8 Damning Things Goldberg's Universal Title Win Says About WWE In 2017
4. Longevity Means Nothing
It took just three matches for Bill Goldberg to become WWE Universal Champion. Having only returned last October, it’s an incredibly quick turnaround for somebody who, up until a few months ago, hadn't wrestled a single match in over ten years. Goldberg has come straight out of the wilderness to suddenly become one of WWE’s biggest players, with little to no effort on his behalf.
Becoming a World champion isn’t the lengthy journey it used to be, of course. Finn Bálor became Universal Champion after just one month on the main roster, but he had at least been in the WWE system for several years prior to that. Goldberg, meanwhile, has been sitting on the shelf since 2004, and after the positive reaction to his Survivor Series bout with Brock Lesnar, he was seemingly handed the belt on a silver platter.
Now, more than ever before, longevity, tenure, and good old-fashioned hard work have become meaningless.
Goldberg’s victory is a slap in the face to every wrestler who has spent the past few years grinding through WWE’s gruelling full-time schedule. It sends the message that loyalty and dedication have essentially become worthless, because no matter how well you do, there’s every chance a relic from a bygone era will come along and nab your spot.