Goldberg's 9 WWE Losses - From Cleanest To Screwiest

3. Vs. Bobby Lashley (SummerSlam 2021)

Goldberg fizzin
WWE.com

This wasn't as dangerous Goldberg's match with the Undertaker at Super Show-Down, but it was equally disastrous as a match.

He didn't bust himself open hardway this time, and it started off nicely enough. Goldberg stood still when Lashley attempted to barge his shoulder before leaping into a barge of his own. After a few blocked suplex attempts on Goldberg, Lashley resorted to an attempted top rope attack, which Goldberg countered by throwing him off. Lashley only tucked his head at the last possible moment in a terrifying near-miss.

MVP saved Lashley from a second spear, and swept at Goldberg's leg with a cane, allowing Lashley to mow him down with a chop block. Now, when people say that Goldberg doesn't know how to work, they miss the point half the time. He doesn’t (or shouldn't) wrestle like a wrestler. He was asked to do that again here, which was a shame, since he reacted to the cane shot several seconds later.

Not saying he has poor instincts, but remembering that pain is meant to hurt is something even Ryback didn't struggle with.

The match was called off when Goldberg could no longer continue, which was an all-time bad finish. Every babyface in the world has overcome a mid-match injury. That's how wrestling works. Even if that wasn't the finish, booking Goldberg to work like Ricky Morton was a sh*t-for-brained idea.

This was so flat and nonsensical that everybody thought they'd called an audible.

Cleanliness rating: 25%

Contributor
Contributor

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!