WWE never understood the mystique of Goldberg. When the explosive, intimidating former football star made his debut in WCW, he was incredibly green. So green, in fact, that booker Kevin Sullivan did not trust him to cut promos or work long matches. So he devised a strategy. Goldberg would be a ruthless competitor. He would walk to the ring, dispatch another opponent and move on. He would not talk when spoken to, he would not play to the crowd. When he finally did open his mouth, it was to say only, "who's next," which became his catchphrase and a hell of a marketing tool. In many ways, he was a machine-like ass kicker. When he started racking up wins and adding to his impressive winning streak, the fans finally had something to sink their teeth into. For well-over a year, Goldberg defeated every single star put in front of him. Scott Hall, The Giant, Raven, Scott Norton...all fell at the feet of the most impressive young star the company had ever produce. On July 6, 1998, Goldberg's nine month run was capped off with a WCW Championship win over Hulk Hogan. The moment, played out in front of the competitor's hometown fans in Atlanta, was one of the last truly defining moments for the company and was the start of what should have been great things. As history dictates, a number of major mistakes by selfish bookers ultimately cooled off the hottest act in WCW, but that is another story for another time. When Goldberg signed with WWE in 2003, many expected the company to use him as the driving force behind an effort to improve ratings. After all, Vince McMahon was the maker of stars. He would be able to fix what WCW did wrong and make Goldberg 10-times the attraction he was for Turner's company. Right? Wrong. McMahon failed to understand what made Goldberg the success he was. He took the character and tried desperately to mold him in the shape of his own stars and oftentimes, Goldberg came of as inadequate to guys like The Rock, Triple H and even Chris Jericho. His matches were more bad than good, his promo skills were unimpressive and his effort was called into question at times. That he was booked like every other babyface that ever starred for McMahon rather than the dominant force that he was in his prior place of employment did not help matters and by the time he left in 2004, his stint with the company was considered a failure.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
