What’s the story?
WWE Universal Champion Goldberg was a guest on the Jim Ross’ podcast, The Ross Report, where he claimed that no one wanted to see him wrestle a 15-minute match because he was the “Mike Tyson of wrestling.”
In case you didn’t know...
Goldberg was away from the professional wrestling business for 13 years until the WWE and 2KSports reached out to him to be one of the highlights of the WWE 2K17 game. He was initially only signed on to wrestle at Survivor Series, but eventually agreed to stay with the company until WrestleMania 33.
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At Survivor Series, not only did Goldberg defeat Brock Lesnar in record timing, but he also went on to make his first Royal Rumble appearance in years, he then won the Universal Championship by defeating Kevin Owens at Fastlane.
Since his match at Fastlane was even shorter than his Survivor Series match with Lesnar, many fans have claimed that Goldberg can’t wrestle long matches at all anymore and that his short matches during his latest run are a means of masking his inability to work.
The heart of the matter
Goldberg’s comment about wrestling long matches is as follows:
“At the end of the day, I was the Mike Tyson of wrestling.
People didn’t pay to see me fight for 15 minutes. I remember when Big Show and I went around the country, I’d spear and Jackhammer him every night on every live event, and people went nuts.”
Goldberg would also speak on the pressure from fan expectations and the type of matches his character was known for.
“This is a different generation, different crowd. They are in control, they are volatile.
They want to see what they had seen on YouTube, they’re not as forgiving, but at the end of the day, we all try to be the best we can be.”
Goldberg also discussed how he feels in his latest WWE run and that despite his body being a little more in pain, he claimed to be happy that the fans made his return as special as it has been.
Also read: WWE Rumours: Vince McMahon wants Goldberg to stick around until WrestleMania 34
He was quoted as saying:
“I greatly appreciate that from the WWE and people who made me feel special on my return. Every time I go out, I am pleasantly surprised that one person cheers for me or doesn’t hit me with something.
I am humbled each time I go out there… for the most part I am in awe and greatly appreciate the reception. It’s now in the habit of having to deliver.
They are excited but now you have to deliver and I don’t want to be a mark of what people think, it’s tough.”
What’s next?
Goldberg claimed that his match with Lesnar at WrestleMania 33 would be a bloodbath and different from the other matches that the men have had over the years, so tune into WrestleMania 33 this Sunday to see what becomes of the Beast Incarnate and the WCW Legend.
Author’s take
Goldberg’s comments about his character and how his style never was meant for long, drawn-out encounters are true. From his time in WCW to his WWE run, Goldberg wrestling matches longer than 12 minutes was rare.
Though he typically wrestled longer matches during his initial WWE run, a lot of those matches weren’t as memorable as his WCW days.
With that being said, his match with Lesnar needs to live up to all the hype they’ve been building up. Otherwise, this would be considered as yet another failed feud between Goldberg and Lesnar.
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