10 Wrestling Matches Better Than They Had Any Right To Be

Goldberg, like Batista before him, did not specialise in epic, storied matches.

This posed a potential problem - his now-mythical push was built on a foundation of short-round squash matches, and it was feared that his lack of big match experience might hinder his long-term prospects. They were hindered - but not through his perceived limitations. A succession of dumb*ssed creative decisions cooled his momentum, but Goldberg can at least rest easy knowing that he wasn't the sole recipient - the company he worked for was also buried six feet under because of them.

Goldberg, as if knowing he had doubters, literally subverted expectations by performing a brisk backflip to avoid a legsweep in the early going, practically laughing at criticisms that he was a one-dimensional hoss.

For his part, Diamond Dallas Page, learning from Randy Savage, who afforded him similar career-making treatment, entered a veteran performance in a match which was perfectly timed at 10:28. It would have comprised its could-end-at-any-time intensity had it dragged on any longer, but would have sold fans (and the title) short had it ended before then.

This big-fight intensity rendered it easy to suspend disbelief for its duration; Page, knowing he was physically outmatched, elected to adopt sound and apropos tactics in emulating his opponent's sudden, explosive approach.

He also inspired Randy Orton by reversing Goldberg's Jackhammer into his Diamond Cutter in the bout's most rewarding sequence.