A lot of emotions are going through the minds of WWE fans, specifically mine. What happened in Toronto at WWE’s Survivor Series borderlines insanity and corruption simultaneously. It was a match that was in the process of being built for several years. At WrestleMania 20 , the Beast Incarnate faced off against Goldberg in a match that everyone wanted to see. That was, until the match actually started.
That was then, and this is now. On November 20, the same result happened, only both men cared slightly and their pocket books were lined accordingly. So, in reality, it’s not much different than WrestleMania 20 . When the bell rang at the Air Canada Centre, WWE fans expected a decent bout between two powerhouse wrestlers. A 5-star match wasn’t the expectation; nor was a 90-second squash. That was, until the later actually happened.
Lesnar hoisted up Goldberg into the corner right away, only for Goldberg to shove the Beast away with the former-WWE World Heavyweight champion to show a moment of vulnerability. Two spears and a jackhammer later, Goldberg defeated Brock Lesnar in less than three minutes. It only took two moves to take down the most dominant wrestler the WWE has had in years.
Now, the WWE brass had one agenda in mind while booking this match. They wanted to create shock value within the WWE Universe. Congratulations Vince McMahon; you achieved that goal. There’s only one problem left to address. David Arquette winning the WCW Heavyweight title created shock value, but that didn’t mean it was a good thing. Ask Vince Russo what happened to WCW following that creative blunder.
Obviously, WWE isn’t going to crash and burn into oblivion, but the near future will take a serious hit. As of right now, there are no plans for Goldberg or Lesnar to appear on WWE programming in the near future. It’s similar to the Rock beating the Wyatt Family in seven seconds at WrestleMania 32 , but at least the Wyatts had a chance to redeem themselves. Speaking of that, did you see Bray Wyatt pin Roman Reigns?
The reaction to the dumpster fire Goldberg and Lesnar was made social media spiral into a frenzy. There are supporters to the WWE’s decision, but mostly, it is met with the same reaction Arquette’s title win received. Those supporting it are calling for the shock value and entertainment the two men brought. If that was the case, pit Goldberg and Undertaker at WrestleMania 33 to see how fast Taker can fall.
And to address the asinine comparisons to Conor McGregor’s 13-second knockout over Jose Aldo, fake wrestling cannot be compared to fighting.
Of all the wrestling personalities commenting on the match is Jim Ross, a WWE Hall of Fame entrant. His tweet suggested that his opinion might not be solidified yet, and that’s not a bad move on his part.
I will give my take on the @Goldberg vs Lesnar match on this week’s Ross Report podcast. It may shed some light on the fast finish.
— Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) November 21, 2016
Choosing to wait until the hype dies down is wise, perhaps I could learn a thing or two from Good Ol’ JR. Then again, it’s too late to turn back now.
Months of promotion and build-up led to 90 seconds of mediocrity and disappointment. Think back to when Goldberg was announced as the cover boy for WWE 2K17. Goldberg mentioned on WWE programming he toured around the world promoting the video game, while taking money from those who would end up watching an embarrassment months later on a cold November night. There are some who paid $50 to watch Goldberg and Lesnar. I don’t think the WWE is considering those unfortunate few.
A recent article by the Inquisitr talked about Goldberg saying winning at Survivor Series wasn’t important to him. When he saw the paycheck and booking for the match, did he mean to clarify his statement that way? That’s irrelevant at this time, but should still be considered down the road. Wrestling is about the money and not much else.
Leading up to Goldberg and Brock Lesnar, the women and men from both WWE Raw and Smackdown Live wrestled their hearts out and put on a decent show. Booking decisions aside, special moments were shared between the competitors and fans. The Shield reunited, Wyatt finally won a huge match on pay-per-view, Bayley got her big break on the main roster and Shane McMahon shined once again.
On November 20 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Survivor Series’ main event was Lesnar and Goldberg. There was no title on the line. Consequences for defeat were never identified. It was a match years in the making, because fans wanted redemption after their first meeting went array.
After months of promotion, build up and hype, the match between Lesnar and Goldberg is finally over. Were 90 seconds enough? You tell me.
[Featured Image by WWE]