When Brock Lesnar said WWE didn't need two top stars
Brock Lesnar has never been one to mince his words. In 2001, The Beast Incarnate was a 23-year-old rookie when he gave his brutally honest thoughts on WWE's interest in Bill Goldberg and Scott Steiner.
Lesnar discussed the former world heavyweight champions during a conversation with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Live. The interview aired on March 29, 2001, three days before WrestleMania 17. At the time, the future of the WWE roster was a hot topic following Vince McMahon's purchase of WCW.
Regarding Goldberg and Steiner, Lesnar claimed McMahon did not need either of the WCW wrestlers. Instead, he thought WWE's Executive Chairman could create his own megastars like he previously did with The Rock and Steve Austin:
"Vince can make anybody into a Scott Steiner or a Goldberg," Lesnar said. "He can make his own person, I think. That's my opinion. He doesn't need somebody's success already to build off of it. Look at The Rock or Austin, all his top talent, he doesn't need somebody. That's my opinion on it."
On this day in 2003, Goldberg captured the World Heavyweight Championship from Triple H, at Unforgiven. https://t.co/PgQdGjaNmn
Lesnar was a member of WWE's Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) developmental system when he made the remarks. Almost a year later, he debuted on the main roster and immediately became one of the company's top stars.
What happened after Brock Lesnar's comments?
Goldberg and Scott Steiner were not among the WCW stars who immediately appeared on WWE television as part of the Invasion storyline.
Steiner finally returned to WWE in October 2002, more than a year after Vince McMahon bought WCW. He feuded with wrestlers, including Test and Triple H, before leaving the company again in August 2004.
“Freakzilla” Scott Steiner: Scott’s return to WWE towards the end of 2002 started well with the angle of both Stephanie Mcmahon and Eric Bischoff wanting to sign him for their respective brands, eventually Scott would sign with raw and Bischoff (1/3) https://t.co/fYbdSWLilb
Goldberg's first WWE run lasted between March 2003 and March 2004. The WCW legend worked with many high-profile names, including Brock Lesnar, The Rock, and Triple H. However, his one-year run with the company was widely viewed as underwhelming.
Do you think Brock Lesnar was right about Goldberg and Scott Steiner? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Wrestling Observer Live and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.