10 DUMB WWE Signings (We Didn't Want To Admit Were GENIUS!)

9. Goldberg (2016)

Lord Tensai WWE
WWE.com

Ex-WCW phenomenon Bill Goldberg had flopped during his first WWE run between 2003-2004. It was so horrible, in fact, that Bill himself couldn't wait to get out and forget about the whole experience. So, imagine the surprise when news started leaking that Goldberg was coming back to the promotion in 2016.

How on earth was this going to work more than a decade on from failure?!

It did. Goldberg redeemed himself in excellent, money-spinning showings vs. Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series 2016 and WrestleMania 33 the next year. Sure, things went right off the rails after that, but the initial burst was incredibly successful and showed that WWE recognised the error of their ways first time around.

Recent social media and YouTube numbers for Bill's cameo appearance at Bad Blood 2024 show there's still value in the big man too. Nobody wants to see him win World Titles or dominate main-eventers, but Goldberg does create a buzz whenever he's in town, so bringing him back into the fold was a shock masterstroke.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.