It was supposed to be a dream match, and prior to the event, it was considered as such. Goldberg was WCWs biggest monster, having dominated in that promotion for years, including a 173-0 winning streak. Brock Lesnar was the future of WWE, a 3-time WWE Champion and all-around beast of a competitor. They were often compared to one another, so when they clashed it would be a big match. Unfortunately, if theres one thing WWE must definitely regret about this match, its not doing enough to keep information from leaking out to the public. They failed to do so, and when it was revealed that both Lesnar and Goldberg would be leaving WWE after WrestleMania XX, instead of just Lesnar, who wanted to pursue an NFL career, the match bombedbadly. Instead of putting on a good show to leave the WWE on a good note, both Goldberg and Lesnar showed little effort, staring each other down for minutes, and generally put on a poor match with few real moments of drama or excitement. Of course, the fans were venomous that night, booing both Lesnar and Goldberg heavily, and chanted different things to keep themselves entertained. They chanted, among other things, "You sold out", "Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye", "Austin", "This match sucks", "We want Bret", "Boring", "Goldberg sucks", and "Hogan" (because of a Hogan impersonator in the crowd). Even the ending, which saw Goldberg hit a Jackhammer on Lesnar, didnt get much of a reaction. The only thing that the fans really enjoyed was Austin giving a Stunner to both men. This was a bad match that couldve been so much bigger. Sadly, WWE didnt do enough to keep the news of both Lesnars and Goldbergs departures from becoming public knowledge, leading to fan rejection for the match. If they did more, then maybe it wouldve been a lot better.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
