History YMMV / Goldberg

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%% ZCE: ** Oh, that wacky Goldberg! Trying to murder people and stuff.
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* 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.

** Oh, that wacky Goldberg! Trying to [[Wrestling/BretHart murder people]] and stuff.

** Ending Wrestling/BretHart's career. Many fans haven't forgiven him. For a time, Bret said he had. However, when speaking on "The Broken Skull Sessions" in March 2020 he seemingly reversed field. He chastized Goldberg as "the most unprofessional wrestler in the world" and expressed shock that Goldberg was in the Hall of Fame because he, "...hurt everyone he ever wrestled." It is worth noting that on this occasion, Bret spoke with more vitriol about Bill Goldberg than he did when talking about the Wrestling/MontrealScrewjob in the same interview.

* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: Even though it only lasted a minute and 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.''

* HolyShitQuotient:
** His Jackhammer on [[Wrestling/TheBigShow The Giant]], as detailed in the Awesome section.
** Squashing '''Brock Lesnar'''.

** This got turned UpToEleven the moment he squashed big time IWC favorite Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship at Fastlane 2017. With his victory receiving a very mixed reception from what had been, up until that point, a very pro-Goldberg fanbase. Much of this stems from the perceived mindset that Goldberg ''didn't need'' the Universal Championship to begin with (in fact, some people thought having it as the prize ''detracted'' from his white-hot feud with Brock Lesnar, which should have remained simply about settling which of them is the ''bigger badass'' rather than fighting over a belt). And having a younger talent like Owens drop it to a part timer (and one who is well past his prime to be brutally honest) like Goldberg made no sense in the long run.[[note]]The worst thing is, according to rumours this was apparently ''[[MisBlamed Lesnar's]]'' fault, as he only agreed to do the rubber match against Goldberg at ''Wrestlemania'' if he got to win the Universal Championship there, knowing that Vince couldn't say no.[[/note]]
** This would happen [[HistoryRepeats once again]] after defeating EnsembleDarkhorse [[Wrestling/BrayWyatt The Fiend Bray Wyatt]] for the Universal Championship at Super Showdown 2020. This mainly stems from the mindset that Goldberg, once again, ''didn't need'' the Universal Championship, as well as the belief that this was done so that they can put the belt on Wrestling/RomanReigns without backlash.[[note]]Due to The Fiend's popularity, there was concern that Reigns would get backlash if he faced him, let alone defeat him for the title. Thus they had Goldberg defeat The Fiend to make him the DesignatedVillian so that Reigns could be the DesignatedHero by defeating him.[[/note]] This has gotten worse when it was revealed that Goldberg used his [[WagTheDirector Creative Control clause]] to go over The Fiend in a SquashMatch.

** This would happen [[HistoryRepeats once again]] after defeating EnsembleDarkhorse [[Wrestling/BrayWyatt The Fiend Bray Wyatt]] for the Universal Championship at Super Showdown 2020. This mainly stems from the mindset that Goldberg, once again, ''didn't need'' the Universal Championship, as well as the fear that this was done so that they can put the belt on Wrestling/RomanReigns without backlash.[[note]]Due to The Fiend's popularity, there was concern that Reigns would get backlash if he faced him, let alone defeat him for the title. Thus they had Goldberg defeat The Fiend to make him the DesignatedVillian so that Reigns could be the DesignatedHero by defeating him.[[/note]] This has gotten worse when it was revealed that Goldberg used his [[WagTheDirector Creative Control]] to go over The Fiend in a SquashMatch.

** This would happen [[HistoryRepeats once again]] after defeating EnsembleDarkhorse [[Wrestling/BrayWyatt The Fiend Bray Wyatt]] for the Universal Championship at Super Showdown 2020. This mainly stems from the mindset that Goldberg, once again, ''didn't need'' the Universal Championship, as well as the fear that this was done so that they can put the belt on Wrestling/RomanReigns without backlash.[[note]]Due to The Fiend's popularity, there was concern that Reigns would get backlash if he faced him, let alone defeat him for the title. Thus they had Goldberg defeat The Fiend to make him the DesignatedVillian so that Reigns could be the DesignatedHero by defeating him.[[/note]] This has gotten worse when it was revealed that Goldberg used his Executive Control to go over The Fiend in a SquashMatch.

** 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 [[RootingForTheEmpire cheered for]] ''[[RootingForTheEmpire Brock Lesnar]]'' (''[[{{Irony}} the same man they wanted to see Goldberg demolish just a few months ago]]'') over him at ''Wrestlemania 33.''
** The fans' dissension towards him was all but cemented the following Raw after Wrestlemania. Where Brock Lesnar received a hero's ovation for vanquishing him the previous night. And when Paul Heyman announced in a heel promo that they shouldn't expect to see Goldberg anytime soon, this was received with ''cheers'' instead of the expected boos.

* {{Flanderization}}: So known for the Spear at the expense of all his other moves that, when Wrestling/{{Gillberg}} missed it in his match with Wrestling/LunaVachon on the January 11, 1999 ''Raw'', professional moron Wrestling/MichaelCole said "He only has one move." It's especially insulting since Goldberg didn't even ''use'' the Spear in his debut match. He slammed [[Wrestling/{{BillDeMott}} Hugh Morrus]] twice and then hit what would become known as the Jackhammer.

** Ending Wrestling/BretHart's career. Many fans haven't forgiven him. For a time, Bret said he had. However, when speaking on "The Broken Skull Sessions" in March 2020 he seemingly reversed field. He chastized Goldberg as "the most unprofessional wrestler in the world" and expressed shock that Goldberg was in the Hall of Fame because he, "...hurt everyone he ever wrestled." It is worth noting that on this occasion, Bret spoke with more vitriol about Bill Goldberg than he did when talking about the Wrestling/MontrealScrewjob.

** Ending Wrestling/BretHart's career. Many fans haven't forgiven him. For a time, Bret said he had. However, when speaking on "The Broken Skull Sessions" in March 2020 he seemingly reversed field. He chastized Goldberg as "the most unprofessional wrestler in the world" and expressed shock that Goldberg was in the Hall of Fame because he, "...hurt everyone he ever wrestled." It is worth noting that on this occasion, Bret spoke with more vitriol about Bill Goldberg than he did when talking about the MontrealScrewjob.

* CommonKnowledge: Similar to Wrestling/HulkHogan, everyone "knows" that Goldberg can't wrestle, can't work any match longer than a few minutes, and has no moves other than [[FiveMovesOfDoom "Spear, Jackhammer, pin"]]. Goldberg actually performed a considerable number of different moves over the years, constantly trying out new things that you wouldn't expect like the Dragon Screw Leg Whip, Corkscrew Dropkick, a couple of submission moves and almost every variety of slam under the sun, as can be seen in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsIEQIj-Mp8 his top move compilation video]] (which compiles 35 recognised moves, plus 3 bonus moves).

** This got turned UpToEleven the moment he squashed big time IWC favorite Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship at Fastlane 2017. With his victory receiving a very mixed reception from what had been, up until that point, a very pro-Goldberg fanbase. Much of this stems from the perceived mindset that Goldberg ''didn't need'' the Universal Championship to begin with (in fact, some people thought having it as the prize ''detracted'' from his white-hot feud with Brock Lesnar, which should have remained simply about settling which of them is the ''bigger badass'' rather than fighting over a belt). And having a younger talent like Owens drop it to a part timer (and one who is well past his prime to be brutally honest) like Goldberg made no sense in the long run.

* BrokenBase: His squashing of Wrestling/BrockLesnar at ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 2016'' where he pinned Lensar in less than 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.

* CatharsisFactor: For those who are sick of Lesnar being booked as nigh-invincible, rarely losing and never losing cleanly [[spoiler: Goldberg pinned him in about a minute after two spears and a Jackhammer.]]

* 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.''

* BrokenBase: [[spoiler: His squashing of Wrestling/BrockLesnar at Survivor Series 2016 where he pinned Lensar in less than 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.]]

* 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.
** 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.

** 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 [[RootingForTheEmpire cheered for]] ''[[RootingForTheEmpire Brock Lesnar]]'' (''[[{{Irony}} the same man they wanted to see Goldberg demolish just a few months ago]]'') over him at Wrestlemania 33.

* 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.

* XpacHeat:

** The fans dissension towards him was all but cemented the following Raw after Wrestlemania. Where Brock Lesnar received a hero's ovation for vanquishing him the previous night. And when Paul Heyman announced in a heel promo that they shouldn't expect to see Goldberg anytime soon, this was received with ''cheers'' instead of the expected boos.

* 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.

* InternetBackdraft: He became the subject of a massive one following his curb stomp victory over IWC darling Wrestling/KevinOwens, for the WWE Universal Championship at Fastlane 2017.

* OldShame:
** Early in his career he was put into a match with Lord Steven Regal that was supposed to go six minutes, then the longest match of his career, and arguably the absolute worst match of his career. The match exposed Goldberg's shortcomings, and he believes Regal set out to embarrass him out of jealousy and "took liberties" (hit him with real punches and kicks to hurt him). Regal insists that Goldberg froze up at the prospect of having to have a six-minute competitive match, and he had to try and carry Goldberg. When they got to the back Wrestling/EricBischoff was furious and Regal told him, "I can't hit myself."
** Even Goldberg admits that it was pretty stupid to [[SoftGlass punch a limo window with his bare hands]] and that the subsequent injury is probably what derailed his career and killed his momentum, and any chance WCW had of building back up around him.
** As mentioned above in Misblamed and stated in his Hall of Fame Speech, Goldberg doesn't let himself off the hook for his miserable attitude and acting during the 2003-2004 debut of himself in the WWE. In his Hall of Fame speech, he allowed the fast-track of fame via WCW to go right to his head and when he came over to WWE, his ego let him ruin a potentially promising career because he didn't want to play by their rules. While it is true above in Misblamed that he should've been trained longer, he admits he didn't have a professional attitude towards the company and it led to him having a massive chip on his shoulder.

** This got turned UpToEleven the moment he squashed big time IWC favorite Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship at Fastlane 2017. With his victory receiving a very mixed reception from what had been, up until that point, a very pro-Goldberg fanbase. Much of this stems from the perceived mindset that Goldberg ''didn't need'' the Universal Championship to begin with. And having a younger talent like Owens drop it to a part timer (and one who is well past his prime to be brutally honest) like Goldberg made no sense in the long run.

* AmericansHateTingle: Or rather Canadians are still sore about his botched mule kick that ended Wrestling/BretHart's career. Bret himself doesn't actually blame Bill for what happened -- Goldberg, to him, was a nice enough guy. Who he really blames is the WCW Power Plant for not teaching him how to pull his punches.

** Early in his career he was put into a match with WilliamRegal that was supposed to go six minutes, then the longest match of his career, and arguably the absolute worst match of his career. The match exposed Goldberg's shortcomings, and he believes Regal set out to embarrass him out of jealousy and "took liberties" (hit him with real punches and kicks to hurt him). Regal insists that Goldberg froze up at the prospect of having to have a six-minute competitive match, and he had to try and carry Goldberg. When they got to the back EricBischoff was furious and Regal told him, "I can't hit myself."

* FunnyMoments: Headbutted a door on the January 23, 2017 episode of ''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?