15 WWE Returns That IMMEDIATELY Backfired
5. Goldberg (2020)
...the misery of Super ShowDown 2020.
Yes, it's Goldberg again, and it hurts bad for an old WCW mark to slap Bill twice. Facts are facts though. Anybody who remembered the nightmare 'Taker botchfest that nearly brained both legends could've told you that Goldberg returning on the 7 February 2020 SmackDown and challenging Bray Wyatt's 'Fiend' gimmick to a Universal Title match in Saudi Arabia was a terrible idea.
WWE ploughed ahead with it anyway. They failed to learn any lessons from the prior year's card, and they wanted Goldberg to beat Wyatt for the belt like he was in there with James Ellsworth. As soon as the bell sounded and Bill raised that belt above his head, the match became known for being one of the least wanted title changes in history. All in a night's work, eh?
In truth, the backfiring started on TV earlier in the month. Fans could smell a horror show coming as soon as Goldberg told the 'Fiend' he was next on SmackDown. Bray's wacky Undertaker-meets-Mankind character had been one of wrestling's most intoxicating guises since 2019, but everything was about to fall apart thanks to WWE's weird obsession with giving Saudi Arabia more lame Goldberg matches.
COVID ensured they didn't even get to the payoff of Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 36 either. Instead of that, WWE was forced to cram Braun Strowman in as a last-minute challenger. His Universal Title reign was barely better than Bill's. This was an awful time for the old Universal strap, but it started with sacrificing Wyatt's 'Fiend' at the feet of Goldberg.