10 Most Controversial Wrestlers On The Planet Right Now

5. Goldberg

Baron Corbin King
WWE.com

Matt Riddle's mischievous angling for a money match - he first wanted to retire Brock Lesnar, and now wants to expose Goldberg - has reignited an old dialogue.

Is Goldberg a terrible professional wrestler?

In the immediate fallout of Super ShowDown, judged strictly from what the business is at its core - an emulation of combat in which the performers do everything not to seriously hurt one another - it was hard to argue. Goldberg was a danger to both himself and others after headbutting a door before the match. He'd already knocked himself loopy with this (ultimately selfish) psych-up routine in 2017.

But Goldberg's SummerSlam retcon restored the thrilling, totally unique essence of his act. Very few wrestlers ever looked as good as Goldberg did when breaking asses in half.

Author's take: How good Goldberg is is directly proportionate to how effectively he is produced. That all but confirms that he's hardly a master, but the key is: WCW Goldberg = awesome, WWE Goldberg = limited and boring, WWE's impression of WCW Goldberg = awesome.

Sh*te knee bar, mind.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!