Welcome to a new series on the website, called Rating The Champ. This will follow my prior World Title Series, where I reviewed each and every WWE Heavyweight Champion in history from Hulk Hogan’s first title win in 1984 all the way to the current days. Money in the Bank cash-ins will not be included for obvious reasons, unless it was a proper match (ie: Rob Van Dam at One Night Stand 2006). Royal Rumble and battle royales won’t be included as well.
In this new series, I will rate all the PPV matches from each and every WWF/E Heavyweight Champion in history. To be fair, since this is the WWF/E title, I’ll only rate their PPV matches in the WWF/E. In this edition, we’ll be looking back at the PPV career of the one and only, former World Heavyweight & Universal Champion, Goldberg.
First run
- Vs. The Rock (Backlash) ***
- Vs. Chris Jericho (Bad Blood) ***1/2
- Elimination Chamber Match – World Heavyweight Championship (SummerSlam) ***1/4
- Vs. Triple H – World Heavyweight Championship (Unforgiven) **
- Vs. Triple H – World Heavyweight Championship (Survivor Series) **3/4
- Vs. Triple H vs. Kane – World Heavyweight Championship (Armageddon) *1/2
- Vs. Brock Lesnar (WrestleMania XX) 1/2*
Second run
- Vs. Brock Lesnar (Survivor Series 2016) N/R (not rated)
- Vs. Kevin Owens – WWE Universal Championship (Fastlane 2017) DUD
- Vs. Brock Lesnar – WWE Universal Championship (WrestleMania 33) ***1/2
- Vs. The Undertaker (Super ShowDown 2019) DUD
- Vs. Dolph Ziggler (SummerSlam 2019) **1/2
- Vs. The Fiend – WWE Universal Championship (Super ShowDown 2020) DUD
- Vs. Braun Strowman – WWE Universal Championship (WrestleMania 36) 1/2*
TOP FIVE
5. Triple H (Survivor Series 2003)
To say Bill Goldberg’s WWE run wasn’t particularly the greatest would be the understatement of the century. Making the man sell for over ten minutes was a horrible idea, because not only was he bad at it, but also his character didn’t need it at all.
However, at least in this match Goldberg’s comeback made him look like a million bucks. He kicked the sledgehammer out of Triple H’s hands, destroyed the rest of Evolution with it, tossed it down and symbolically finished Hunter with his usual moves.
Let’s just ignore Triple H ended up pinning Goldberg anyway the following month, therefore making this match not mean as much.
4. The Rock (Backlash 2003)
Bill Goldberg arrived in WWE immediately after WrestleMania XIX, to feud with The Rock. He speared Rock right into tomorrow, and the two wrestled at Backlash.
The problem of having Goldberg sell for a long time was still there, but at least The Rock was there to cover those parts with his incredible charisma and over-the-top selling of Goldberg that made him look dangerous the whole time.
The Rock ultimately gets a little bit too cocky, which allows Goldberg to kill him with two consecutive Spears followed by the Jackhammer.
3. Elimination Chamber Match (SummerSlam 2003)
The participants were Goldberg, Randy Orton, Kevin Nash, Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels and Triple H. The match was for Hunter’s World Championship.
This was without any question, the match that made Goldberg look more badass in his first WWE run… until the end, that is. Goldberg was the last to enter, with Nash already gone.
In five or six minutes, he absolutely murdered and eliminated Orton, Michaels and Jericho only for Triple H to then pin Goldberg with a single sledgehammer shot.
2. Chris Jericho (Bad Blood 2003)
The build-up to this match saw Jericho constantly being able to avoid Goldberg, and running away after getting his little cheapshot in.
Once the bell rings, Goldberg is finally able to get his hands on Jericho and his aggression eventually gets the better of… Goldberg. He knocks himself out going for a Spear through the barricade, injuring his shoulder.
Jericho works on that shoulder for a couple of minutes, until Goldberg makes the inevitable comeback. However, the Spear hurts him as well, and allows Jericho to put him in th Walls. Goldberg absolutely explodes out of that, though, and puts him away with another Spear followed by the Jackhammer.
1. Brock Lesnar (WrestleMania 33)
Remember their absolutely horrible and long match at WrestleMania XX? This was the total opposite, and that’s exactly why it was much, much, much, much, MUCH better.
From the moment the match started, the two bulls went after each other with their signature moves. They destroyed each other, destroyed the barricade at ringside and then went home. Short, simple and effective.
In the end, Lesnar became the first man to kick out of the Jackhammer and beat Goldberg cleanly. What would’ve happened way back in 2004, had Lesnar not decided to leave.
Overall average rating
1.77/5
Don’t miss the next piece here on Rating The Champ, where I’ll be looking back at former WWE & Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar.