Goldberg’s Second WWE Run Ends in Déjà Vu at WrestleMania 33
Goldberg’s second WWE run ended much like his first, as he got booed the moment he stepped foot in the ring.
At WrestleMania 20 in 2004, Goldberg and Brock Lesnar put on one of the most embarrassing matches you’ll see between two big-name stars on the grand stage. They never clicked, but worst of all, the crowd booed them from start to finish. This was due to knowledge of both men leaving after the show.
Fast-forward to Apr. 2, 2017. We saw Goldberg vs. Lesnar for the second time at WrestleMania, only this time they battled for the WWE Universal Championship. That wasn’t the only difference, though, as the Beast Incarnate isn’t leaving the WWE anytime soon.
However, one thing stayed the same from 2004 and 2017 — Goldberg is on his way out. You knew it the second his post-Survivor Series run started, as well as the day he won the Universal Championship from Kevin Owens at Fastlane. WrestleMania also seemed like the ideal spot for him to go, as WWE doesn’t have a major show for another four months.
Well, like WrestleMania 20, the fans booed at the former WCW star. It didn’t seem clear until his entrance ended and he stood in the ring with Lesnar. The negative reaction was heard when the music went off, when JoJo announced his name and anytime he performed a move. This had been while Lesnar got a pop for anything he did, something that hadn’t really been heard since his post-WrestleMania 31 run as a babyface — that’s how much the fans were against Goldberg at the Show of Shows.
Unlike 2004, Goldberg left with a predictable loss. It sends him away from WWE TV for who knows how long. Maybe he’ll be back on Raw. Maybe he’ll be back at SummerSlam. Maybe he’ll never be back, except for a WWE Hall of Fame appearance. He’s 50-years-old and may not do something like this again, especially since he accomplished having his son see him wrestle, so it wouldn’t be surprising if nothing came to fruition for another WWE run.
This Goldberg run ends with him putting over Lesnar, who now has every bit of momentum on his side as Universal Champion. It’s the culmination of a money program that had hype to main event in segments on Raw and be built into this larger-than-life match at WrestleMania. This became like a UFC fight, something that won’t go long but will be full of hard-hitting action that keeps fans on their feet.
We also saw the story of Lesnar being able to finally conquer the one man who always stood in front of him in his WWE career. While this is no underdog story, the former Next Big Thing cemented himself as a dominant force again, with no one in sight able to stop him. It reestablished the “top guy” status, which was hurt after the 86-second Survivor Series loss.
Goldberg is potentially leaving WWE in a similar fashion to his first run in 2004. He received boos and jeers, but lost on his way out. Will that mean he never returns?