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Mr. Tito
MR. TITO STRIKES BACK - Bill Goldberg Squashing Brock Lesnar Was a GREAT Idea... And Here's Why!
By Mr. Tito
Nov 22, 2016 - 11:01:42 PM
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Follow Mr. Tito on Twitter.com: @titowrestling
So I'm back here at LordsofPain.net / WrestlingHeadlines.com and I'm AMUSED at the endless Bill Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar discussion. Everyone is taking a side whether they were glad Lesnar lost, were upset at how fast the match was, or though Bill Goldberg had no right to win after 12 years off. Regardless, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IT and the WWE scores a BIG victory with that Goldberg squashing of Brock Lesnar. Hell, I've had casual fans who haven't watched wrestling for YEARS talk about what happened at Survivor Series 2016. They were curious about the REMATCH between Goldberg vs. Lesnar, provided what a trainwreck that Wrestlemania 20 proved to be... But the finish has them so excited!
My take? I 100% approve of the WWE's decision to book Bill Goldberg squashing Brock Lesnar. But I'll give you more on that opinion in a moment.
First and foremost, THANK YOU to the WWE for finally letting a post-2001 World Championship Wrestling (WCW) superstar look GOOD on WWE television for a change. Sure, you have Goldberg's 2003-2004 run, but that felt lackluster expecially when a Triple H with a torn groin was able to pin him at SummerSlam 2003 when Goldberg was starting to get hot again. Lucky for us, Brock Lesnar decided to quit the company during 2004 and that forced Bill Goldberg to win their "dream" match at Wrestlemania 20. That turn of events turned out to draw serious money 12+ years later...
But what I mean is that for guys like Booker T, Diamond Dallas Page (DDP), & Sting who were identified with the WCW brand and stuck around until the very end, it is satisfying to see Bill Goldberg used like he matters. If you watch the Monday Night Wars documentary series on WWE Network, that program often marginalizes the accomplishments of what WCW did. Sure, it went down in flames and was a victim of its own success, but WCW meant a lot to many wrestling fans. To see DDP and Booker T belittled during 2001 and then Sting losing his big match against Triple H was a tough pill to swallow as a WCW fan. While Goldberg flamed out after he beat Hulk Hogan during July 1998, he was one of the few big homegrown talents from that era to make it to the main event scene (besides Sting & DDP). I'd argue that Goldberg helped keep WCW afloat a little longer during 1998 as the New World Order (nWo) angle lost steam when it was repeatedly recycled. It's NOT Goldberg's fault that he (a) lost to a Cattle Prod at StarrCade 1998 and (b) was arrested as Kevin Nash was pinned by Hulk Hogan's "finger poke of doom" (©Scott Keith).
If you're a longtime WCW fan, it feels DAMN GOOD to see Bill Goldberg still relevant during 2016 and winning in a WWE ring. Defeating the most dominant competitor in the WWE is even more impressive. Goldberg winning and becoming 2-0 against Lesnar continues the aura or legend that is Bill Goldberg the wrestler. Goldberg and the WWE now have a legitimate property and superstar that they can keep marketing. Bill is PERFECT for personal appearances and a good spokesperson for wrestling. Had Goldberg lost, all that was gone and his usefulness would be equal to Sting. Losing in the WWE after years of anticipation for their debut/comeback. Instead, he just adds on to that drawing power which caused RAW to gain 400,000+ viewers upon his return. The 'Member Berries are getting served to all of the old WCW fans and they are loving it right now.
As for the finish of Goldberg vs. Lesnar or the match itself? Well, what the Internet hype about this match beforehand? "Trainwreck!" "Worse than their Wrestlemania 20 match!" "Bill Goldberg will blow up or get injured in the ring!" "Bad match!" And onward. Most suggested that Goldberg was just getting a nice payday just to give Brock Lesnar his Wrestlemania 20 win back. I suggested differently and I did this in several columns and I PREDICTED that Bill Goldberg would win the match. No way was Goldberg returning just to lose. He has a son now who never saw him wrestle live in the ring. As for the match itself, everybody expected it to be POOR and that Lesnar would win... Quite the opposite! And the fact that you're STILL talking about it 2 days later shows how effective the win was.
Go watch that match... The PSYCHOLOGY of it is great! Lesnar tries to bully Goldberg at first by picking him up and slamming Goldberg into the corner. Goldberg's response? Shoves Lesnar to the ground. Lesnar sells it as if he's shocked because EVERY other wrestler stayed in that corner and let Lesnar own him. Not Goldberg. Then, he foolishly turns his back to Goldberg when getting up and eats the Spear! Lesnar is selling the pain as if he was shot! Then another Spear because the first one hurt so bad! Jackhammer and then 1, 2, 3. What's so wrong with that? It's easily explained that Lesnar was caught off guard. Look, I don't see many of you complaining when a UFC fight is super short, especially when it's the main event as well. "That's great for business", you keep telling me. Well, isn't Goldberg squashing Lesnar GREAT for business as well? Damn right it is...
Just don't give me the "Brock Lesnar should put over younger wrestlers" crap. Which younger wrestlers? He tried with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. How did that "rub" work out again for both? As I proved with a column earlier this year, both Rollins and Reigns proved to be detrimental to RAW's ratings when WWE Champion. Both deducted close to or at 1.0 of a ratings point! Combined as Champions, they helped RAW lose 1 million viewers! I could easily argue Rusev or Bray Wyatt, but Rusev lost momentum after his John Cena feud and didn't draw as United States Champion. Bray Wyatt cannot stay healthy. So who else? You tell me who is a big enough star on the current WWE roster who is WORTHY of defeating Brock Lesnar. You can't... THAT'S THE PROBLEM. WWE doesn't have anybody, besides Cena & Lesnar, who have proven track records of drawing. This great "Brand Extension" has resulted in LOWER ratings for both RAW and Smackdown... But I thought that would create more superstars?
There, I've defended Bill Goldberg, but let me talk about the other guy now...
The funniest argument that I've heard is how Brock Lesnar losing "hurts his credibility" or "diminishes his star power". How? Didn't Lesnar win a UFC fight this year? Isn't he a former UFC Heavyweight Champion? Didn't Lesnar beat Cena, Triple H, Undertaker, CM Punk, and most other wrestlers? It's like the New England Patriots who have a winning record against most but oddly had a tough time with Mike Shanahan's Denver Broncos. What, are the Patriots not great because 1 opponent always gave them problems? Brock Lesnar is still arguably one of the most dangerous hand-to-hand combat fighters on the planet. At any time, he could physically manhandle any pro wrestler for real if he wanted to. No, this is entertainment...
Goldberg winning creates the REAL possibility of Bill Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 33, which in my opinion, is a better drawing match than the rumored Shane McMahon vs. Brock Lesnar match we've been hearing about. Hopefully, Shane getting the hell knocked out of him with his wife and kids ringside knocks some sense into him. Leave pro wrestling to the professionals, Shane-O-Mac. If you're worried about Lesnar's momentum, he just has to win match #3 and all will be fine. Then, he can put over your favorite former Indy darling...
Reportedly, Brock Lesnar pushed for and agreed to the Survivor Series 2016 finish against Bill Goldberg. Imagine that... A top draw sees money. If you cannot see the dollar signs in Goldberg winning, then what do you see in pro wrestling?
In all honesty, I was HAPPY that Bill Goldberg beat Brock Lesnar. It felt good... I was not only happy for WCW, the validation of Bill Goldberg by the WWE, but I was happy to see Brock Lesnar LOSE. In my opinion, Lesnar has not had a good 2016. Sure, he won his UFC 200 fight but the drug tests afterward put a black eye on that big win. Earlier in the year, and this is from Dean Ambrose's mouth, he had issues with his Wrestlemania 32 match-up. Dean, on the Steve Austin Podcast, called Lesnar "lazy" citing a lack of effort put into the match and an inability to agree to anything beforehand with Brock. Then, the SummerSlam 2016 match against Randy Orton where he not only busted Orton the hardway (that was planned), but badly injured Orton and kept him out of the ring for weeks with a head injury. Some of the interviews Lesnar did during 2016 about wrestling just weren't showing WWE respect. WWE has lined up Brock's bank account with easy money just to wrestle 4-5 times a year with limited RAW appearances. It doesn't hurt to knock Brock down a peg or two...
Brock Lesnar hasn't been the same since the night after Wrestlemania 31 when he destroyed the set and was "suspended indefinitely" by Stephanie McMahon. Completely neutered him as a killer... His feud with the Undertaker helped to salvage him but that was more about Undertaker saving face following his "streak" loss at Wrestlemania 30 than it was Lesnar. Lesnar hasn't helped RAW's viewership in over a year.
THUS, if DOMINANT Brock Lesnar isn't drawing, why not change him up?
Lesnar went from destroying everybody to losing to a guy who hasn't wrestled in 12 freakin' years in less than 2 minutes. He's showing some vulnerability and that's OK... It's the world of Pro Wrestling where the pacing is different, cheating can happen, and ropes can break pins/submission holds. Pro wrestling's rules and environment should act as an equalizer to anyone entering that squared circle. In UFC, you can't get rammed into a ring post or slammed on steel steps.
I took a lot of heat for my comments on SummerSlam 2014 when Brock Lesnar mauled John Cena, but the dominant wrestler hasn't proven to be a draw long-term. Lesnar drew his strongest during 2012 when he appeared as an equal to John Cena and Triple H, as Extreme Rules 2012 and SummerSlam 2012 drew incredible numbers. What he did to John Cena at SummerSlam 2014 and then to Randy Orton at SummerSlam 2016 was counter-productive. Why would you let a part-time wrestler DESTROY your top stars? Things are made worse when Lesnar HAD to sell for Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 31. Makes WWE look even more foolish.
Bill Goldberg, with higher viewers and pretty good crowd reactions, is proving what the WWE lacks right now... Besides John Cena, nobody has true blue babyface drawing power on the WWE roster, at least through 2016. WWE has tried so hard with Roman Reigns, but we as fans aren't buying that product shoved down our throats. Why? SO SIMPLE... The Bill Goldberg character you see on television is a close extension of who Bill Goldberg is in REAL LIFE. We don't know Roman Reigns very well and he doesn't have the personality or charisma, like John Cena, to fool fans into liking a character. If you watch John Cena on WWE shows and then see who he really is on Total Divas or Total Bellas, there's a big difference between character and real person. BUT, Cena acts well as the character... Roman struggles with the character that the WWE has manufactured for him and on top of that, we know that's not an extension of his real self. Fails on both levels... Bill Goldberg is the real deal and he actively tries to be a superhero or role model for kids. He LIVES it and the character you see in the ring is also the guy showing up at charity functions.
Problem with Goldberg is that he won't be wrestling full-time and he's in his late 40s... I have produced columns with LordsofPain.net / WrestlingHeadlines.com for 18 years now and that was when Goldberg's momentum was cooling down. Many WWE fans who are watching now were just BORN. I'm terrified of the notion that I have wrestling columns older than many people reading this RIGHT NOW, but Goldberg's best year (1998) happened when many were swimming around in their dad's balls! While the older WCW fans are eating loads of 'Member Berries, the younger fans are like "who is this old guy?".
BUT - If the WWE had a stronger developmental system that could groom future Main Eventers for the main WWE roster, WWE wouldn't have to rely on the past for a quick buck short-term. John Laurinaitis and Triple H have yet to recreate the developmental magic that Jim Ross, Danny Davis, and Jim Cornette made at Ohio Valley Wrestling. Who did Bill Goldberg just best? Oh that's right, an Ohio Valley Wrestling "Class of 2002" member named Brock Lesnar. Who was Brock Lesnar's LAST opponent? Oh that's right, he beat Randy Orton at SummerSlam 2016 and Orton is yet another "Class of 2002" OVW wrestler. How about that? Start downing those shots for the unexpected "Class of 2002" mentions when playing the Mr. Tito Drinking Game!
WWE's complete and utter INABILITY to develop Main Event stars is why they need to rely on Bill Goldberg, the Rock, and even Brock Lesnar to draw for their big events. Hell, the WWE was struggling with ticket sales of Wrestlemania 32 until they actually enlisted Shane McMahon OVER THE REST OF THE ROSTER to wrestle the Undertaker. What does that tell you?
Happy for Bill Goldberg and at this juncture in time, WWE needs his star power to help sell Royal Rumble and possibly Wrestlemania 33.
Between NOW and Wrestlemania 33, we have about 5 months to build up the Upper Midcarders on both RAW and Smackdown rosters to replace these older stars. Goldberg won't have much left in the tank after his probable rematch with Lesnar... Thus, the younger guys have to step up and WWE Creative needs to start writing actual wrestling shows instead of rehashed Attitude Era soap opera style "entertainment".
Goldberg winning is a GREAT IDEA because (a) beating Lesnar gets us talking, (b) beating Lesnar quickly gets us talking, (c) brings back the older WCW fans to check out the current WWE products, (d) creates mainstream attention for the WWE, and (e) nobody else on the WWE roster can draw.
And how about this for one last point... Survivor Series 2016 was a GREAT show. About 5 years ago, Vince McMahon wanted to retire that Pay Per View gimmick and name. 5 years later, it's HIGHLY successful with meaningful 5 on 5 elimination matches and a Main Event that has everyone talking about pro wrestling again.
Just like that, WWE made Survivor Series great again... And better yet, WWE made Bill Goldberg great again. In one night!
What's that I see? Monday Night RAW for 11/21/16 drew above 3 million viewers on average? Goldberg... Goldberg... Goldberg... He draws, folks.
SO JUST CHILL... 'TIL THE NEXT EPISODE!
Comments and feedback are welcome. Follow and Tweet me @titowrestling or login in below to post comments.
© Mr. Tito and LordsofPain.net/WrestlingHeadlines.com - 1998-2016
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