7 Amazing Wrestlers WWE Had No Plan For

3. Goldberg

Goldberg WWE
WWE.com

Bill Goldberg got a red carpet roll-out on paper in 2003. Sadly for 'Da Man', wrestling doesn't take place on paper, and by 2003, almost all mainstream wrestling did so entirely on WWE's canvasses. Less than a month of his arrival, it was crystal clear that the only red carpet the former WCW Champion was ever going to experience was the one underneath his feet when he speared The Rock following 'The Great One's latest "Rock Concert" on the post-WrestleMania XIX Raw. 

That was the best of what WWE had to offer Goldberg outside of a momentary throwback to his Atlanta best in the SummerSlam Elimination Chamber match. Given The Rock to beat in his first feud, Goldberg couldn't really measure up to 'The Great One' in the eyes of WWE fans during the build, nor did he look particularly equipped to go the distance with him when they wrestled. And why would he? The Backlash encounter was 14 minutes, The number of times he went past this point on the clock in singles WCW action? Once, and in case the clue isn't in the stipulation title, a "Stun Gun Ladder Match" against Scott Hall had more than a few bells and whistles attached to justify the 17:44 it was allotted at Souled Out 1999.

The destructive pattern continued. 11 minutes versus Chris Jericho at Bad Blood in June. 14+ against Triple H at Unforgiven after Hunter got away with murder in the aforementioned SummerSlam chamber. 11+ against 'The Game' again when they followed a boring original up with a boring sequel at Survivor Series. Nearly 20 minutes when he dropped the World Title back to the 'King Of Kings' in a dire triple threat that also included Kane. A mega money-drawing undefeated streak this wasn't, and as the years went by, it became clear how ill-suited performer and promotion were to one another. Nothing about it felt like a passion project, unless the passion was for unwanted singles feuds with WrestleMania XII-feeling payoff matches. 

An infamous clash with a want-away Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XX was remarkable; the audience knew 'The Beast' was going, but Goldberg was just as happy to be bidding farewell too. 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 70,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.