Was Brock Lesnar's refusal to defeat iconic superstar in a major match the right choice?

Brock Lesnar is undoubtedly one of the most dominant performers to ever step inside a WWE ring. He is also one of the smartest businessmen outside the ring.

One of Brock Lesnar's biggest losses in WWE, which came at the hands of Goldberg in 2016, was reportedly his own doing. The Beast Incarnate chose to lose at Survivor Series 2016 as he foresaw a lucrative rematch with Goldberg.

Goldberg returned after a long hiatus and his match against the former WWE Champion at Survivor Series 2016 was initially thought of as a one-off. The former WCW Champion beat WWE's most dominant monster in a matter of 90 seconds. The buzz that the match generated was sensational. It did indeed set up a big-money rematch between the two at WrestleMania 33, which Brock Lesnar won.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted back in 2016, that it was Lesnar's idea to lose to Goldberg because he saw financial gain in a rematch. He wasn't wrong as the two men faced each other again at WrestleMania the following year in one of the most buzz-generating matches.

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Did losing to Goldberg affect Brock Lesnar's reputation?

Many fans felt slighted that Lesnar lost to a 50-year-old returning superstar. It is believed to be a mistake that WWE had their biggest attraction lose to someone who could not have long matches and was at the tail-end of his career.

In retrospect, it is safe to say that Lesnar's bet paid off. Not only did that one loss not affect his dominance in WWE, it gave the company a new monster star in Goldberg. He even went on to win the Universal Championship twice in his second run with the company.

Had the Hall of Famer lost to Lesnar in his return match, WWE would have lost out on a big money feud. The Beast Incarnate beating The Myth was the expected result, but Lesnar's decision not to defeat Goldberg gave the fans a feud to remember.