Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar: Fantasy Booking the Epic Rematch

A look at how WWE can revolutionize the Goldberg vs Lesnar match by taking a page out of TNA’s playbook and come out with two winners.

The WWE universe is about to witness a rematch 12 years in the making. Goldberg took on Lesnar at Wrestlemania 20 and defeated the beast incarnate cleanly. Soon after, both men left the WWE to pursue other avenues of interest. But as fate would have it, both of these men have returned to the squared circle. Moreover, they are on a collision course as Lesnar challenged Goldberg and the latter accepted the challenge last week on Raw.

As exciting as this is on paper, there are quite a few people who believe this match might not live up to the hype, which we looked at. Most recently, Bleacher Report analyzed the pros and cons of this match that will headline Survivor Series. The most prominent concern from everyone is Goldberg’s conditioning at the moment. Bleacher report took this one step ahead and questioned Lesnar’s conditioning as well.

"Goldberg has not wrestled in 12 years, and he rarely wrestled long matches in his prime. For Goldberg to return and put on a 15-minute contest would be shocking. It doesn’t help that his opponent Lesnar has been progressively wrestling shorter matches with each appearance."

Lesnar’s last outing against Randy Orton lasted a mere 11 minutes. Expecting these two heavy weights to put on a fast paced bout for more than ten minutes would be a stretch. That being said, WWE could take a page out of TNA’s playbook and turn this around completely.

The Impact Grand Championship

The Impact Grand Championship had been introduced to the world in August after retiring the TNA King of the Mountain championship. Aron Rex, formerly known as Damien Sandow in the WWE is the inaugural champion. The Impact Grand Championship is something different from traditional matches. The rules of the match resemble a UFC fight rather than a pro wrestling match:

Every match consists of three 3 minute rounds, with special event matches going 5 minutes
Fights are graded with a 10 point must system
Judging categories: Physicality, aggressiveness, controlling the action
Wins can happen anytime via pinfall or submission
If there is no winner after three rounds, a winner is decided by judge’s decision

WWE has tried to imitate what TNA has done in the past. Remember when New Day visited the Wyatt Family compound? The segment was eerily similar to the battle between the Hardy’s in their compound. Regardless, if WWE can take this concept and if Vince McMahon can put his trademark spin on this idea, the match between Goldberg and Lesnar will outshine all its flaws.

Setting the Environment

Imagine these two behemoths being tossed into a steel cage much like the UFC. Imagine rules similar to what you just read above. That is must-see television. WWE can easily play up this angle by having Lesnar challenge Goldberg to a UFC-ish fight. That would get even more heat on Lesnar. Goldberg can then play the fearless babyface and accept this new challenge.

Booking the Match

As noted, both men’s conditioning is a big factor in delivering a match that could live up to the hype. When Cena and Styles were being set for an epic match, they would go on to deliver a long and hard-hitting match. You cannot expect the same here. While the 49-year-old Goldberg remains in pretty decent shape, he might be carrying a ton of ring rust with him. Lesnar cannot be entrusted to carry the load of the match on his own either.

Both these men are excellent when it comes to short bursts of explosive action. This is where the 3 or 5-minute rounds can fare well. That could also ensure neither of these men would get winded eventually. Lesnar can dominate the first round. Goldberg can mount a come back with a spear in the second round eventually. The final round should make fans feel like they are watching Rocky Balboa. It should be about Lesnar trying desperately to finish off the veteran. Fans should witness the heart and the guts of Goldberg as he withstands punishment that no man has ever done.

Once all three rounds are over, the judges can hand the victory to Lesnar. Ideally, WWE’s most vicious ass kicker should not lose to a 49-year-old who hasn’t wrestled in 12 years. Let Lesnar win the match but lose the fight in retrospect. The story of the match should be Goldberg lasting 3 rounds against the Beast and taking him to his absolute limits. A couple of near falls here and there would make it an instant classic.

The best thing that could come out of this match would be that nobody loses. Lesnar gets a win over Goldberg after 12 years. Goldberg does not lose his integrity as he is the clear winner of the fight. WWE can even have celebrity judges to amp up the star power occasionally. Since there would be a 1-minute break between rounds, WWE can use the time either for commercials or for interviews and fight analysis.

Next: Goldberg Should Enter the WWE Hall of Fame in 2017

The only con to this idea would be that it would come off as WWE imitating something TNA came up with. However, this wasn’t an original idea by TNA. If any pro-wrestler can make a match that resembles a UFC fight work, it’s Lesnar. This is why WWE should give a thought about booking this dream match in a dream way.

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