10 Wrestlers Who Found Out WWE Wasn't The Promised Land
6. Goldberg
Bursting onto the scene like a bolt of lightning, Bill Goldberg is regarded as one of WCW's biggest successes. From late-1997 onwards, Goldberg was a top star in the promotion, something that naturally ended when WCW was purchased by the WWF in 2001. Receiving guaranteed payments on a lucrative contract, Bill took some time out.
In 2003, WWE came calling. As his contract with AOL/Time Warner had expired, Goldberg was willing to talk with the promotion. What followed was an odd year for the man, one during which he figured out that WCW had - for the most part - handled him much better.
An outsider of sorts in WWE, Goldberg would never really hit the heights he had in Atlanta. Feuding with The Rock and Triple H, wins weren't the issue. Goldberg was booked to beat both, but later said he never felt too welcome in the promotion or like those calling the shots understood how to use him.
So unfulfilled was Goldberg that he didn't want to extend his deal, meaning he left WWE in the Spring of 2004. Aside from a dodgy heel turn in 2000, WCW used Goldberg more effectively than WWE.