5 WWE Babyfaces Who Couldn't Handle Getting Booed

2. Goldberg

Ronda Boo Boo
WWE

Goldberg couldn't handle much of anything in WWE the first time 'round.

It's strange.

He must have known what he was signing up for - an arduous schedule, a recalibrated character - but WWE didn't know, or didn't want to know, who they were signing. The Goldberg of old - a no-selling, propulsive force of destrucity (Warrior tried really hard to get that over, so we'll be nice to him for a change) - was of no interest to Vince McMahon. In WWE, babyfaces get over by doing the very opposite of what made him such a literal smash success: they sell, and sell, and sell, and then mount a comeback. Goldberg wasn't great at selling. He clearly didn't want to do it, and wasn't comfortable doing it. Authenticity was Speared and Jackhammered.

Visibly miserable, Goldberg decided not to renew with the company through 2004, and wrestled his last match for 12 years at WrestleMania XX. The hardcore MSG fans knew of this - and of opponent Brock Lesnar's own imminent departure - and so they hijacked what amounted to a lifeless match in which both babyface and heel reacted to the atmosphere as if they'd rather be anywhere else...because that was true.

To underscore how p*ssed off he was by all this, Goldberg knew was going over - and he still put his job face on.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!