10 Wrestlers Who Gained Nothing From Becoming World Champion

10. Goldberg

Goldberg’s return was one of WWE’s biggest talking points in 2016.

Though divisive at times, his comeback told the great story of a 50-year-old retiree drawn back to play superhero one last time, and regularly spiked WWE’s ratings throughout. Culminating in a great brawl at WrestleMania 33, the Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar feud was a net positive, and ultimately helped both participants.

The former WCW Champion’s popularity was extremely high for much of the run, but things took a clear downturn a few months into 2017. Portions of the crowd became fatigued as soon as Goldberg entered the Universal Title hunt after the Royal Rumble, and his reactions noticeably diminished. Bill eventually challenged Kevin Owens at Fastlane in March, and won in 22 seconds.

The title change was completely needless.

KO had struggled as champion, but Goldberg was already one of the company’s biggest stars at the time, and a six-month old belt with no history was never going to enhance him. Furthermore, Goldberg’s victory added fuel to the fire of the “part-timers” debate, and his 28-day run as champion ended as no more than a means of getting the belt back on Brock.