldberg couldn't happen. Instead, Braun Strowman took The OTC's place at the big WWE Premium Live Event.
In stunning fashion, The Monster Among Men defeated Da Man in just over two minutes to win his first and only world title. Goldberg put Braun over emphatically, and it helped Strowman remain a credible champion until he later lost the belt to The Fiend.
#4. BURIED: The Fiend
Speaking of The Fiend, unfortunately, Bray Wyatt is somebody who was buried by Bill Goldberg. It wasn't necessarily the WWE Hall of Famer's fault, of course; instead, it came down to bad booking by Vince McMahon.
The Fiend was already in rough shape following his feud with Seth Rollins. The infamous rivalry featured one of the worst matches of all time. It became worse when he took on Goldberg at Super ShowDown 2022 in Saudi Arabia with the Universal Championship on the line.
The former WWE Champion and then Universal Champion lost to Goldberg in just over three minutes. This supposedly unstoppable monster was obliterated by a man in his 50s. As great as Goldberg is, it was such a bad decision and it killed The Fiend's momentum.
#3. PUT OVER: Drew McIntyre
Drew McIntyre was the WWE Champion when the 2021 Royal Rumble rolled around. One year after having won the Men's Royal Rumble Match, the man often seen as the backbone of the pandemic era was on top of the world.
At this event, Drew went one-on-one with the legendary Goldberg. Bill hoped to win the WWE Championship for the first time after having held the other iterations of the world title available to him in the company. Thankfully for Drew, not only did that not happen, but Goldberg helped put over The Scottish Warrior.
In what has become a common theme, Da Man wrestled for less than three minutes. In the end, he ultimately put over The Scottish Psychopath.
#2. BURIED: Kevin Owens
While The Fiend was a major victim of Goldberg's second WWE run, Kevin Owens was the first to be buried by Da Man. In fact, KO hasn't truly regained the momentum he lost thanks to Goldberg in over seven years.
Owens, who was the reigning Universal Champion at the time, put his title on the line against Goldberg at WWE Fastlane 2017. In a heartbreaking defeat, The Prizefighter lost to the Hall of Famer in just 22 seconds.
Granted, Kevin did have an "out" by being distracted by Chris Jericho. Still, a champion losing their first and only world title in just 22 seconds is a brutal burial. Maybe Owens can get another world title reign if he re-signs with WWE to correct the past mistakes of Vince McMahon.
#1. PUT OVER: Roman Reigns in his last WWE match
The last entry on this list is another name that Goldberg put over. Da Man went one-on-one with Roman Reigns almost two years after the two wrestlers were initially set to clash. This time, they actually did battle, and it was at the 2022 Elimination Chamber PLE in Saudi Arabia.
At that big WWE Premium Live Event, Roman and Goldberg actually clashed for a long time by the Hall of Famer's standards. They fought for six minutes before Goldberg eventually passed out to a chokehold applied by the Original Tribal Chief.
Goldberg not only lost to the biggest star of the company, but he put The OTC over in the biggest way possible. It remains to be seen if the former WCW World Champion will have one last match with the company. But even if he doesn't, he went out, making a major star feel even bigger and more dominant, which deserves kudos.