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Post by cordless2016 on Jul 14, 2023 13:29:06 GMT -5
Per the dirt sheets at the time, Vince met with Goldberg during Wrestlemania 20 weekend in a final attempt to get Goldberg to resign for another year. No doubt Lesnar suddenly leaving was the main reason for this final meeting, and it’s funny they wanted him back considering weeks after his debut in 2003 they were telling shareholders that he wasn’t the draw they thought he was.
Ignoring that, if Goldberg did resign in 2004, any ideas how Vince may have used him? His 2003 run was lackluster, with him doing a comedy segment with Goldust a week after debuting. They also had him working longer matches than he was capable of, which did him no favors either. If he stays on Raw, does he continue to feud with Evolution and remain a top star on the show? Do they move him to Smackdown where they were seriously lacking top names? Does Vince start booking him in more dominant fashion, similar to WCW, or does he continue to book him in 10+ minute matches?
I don’t really see Goldberg fitting in on Raw in 2004, unless they use him to feud with HHH in the second half of 2004 and Orton remains a heel for the time being. Moving him to Smackdown seems to provide fresher matchups/ideas, but the show would still be lacking a top heel until JBL was ready.
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Post by The Brain on Jul 14, 2023 14:30:46 GMT -5
He needed a change of scenery so sending em to SD wouldve been ideal
I can see Vince trying his hand at turning em heel and feuding with Eddie for the belt.If he stays face though a feud with Booker wouldve been likely
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Post by hbkbigdaddycool on Jul 14, 2023 15:03:51 GMT -5
A heel turn on Raw would be interesting if Evolution had hired him as a "hitman for hire" type gimmick. WWE fans in 2003/04 I don't think care about Goldberg.
The kids who loved him in WCW in 1998 were now teenagers. The teenagers who loved him in 1998 were now in their early to mid 20s. There was no nostalgia for Goldberg at that time frame, when we had new stars who we were digging and enjoying.
In 2016 when he returned, the kids who saw him in 1998 were now in their mid to late 20s, and the teenagers were now in their mid to late 30s, and nostalgia for that era was at an all time high, which is why Goldberg worked so easily then when he returned.
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Post by theoutlaw1999 on Jul 14, 2023 16:00:56 GMT -5
People hate how Goldberg was booked in 2003 but we need to be real. He signed for 1 year and made it known that he would be done after his contract was up so from WWE's point of view why invest in someone who had no interest in staying?
Now if he did decide to resign a move to Smackdown would've been necessary. Evolution were still running Raw and you had Benoit, Booker Edge and HBK as the top faces so there was really no place for him in the main event scene.
There was so much that could've been done with him on Smackdown. Feuds with Eddie and Taker would've been great.
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Post by LA Times on Jul 14, 2023 16:03:14 GMT -5
I could see him on Smackdown and jobbing to JBL.
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Post by Back to the Codyverse on Jul 14, 2023 17:54:32 GMT -5
Bringing him in 2 years after WCW closed down probably cooled off his drawing power even moreso after how sucky WCW was the last couple years.
Other than that, I think him only signing the 1 year deal had a major factor in how that all played out. Had he signed a 2-3 year deal I think he probably mows down Rock a a couple others and by Summerslam he beats HHH
Goldberg should’ve won that chamber match and it’s one of the dumber booking decisions wwe has made when handling a star, kinda like Mania 39. WWE will want to swerve fans when it’s obvious something is gonna happen, but they seemingly only do that when it’s something the fans wanna see. If everyone knows something is coming and the fans don’t want it, WWE will go with the obvious and usually double down.
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Post by cordless2016 on Jul 14, 2023 22:06:02 GMT -5
People hate how Goldberg was booked in 2003 but we need to be real. He signed for 1 year and made it known that he would be done after his contract was up so from WWE's point of view why invest in someone who had no interest in staying? Now if he did decide to resign a move to Smackdown would've been necessary. Evolution were still running Raw and you had Benoit, Booker Edge and HBK as the top faces so there was really no place for him in the main event scene. There was so much that could've been done with him on Smackdown. Feuds with Eddie and Taker would've been great. I don’t necessarily agree with this as I feel the WWE signed Goldberg when ratings were continuing to decline and he was the biggest star outside of Sting from WCW that they had never brought in. The problem was that Vince is never satisfied allowing someone else’s creation to succeed on his show. He was going to present his versions of Goldberg, which included comedy segments and matches going 10+ minutes (both things that went against what got him over in the first place). I’ve always felt that the moment they put that wig on him that the fans didn’t care anymore. His momentum already wasn’t the greatest considering WCW had gone under two years earlier, and Goldberg had already gone through a few years of horrible booking by that point. Presenting him in a less-than-stellar manner following his debut only cooled him further to the point Vince was using him as a scape goat to investors as to why ratings continued to fall. Goldberg was clear he only wanted to be around for a year and then leave, but they still could have presented him in a way that highlighted his strengths. One year or longer, he should have won the EC match, and who knows, had they booked him better maybe he would have resigned for another year (all speculation but based on reports he seemed to be miserable from the moment he debuted and Vince didn’t do much to change that). |
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Post by hbkjason on Jul 15, 2023 1:54:52 GMT -5
I agree on that wig scene being terrible! Goldberg was a monster and should have just been spearing and jackhammering anyone he wanted on his quest to take the title.
A heel turn on Smackdown I feel would have been the best thing for him had he stayed in 2004.
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Post by TKO Propagandist on Jul 15, 2023 6:05:55 GMT -5
Year long title reign instead of JBL
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Old Zeke
Main Eventer
'Fraid old Zeke, he rides up here with me. Can't trust a pig with watermelons, you know.
Joined on: Jun 24, 2019 13:46:50 GMT -5
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Post by Old Zeke on Jul 15, 2023 6:46:41 GMT -5
It wouldn't have worked.
At that time, Vince did not know how to book him. Having rewatched his '03 run recently, I'm glad he left - and that's coming from a Goldberg fan.
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Post by ASR (therockisback) on Jul 15, 2023 9:12:44 GMT -5
Year long title reign instead of JBL Would have been good stuff… Goldberg vs Cena at WM21 |
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Post by Scott! on Jul 15, 2023 10:01:42 GMT -5
Goldberg was terribly booked in WWE, I'm sorry but he was. By Summerslam 2003 ending I think he'd lost his appeal and just became another victim of the Triple H title run. Yes he won the belt, but it was awful. I'm glad he didn't resign looking back, I'm not the biggest fan of his but it could've been a lot better if they had any idea of what to do with him, which evidently they didn't.
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Post by TKO Propagandist on Jul 15, 2023 10:16:34 GMT -5
Year long title reign instead of JBL Would have been good stuff… Goldberg vs Cena at WM21 I remember booking a Goldberg return in my fig fed around that time. He wrestled Cena at Summerslam in a one time match & lost. Went about 12 mins. Goldberg failed to hit the jackhammer & lost following 2 FUs. |
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Post by cordless2016 on Jul 15, 2023 16:18:08 GMT -5
Year long title reign instead of JBL Goldberg feuding with a newly-returned “Deadman” Undertaker in 2004 would have been great. A feud with Angle around that time would have been good too. |
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Post by CM Tusk on Jul 15, 2023 17:35:18 GMT -5
He’d have to get used to losing. He came with a big head thinking he should be booked the way he was in his peak and it just wasn’t going to happen, despite him going through the RAW roster. Had he stayed, a feud with Angle could have worked.
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Post by theoutlaw1999 on Jul 16, 2023 18:11:23 GMT -5
People hate how Goldberg was booked in 2003 but we need to be real. He signed for 1 year and made it known that he would be done after his contract was up so from WWE's point of view why invest in someone who had no interest in staying? Now if he did decide to resign a move to Smackdown would've been necessary. Evolution were still running Raw and you had Benoit, Booker Edge and HBK as the top faces so there was really no place for him in the main event scene. There was so much that could've been done with him on Smackdown. Feuds with Eddie and Taker would've been great. I don’t necessarily agree with this as I feel the WWE signed Goldberg when ratings were continuing to decline and he was the biggest star outside of Sting from WCW that they had never brought in. The problem was that Vince is never satisfied allowing someone else’s creation to succeed on his show. He was going to present his versions of Goldberg, which included comedy segments and matches going 10+ minutes (both things that went against what got him over in the first place). I’ve always felt that the moment they put that wig on him that the fans didn’t care anymore. His momentum already wasn’t the greatest considering WCW had gone under two years earlier, and Goldberg had already gone through a few years of horrible booking by that point. Presenting him in a less-than-stellar manner following his debut only cooled him further to the point Vince was using him as a scape goat to investors as to why ratings continued to fall. Goldberg was clear he only wanted to be around for a year and then leave, but they still could have presented him in a way that highlighted his strengths. One year or longer, he should have won the EC match, and who knows, had they booked him better maybe he would have resigned for another year (all speculation but based on reports he seemed to be miserable from the moment he debuted and Vince didn’t do much to change that). Goldberg really didn't do himself any favours when he gunned for Jericho in front of the locker room the moment he debut. You need to be humble when walking into a new territory but Goldberg had this OTT ego which I'm sure pissed off the roster. There is no doubt that Vince hated other creations to succeed but Goldberg needed humbled so maybe the wig stuff and comedy was a way to knock his ego down a peg or two and show that he wasn't an untouchable top dog. What really didn't help him either at the time was the new music and the trunks. The plain black was a perfect look for him and shouldn't be changed. If I'm going to be honest he sucked as a wrestler but was this larger than life monster who kicked ass. That's what made him so popular as a kid. In WWE however he just didn't fit in. The WCW ship had sailed and the only way he could've worked in the long run was a top heel on Smackdown. I could easily have imagined him in JBL's role holding the title hostage for a year and being a threat to fan favourites like Cena, Taker, Guerrero etc. |
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Post by K5 on Jul 16, 2023 18:27:38 GMT -5
A heel turn on Raw would be interesting if Evolution had hired him as a "hitman for hire" type gimmick. WWE fans in 2003/04 I don't think care about Goldberg. The kids who loved him in WCW in 1998 were now teenagers. The teenagers who loved him in 1998 were now in their early to mid 20s. There was no nostalgia for Goldberg at that time frame, when we had new stars who we were digging and enjoying. In 2016 when he returned, the kids who saw him in 1998 were now in their mid to late 20s, and the teenagers were now in their mid to late 30s, and nostalgia for that era was at an all time high, which is why Goldberg worked so easily then when he returned. the for hire bodyguard for evolution would’ve been solid. have rvd beat flair, then Orton, then Batista, then the insurmountable Goldberg, and finally HHH and you would’ve had the face of the company for the next decade |
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Post by Kill Em' All on Jul 17, 2023 2:43:25 GMT -5
Prolly Summer program with Eddie then Taker.
He was mismanaged and already damaged he would have been gone by 2005 I really think. There’s world out there where maybe Goldberg stayed till like Summer Slam 2004.
He wasn’t as over coming back and honestly I would have rather saw rampaging Kane take belt off HHH in Summer 03 before HHH getting it back at WM XX.
His 2016- return work even with Taker match, Fiend, Strowman match that was Straight to VHS take on WM 33 match, lost Roman match, dethroning Kevin Owens reign.
The Ziggler squash, the pretty decent Lashley and reknewed Lesnar program was enough to be better than 03 return.
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Post by ¡Twist Of 45 and 47! on Jul 17, 2023 2:52:47 GMT -5
We would have seen a much better match with Taker than the one we got.
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wholefnshow420
Mid-Carder
Joined on: Mar 29, 2021 15:24:53 GMT -5
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Post by wholefnshow420 on Jul 17, 2023 2:58:46 GMT -5
We would have seen a much better match with Taker than the one we got. exactly this and possibly the Austin Goldberg match everyone was wanting |
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