History YMMV / Goldberg

** He was originally beloved during his triumphant return to WWE in 2016, with his subsequent [[CurbStompBattle thrashings]] against Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series 2016, and Royal Rumble 2017 endearing him to the crowd more than ever before. Than came Fastlane 2017, where he delivered the same treatment to major EnsembleDarkhorse Kevin Owens. From that moment onwards whatever fan support he'd garnered all but vanished. As his victory over Owens drew a very noticeable mixed reaction from the live crowd. It got so bad that fans actually cheered for ''Brock Lesnar'' (the same man they wanted to see Goldberg demolish just a few months ago) over him at Wrestlemania 33.

** Their match at [=WrestleMania=] 33 [[EvenBetterSequel was even better]]. It went for about five minutes this time, and the match was filled with nonstop action.

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: Even though it only lasted a minute and [[spoiler:Lesnar got almost no offense in]], the Brock vs. Goldberg match at Survivor Series 2016 was still way better than their match at [=WrestleMania=] XX.

* FunnyMoments: Headbutted a door on the 23rd of January 2017 RAW on his way out of the locker room in an attempt to look more badass, but ended up busting his head open and dazing himself. Even funnier if you knew that Wrestling/CMPunk quit WWE in that exact same office. Maybe it's cursed?
* HolyShitQuotient: His Jackhammer on [[Wrestling/TheBigShow The Giant]], as detailed in the Awesome section.

* FunnyMumonets: Headbutted a door on the 23rd of January 2017 RAW on his way out of the locker room in an attempt to look more badass, but ended up busting his head open and dazing himself. Even funnier if you knew that Wrestling/CMPunk quit WWE in that exact same office. Maybe it's cursed?

* BrokenBase: [[spoiler: His squashing of Wrestling/BrockLesnar at Survivor Series 2016 where he pinned Lensar in over a minute and a half. For some it was a legitimately shocking moment that finally made Lesnar look vulnerable after months of booking where he was made to look invincible to the point fans were getting sick of it, while making Goldberg look like an absolute beast upon his return (not to mention that with how badly their first encounter went, few people wanted to see another long match from the two and this was the best way to do it). Others though are less than pleased with getting treated to a squash match after the massive amount of hype it garnered leading up to the PPV, and believe that the entire stunt echoes dangerously Wrestling/AntonioInoki's infamous booking style and has unnecesarily damaged Lesnar's aura, specially considering a near 50-year-old man with 12 years worth of ring rust has been the one to end Lesnar's dominant reign instead of a younger up-and-comer.]]

* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome: Has [[Awesome/{{Goldberg}} his own page]].

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: Even though it only lasted a minute and [[spoiler:Lesnar got almost no offense in]], the Brock vs. Goldberg match at Survivor Series 2016 was still way better than their match at [=WrestleMania=] XX.

* OlderThanTheyThink: He may have been the one to name the Jackhammer, but he didn't invent it. The earliest example of it could be found in the Athol Foley[[note]]Real name Bernie Wright, uncle of WCW's Alex Wright, and the kayfabe "son" of heel manager JR Foley, real name John Foley, no relation to those [[Wrestling/JimRoss other]] [[Wrestling/MickFoley guys]][[/note]] v. Wendi Richter match from Stampede Wrestling in June 1983. Jaguar Yokota used it on Wrestling/LionessAsuka during their match on August 22, 1985. Wrestling/DeanMalenko used it on Gedo during their match at the Super J Cup 1994.

* EvenBetterSequel: Even though it only lasted a minute and [[spoiler:Lesnar got almost no offense in]], the Brock vs. Goldberg match at Survivor Series 2016 was still way better than their match at [=WrestleMania=] XX.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Goldberg came out for a PPV match against Perry Saturn having apparently not shaved his head for several days. Whether it was testing out a new look or just Goldberg choosing not to shave for whatever reason, he was back on Nitro the next day bald as usual.
* BrokenBase: That one scene on ''Raw'' when Wrestling/{{Goldust}} puts a wig on [=Goldberg=] has been known to cause endless debates on certain wrestling forums.
** [[spoiler: His squashing of Wrestling/BrockLesnar at Survivor Series 2016 where he pinned Lensar in over a minute and a half. For some it was a legitimately shocking moment that finally made Lesnar look vulnerable after months of booking where he was made to look invincible to the point fans were getting sick of it, while making Goldberg look like an absolute beast upon his return (not to mention that with how badly their first encounter went, few people wanted to see another long match from the two and this was the best way to do it). Others though are less than pleased with getting treated to a squash match after the massive amount of hype it garnered leading up to the PPV, and believe that the entire stunt echoes dangerously Wrestling/AntonioInoki's infamous booking style and has unnecesarily damaged Lesnar's aura, specially considering a near 50-year-old man with 12 years worth of ring rust has been the one to end Lesnar's dominant reign instead of a younger up-and-comer.]]

* EvenBetterSequel: Even though it only lasted a minute and [[spoiler:Lesnar got almost no offense in]], the Brock vs. Goldberg match at Survivor Series 2016 was still way better than their match at [=WrestleMania=] 20.

* {{Misblamed}}: Critics have been hard on him in hindsight; pointing to his lack of ring skill and short matches. However, this was largely because he was rushed through the WCW power plant and hot-shotted to a main event level very quickly (He won the world title only ten months after his TV debut). Even Goldberg has admitted that he probably should have been in training longer, but once Bischoff set the plan in motion there was no turning back. Most of the people in the business usually say he was a great guy, but he got pushed beyond his ability and let it go to his head. But most of them blame Bischoff and the WCW brass for his shortcomings, especially since the WCW Power Plant has a reputation for having been a shitty training center.
* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome:
** ''Started'' his career this way. In his TV debut on the September 22, 1997 Nitro, he defeated [[Wrestling/HughMorrus "The Laughing Man" Hugh Morrus]], becoming the first man to kick out of Morrus' [[FinishingMove No Laughing Matter moonsault]]. This led to a SugarWiki/{{heartwarming moment|s}} a few years later when Morrus, a career lower mid-carder rose up the ranks and won the US title. In an in-ring celebration, Goldberg fondly recalled that his famous streak began with Morrus putting him over.
** Defeating [[Wrestling/HulkHogan Hollywood Hogan]] for the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-h.html WCW World Heavyweight Championship]] is considered by many to be the greatest night in the history of Nitro.

** [[spoiler: His squashing of Wrestling/BrockLesnar at Survivor Series 2016 where he pinned Lensar in over a minute and a half. For some it was a legitimately shocking moment that finally made Lesnar look vulnerable after months of booking where he was made to look invincible to the point fans were getting sick of it, while making Goldberg look like an absolute beast upon his return, not to mention that with how badly their first encounter went, few people wanted to see another long match from the two and this was the best way to do it. Others though are less than pleased with getting treated to a squash match after the massive amount of hype it garnered leading up to the PPV, along with the fact that a near 50-year-old man with 12 years worth of ring rust was the one to end Lesnar's dominant reign instead of a younger up-and-comer.]]

** [[spoiler: His squashing of Wrestling/BrockLesnar at Survivor Series 2016 where he pinned Lensar in over a minute and a half. For some it was a legitimately shocking moment that finally made Lesnar look vulnerable after months of booking where he was made to look invincible to the point fans were getting sick of it, while making Goldberg look like an absolute beast upon his return. Others though are less than pleased with getting treated to a squash match after the massive amount of hype it garnered leading up to the PPV.]]
* CatharsisFactor: For those who are sick of Lesnar being booked as nigh-invincible, rarely losing and never losing cleanly [[spoiler: Goldberg pinned him in less than a minute after two spears and a Jackhammer.]]

* CatharsisFactor: For those who are sick of Lesnar [[spoiler: Goldberg pinned him in less than a minute after two spears and a Jackhammer.]]

* {{Misblamed}}: Critics have been hard on him in hindsight; pointing to his lack of ring skill and short matches. However, this was largely because he was rushed through the WCW power plant and hot-shotted to a main event level very quickly. Even Goldberg has admitted that he probably should have been in training longer, but once Bischoff set the plan in motion there was no turning back. Most of the people in the business usually say he was a great guy, but he got pushed beyond his ability and let it go to his head. But most of them blame Bischoff and the WCW brass for his shortcomings.

* HeartwarmingMoments: His return to RAW on 10/17/16 was filled with these:
** First, as he was on his way through the hallways, he walked past a good portion of the RAW roster, all of whom were cheering and/or vigorously applauding him as he went by.
** Then there were the fans. The Denver crowd, which had been hot all night, worked itself into an absolutely insane frenzy when he got into the ring. Chants of "welcome back," "holy shit," "this is awesome," and "yes" echoed throughout the arena. The outpouring of love from the fans was enough to [[ManlyTears move Goldberg to tears,]] and he thanked the fans for their neverending support, even now, twelve years after his last wrestling match.
** There was also Goldberg's connection with the kids. Before and after his promo, he walked around, shaking hands and hugging all of the children who were ringside. And one of the reasons he gave for coming back was because he missed giving the kids a superhero to cheer for.
** But perhaps the most heartwarming moment of all was when Goldberg pointed out that, for the first time in his career, his wife and his son were present at ringside for his appearance. Once he finished delivering his (awesome) promo, he went to ringside and hoisted his son up on his shoulder.

* BaseBreaker: Badass unstoppable machine and biggest homegrown talent in WCW history? Or overhyped, painfully naive CreatorsPet who let his meteoric rise go to his head almost immediately?

** His backstage fight with ChrisJericho, to the point where it's become sort of an OldShame to Jericho, as both men would like to put the ordeal behind them.
* OlderThanTheyThink: He may have been the one to name the Jackhammer, but he didn't invent it. The earliest example of it could be found in the Athol Foley[[note]]Real name Bernie Wright, uncle of WCW's Alex Wright, and the kayfabe "son" of heel manager JR Foley, real name John Foley, no relation to those [[Wrestling/JimRoss other]] [[Wrestling/MickFoley guys]][[/note]] v. Wendi Richter match from Stampede Wrestling in June 1983. Jaguar Yokota used it on Wrestling/LionessAsuka during their match on August 22, 1985. Wrestling/DeanMalenko used it on Gedo during their match at the Super J Cup 1994.

* [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Crowning Moment of Awesome]]: ''Started'' his career this way. In his TV debut on the September 22, 1997 Nitro, he defeated [[Wrestling/HughMorrus "The Laughing Man" Hugh Morrus]], becoming the first man to kick out of Morrus' [[FinishingMove No Laughing Matter moonsault]].
** The above match lead to a CrowningMomentofHeartwarming a few years later when Morrus, a career lower mid-carder rose up the ranks and won the US title. In an in-ring celebration, Goldberg fondly recalled that his famous streak began with Morrus putting him over.
** Defeating [[Wrestling/HulkHogan Hollywood Hogan]] for the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-h.html WCW World Heavyweight Championship]] is considered by many to be the greatest night in the history of Nitro.
* [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic Crowning Music Of Awesome]][=/=]{{Leitmotif}}: "[[http://youtu.be/UNdjG2BX0go Invasion]]", the piece of production music that served as Goldberg's WCW theme; when his theme switched over to a song by Music/{{Megadeth}}, fans considered it a ''step down''. (His WWE theme, [[SuspiciouslySimilarSong while sounding remarkably like "Invasion"]], is considered inferior to the original.)

* OlderThanTheyThink: He may have been the one to name the Jackhammer, but he didn't invent it. The earliest example of it could be found in the Athol Foley[[note]]Real name Bernie Wright, uncle of WCW's Alex Wright, and the kayfabe "son" of heel manager JR Foley, real name John Foley, no relation to those [[Wrestling/JimRoss other]] [[Wrestling/MickFoley guys]][[/note]] v. Wendi Richter match from Stampede Wrestling in June 1983. Jaguar Yokota used it on Lioness Asuka during their match on August 22, 1985. Wrestling/DeanMalenko used it on Gedo during their match at the Super J Cup 1994.

* EnforcedMethodActing: ''Completely'' by accident. In his Halloween Havoc '98 match with Wrestling/DiamondDallasPage, at about the midpoint of the match, there was a spot where [=DDP=] was in the corner and Goldberg tried to spear him, only for Page to duck out the way and have Goldberg hit the steel post behind the turnbuckle. The problem was Goldberg ran all out - according to [[https://youtu.be/H5pna5rMjAk DDP himself, he didn't want to miss the spear to begin with]] - and hit the post with his shoulder like a goddamn ''missile''! The result was a legitimately injured shoulder, leading to some memorable offence by [=DDP=] and the first genuine signs of vulnerability in Goldberg's career. The highlight of the match was a spot where Goldberg successfully hit the Spear - but this both aggravated the previous injury ''and'' knocked Goldberg silly because he'd overestimated how much fight DDP would put up, [[https://youtu.be/hvhaWY4qy9o?t=20s causing his head to hit the mat first]]. The plan was for Goldberg to lift up Page in the Jackhammer, which Page would counter with the Diamond Cutter and a near fall. But with a hurt shoulder, Goldberg ''couldn't lift him up!'' The crowd went ''insane'' at the idea that Goldberg couldn't apply his finisher and the thought that this might be the match he loses. He tried again and this time the counter spot went through, which combined was an accidental piece of WrestlingPsychology that couldn't have turned out any better if they planned it that way. The only problem was that Goldberg was so loopy from the hit by that point that he kicked out at the instant of "2" rather than a planned "2 9/10ths", but the overall result was by far the best critically received match in both men's career.