10 Things WWE Regrets About Backlash
9. Normalising Goldberg In 2003
WWE f*cked it in 13 minutes, which is impressive going, unless you're a pro wrestling promoter tasked with not f*cking an already established megastar performer in record time.
That they did at Backlash, at which Goldberg, the last shortcut to a main event superstar they had, went 13 minutes in a match that didn't remotely flatter his explosive, stiff-as-f*ck skill-set. They went back and forth in accordance with the usual rhythms of a usual WWE match, and borrowed a WWE trope that heeled Goldberg momentarily, as if exposing and normalising him wasn't bad enough.
He executed a Rock Bottom deep in the match, and the fans did nay like that. It felt like an overtly obnoxious flex - as if Goldberg felt he was superior to a WWE guy - which wasn't ideal, given that even a star of Goldberg's magnitude had something to prove in the eyes of an audience conditioned to perceive WCW as the enemy.
Rock took a a suspicious amount of time to get up, which most noticed except Goldberg himself, who ate the ring post when attempting a Spear.
An aloof moron who worked overlong matches: that was the name of Goldberg's three-disc bio-DVD, had he not f*cked off in anger.