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IT AIN'T SO BAD, BILL - COULD GOLDBERG BE USED TO CATAPULT MATT RIDDLE TO THE NEXT LEVEL?

It’s that time of the year when WWE legends of years gone by get dusted off and wheeled back into action.

While a bit of creative license is needed to describe Goldberg as a WWE legend given his best work came in rival brand WCW, but he can still be a useful cog in the organization given his ability to split fans right down the middle – some love him and some can’t stand him, which Eric Bischoff attributes to his ‘limited’ skillset in the ring.

The 54-year-old has challenged Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble. Given his success against the likes of The Fiend and Kevin Owens in recent years, it’s not beyond the realms of comprehension that Goldberg will once again be strapping the gold around his waist by the end of the night.

Even if he doesn’t, there’s still the chance that he will gatecrash the Rumble match itself and book his spot at the top of the bill at WrestleMania.

It’s horrendous booking on the part of the WWE writing team, with fans now having to sit through really short, stiff matches. Most of which involve Goldberg barely selling a single move before delivering his time-served, one-dimensional spear and jackhammer finishing combo.

The hope is that Goldberg has thought long and hard about his position in the wrestling business in his advancing years. Rather than hogging the limelight in the main event position, perhaps his status would be best served in helping an up-and-coming star to get over… somebody like Matt Riddle, for example.

Ironically, Riddle and Big Bill have actually had a feud in the real world for the past couple of years, after Goldberg branded the upstart ‘disrespectful’ following a conversation at Summerslam.

Never one to miss an opportunity, Riddle took a backstage picture with Gillberg after the RAW episode which aired on January 19, calling the comedy act a ‘stallion’ and claiming he is ’10 times the man Willy G could ever be’ – referring to Goldberg, of course.

Real legends are your Bros and this stallion is 10 times the man Willy G could ever be! #gillberg #stallion #WWERaw #hesmybro pic.twitter.com/QYUCki187F

— matthew riddle (@SuperKingofBros) January 19, 2021

Riddle has also branded his elder as ‘dangerous’ in the ring, perhaps referring specifically to Goldberg’s bone-crunching match with The Undertaker in Saudi Arabia, when the ‘Dead Man’ suffered a serious neck injury.

Hopefully, the WWE writers aim to cash in on their legitimate beef by pitting Goldberg in a feud in which he actually elevate somebody else’s career - not just his own.

A World Away

One of the reasons that Goldberg’s wrestling style is considered, ahem, slightly basic, is that he simply did not have an in-ring education; having been plucked from the NFL and turned into an overnight success by Bischoff in WCW.

To offer some context, Goldberg was on the payroll of the Los Angeles Rams – he was a guy who many genuinely thought would have an outstanding football career. As a guide to the Rams’ standing, they reached the NFC Divisional playoffs in the 2020-21 season, and were amongst the favourites in the outright Super Bowl winner NFL betting odds to win the whole thing.

A gruesome injury, in which his torso was left hanging off of his pelvis, ended Goldberg’s football career, and the NFL’s loss was – to all intents and purposes – wrestling’s gain.

From humble beginnings to future Hall of Fame status, love him or hate him, Goldberg deserves a fitting end to his wrestling career.

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