"The Goldberg Push"

[The Death Rattle]

Ryback is currently getting the undefeated destroyer treatment, dubbed by some "the Goldberg push". Those in that line of thinking see Ryback as just another wrestler being pushed in a manner very similar to the way Goldberg was in WCW. A similar event took place during TNA's effort to push Crimson, only having ended just a short time ago to James Storm after 16 months. The other side of this coin is the group who see the similarities between Ryback and Goldberg, but also see the differences in the effort WWE is trying. Ryback is more vocal then Goldberg was, in and out of the ring. Ryback is facing two wrestlers at a time currently, with him likely moving to three soon. Their movesets are both power based, but perform different moves then one another. Goldberg was originally more heelish in his persona, while Ryback seems to lean to the face side. In fairness, neither was clearly defined. Regardless, there are differences there should one choose to see them. I am in the latter group, as I find Ryback to be a breath of fresh air in WWE right now. I like the efforts made, as they are trying out new twists with Ryback.

My question to each of you is how would you book someone to go on an undefeated streak? Clearly the aim here is to be original and to eliminate "the Goldberg push" label. You could choose whichever wrestler or company you want. You can speak in general terms and not specify either should you want. I simply want to know how you push your undefeated wrestler.

 

[HBsam31]

This may or may not be a good idea, but what if they had a guy go undefeated by winning by the skin of his teeth everytime or cheating to win. Build up so much hatred for him that the fans are just chomping at the bit for him to lose, but time and time again he keeps squeaking out a win. I think a Del Rio type would have been perfect for this. Maybe someone can add to my idea, but this is a way I would do it different.

 

[Danger Burger]

Yeah the skin of his teeth would be the way i'd do it too... But not in a roll up, or anything cheap if hes to stay face... A good strong match is much more effective than a squash, as people are only (ok, some people are mainly) interested in seeing actual proven talent. Anyone can be booked for a run of squashes. I would have an even start to the match, then the heel or whoever to destroy the guy we want to get over, then have him counter and hit a finisher or two and win. I know its a bit of a john cena sounding dealy, but heart and courage are the usual essentials in a face.

I like Ryback, the squashes are impressive because they look legit. The guys size works perfect and he just tosses them guys around. Theres videos of him in OVW beating on around eight guys at a time and i hope they get that far with him in WWE. Hes obviously a bit of an antihero kind of character, he is just smashing people who are annoying! Why didnt it work for crimson? Well... who knows? There wasnt enough direction, and he didnt have enough character and he should never have been in a tag team situation. Ryback just needs to keep on snowballing and everything should be fine!

 

[MINISTRYrising]

i think the best way to do it would be to debut a baby face and have them go out there every week and win by pure luck you. they would have to be a character lick santino or eric young for it to work

 

[GrandSword]

Samoa Joe went undefeated in TNA for 18 months. The difference between his wins and a "Goldberg" push was that his matches were usually not squash matches. They were always entertaining as Joe had great showing with X Div guys like Shelley, Sabin, Styles, Daniels. Before he moved to main event status he defeated guys like Ron Killings, Rhino, Monty Brown. Next step was Steiner and Jarrett before finally going down to Kurt Angle.

Even though Joe was dominant and didn't take a loss until the Angle feud, he always had great matches which is a far cry from the big man squashes. That was successful until Joe was booked poorly and TNA didn't take adavnatge of the great booking they had done with him for 2 years.

I think that would be how you build a good streak, by always having great matches.

 

[HBsam31]

So... a Honky Tonk push?

Yeah, now that you bring that up I am curious as to how many times Honky actually lost before Warrior beat him in 10 seconds. He had his year long title reign, but what about before he won it? I am sure he got DQed a few times as champ but what about pinfall losses before he was IC champ.

 

[iwinulose]

So heres the deal, I think he should go undefeated for a year or so, turn him into a face you want to cheer for. I would have him start beating the jobbers, and even some of the mid card/main event heels, so like not locals (except instead of squash matches, make it real matches). Maybe have santino and kofi getting beaten down by Slater, del rio, miz, and swagger or dolph, have him come out and make the save, team him up with punk (or someone else, you know what I mean) against Tensai/big show, and daniel bryan, let him feed off of some of the other guys star power what I'm saying make him someone you want to cheer for. If he gets over, have him win a title IC/US, and have him continue his winning streak right up until it's time to end it, then have him lose in a hard fought match up, that makes ryback look strong as well as gets the other guy over. Ryback has the potential, he just needs to stop beating locals and start beating guys with actual star power.

 

[One to Remember]

the difference between all the post Goldberg streaks is the fact that no one is keeping count of the victims, the wrestler is not being allowed to rise through the ranks, and the storyline streak ends too fast and isn't depicted as a big deal. also there isnt a gradual build up in the type of oppoent. We saw Goldberg start with Hugh Morris, go on to Barry Horrorwitz, then to Norman Smiley, then to Raven, then to Hall, then to Big Show, then to Hollywood Hogan. Ryback is taken on local clowns, generic Colin DeLaney types.. Thats okay for now, but he needs to start taking on guys like Primo, Ryder, Drew Mac, etc. Samoa Joe is through in TNA but he needs to start his streak in WWE anew. The only person who got the Goldberg push was Goldberg himself, thats the final word on that..

 

[SacredMesa]

By making the push unique to the person and the character. Samoa Joe is a perfect example. They gave him an undefeated streak that lasted nearly 2 years and I never heard a single "Goldberg" chat get thrown at him why? Because his push wasn't about squashing people it was about showing how damn good he was in the ring against damn good competition.

You can give pretty much anyone an undefeated streak and avoid the Goldberg comparison but if you are going to do it you have to make it unique to the character and the person it's as simple as that.

 

[One to Remember]

By making the push unique to the person and the character. Samoa Joe is a perfect example. They gave him an undefeated streak that lasted nearly 2 years and I never heard a single "Goldberg" chat get thrown at him why? Because his push wasn't about squashing people it was about showing how damn good he was in the ring against damn good competition.

You can give pretty much anyone an undefeated streak and avoid the Goldberg comparison but if you are going to do it you have to make it unique to the character and the person it's as simple as that.

there is nothing wrong with the GB comparison though is what you fell to realize. Goldberg is far more successful and memorable then all the other wrestlers mention or alluded to in this thread. What was the end count of Joe's streak then? How much of a big deal was it when it ended? Who ended it, how, and at what venue? You don't know.. Is streak wasn't well crafted or well structured, as is the hallmark of a Goldberg push..

 

[Gazza 3:16]

Ryback What Does WWE Want???

I mean really what does the WWE want us fans to do? To BOO the guy or something. Because that will be happening very soon and I can guaran-damn-tee you that much.
We get the point the guy can beat 2 local “weak” wrestlers but it’s kinda getting boring know he needs to feud with someone good. On the other am thinking maybe the WWE wants us to Boo this guy and maybe he is a actual heel that is getting a bit cheered and that’s what the WWE don’t want so that’s why they keep doing this 2 on 1 matches so we eventually get bored and start booing. Ryback needs to start fighting good wrestlers

 

[braveh]

IMO TNA handled it perfectly with Crimson. They tried to push the guy and when it didn't work they made him look stupid and ridiculed him.

I see WWE doing the same thing with Ryback. Nobody is buying his act so they will shit all over him when the time is right.

 

[DirtyD79]

By making the push unique to the person and the character. Samoa Joe is a perfect example. They gave him an undefeated streak that lasted nearly 2 years and I never heard a single "Goldberg" chat get thrown at him why? Because his push wasn't about squashing people it was about showing how damn good he was in the ring against damn good competition.

Agreed, just burying jobbers is not impressive whether it's 1, 2, or 200. It kind of loses something when even the little kids who still think it's real know perfectly well the opponent is going to be staring at the ceiling in about a minute. It's boring. That's why people got sick of that shit back in the early 90s and don't want to see it again.

 

[SacredMesa]

there is nothing wrong with the GB comparison though is what you fell to realize. Goldberg is far more successful and memorable then all the other wrestlers mention or alluded to in this thread. What was the end count of Joe's streak then? How much of a big deal was it when it ended? Who ended it, how, and at what venue? You don't know.. Is streak wasn't well crafted or well structured, as is the hallmark of a Goldberg push..

Samoa Joe's streak wasn't about the number of people he beat it was simply about him proving how damn good he was as he rose through the ranks.

In terms of the questions you asked, Joe's streak lasted 18 months ending in 2006 at Genesis when he lost by tapping out to Kurt Angle's ankle lock. At the time it was a pretty big deal for a few reasons, because it was Kurt Angle for one but also because it set up one of the best fueds to of ever happened in TNA that culminated in Samoa Joe vs Kurt Angle for every damn title in the company.

This issue with Joe now wasn't the quality of his streak, people still remember it and fans I talk to still express how sad his current state in TNA is after how awesome his streak was. The issue with Joe now is TNA has no idea what to do with him. His streak has established him as someone fans will always see and connect with as a huge star of the company, much like AJ Styles, sadly booking back stage doesn't seem to have a clue how to use this.

 

[Warhood]

I just want to say before I write my answer this is I believe a very common way to push new stars. I mean I am trying to recall back in my memory a star lost his debut match and went on to be a big star... Is someone can find me one from the recent era, I will be impressed.

However, to answer your question, I am really hard-pressed to find one. I mean maybe you could do something with a returning Matt Morgan to the WWE, or maybe Brody Lee (Whatever his name is now) debuting for the first time in the WWE. But each of them come with problems. Matt Morgan was there already and a major star in TNA which could end up having a backlash similar to what Tensai had when he returned. Mr. Lee has a problem where he might not be able to sustain a draw as he is a new character and might come up to early/not be ready for his time to shine.

The one answer I am sure of though is Kharma. Yes I know she is a women, but look at her skill set and size. Can you really see anyone beating her in the WWE let alone the world? I know Beth is going to booked to be her competion and might even get over, but I for one don't really see that as Logical due to their talents.

So in short, the one wrestler I see getting over with a goldberg push is the female wrestler Kharma

 

[Manof1,004Holds]

If I were booking Ryback right now I'd let him be Ryback instead of a Goldberg clone. Let him talk more, let him develop a personality, give him matches instead of squash matches. He'd still be undefeated, but put him against main roster guys. Maybe make him a staple in the midcard, don't give him a U.S or I.C. title until like a year later. Bring him to the main event with a midcard title, to boost either of the title's prestige. Don't give him the WWEC or WHC right away. Let him defend his midcard title against main event-upper card guys every PPV. Then right when he's at his peak of popularity, give him a title shot at say Summerslam. He wins the WWEC or WHC, make him drop his midcard title because he cannot defend both. Few PPV's later, Wrestlemania, Ryback vs Undertaker, Title and Streak vs Streak as the main event. The Undertaker wins ending Ryback's 3 year streak. Sounds a little far-fetched I know, I am tired.

 

[One to Remember]

Samoa Joe's streak wasn't about the number of people he beat it was simply about him proving how damn good he was as he rose through the ranks.

In terms of the questions you asked, Joe's streak lasted 18 months ending in 2006 at Genesis when he lost by tapping out to Kurt Angle's ankle lock. At the time it was a pretty big deal for a few reasons, because it was Kurt Angle for one but also because it set up one of the best fueds to of ever happened in TNA that culminated in Samoa Joe vs Kurt Angle for every damn title in the company.

No one remembers his rise. I remember the night Goldberg defeated Hogan clean, i remember Hugh Morris going down, I remember Jerry Flynn lasting longer then most, I remember Raven losing his U.S. title, i remember large segments of the build up. You can stretch a lot of things accross 18 months, 187 or how many guys the streak stopped with however, that number is solid.

Ryback and Broadus could had both been in Goldberg's position but interference from WWE creative is highly likely. Count must always be kept, competition must always get bigger, midcard title must be obtained half way through the process, video of the victims must be played and replayed in chronological order.. there is a formula..

P.S. Samoa Joe is the Rock of TNA and AJ is the Austin, both are small fish that grew into big fish yet remained in a small pond.. they need to jump shift in Jeff Jarrett like fashion and they need to take their histories with them to WWE and start competing in mainevents.



Warhood there have never been enough women in any women's division ever to have a Goldberg streak set up.. Kharma would defeat Beth, face a threat from Natty, then have nothing else to achieve..

As for Ryback, i dont think he has a personality. Skip Sheffield had a personality but I dont think that would mesh well with Ryback. Some personas are defined by action(s) and not personality, if he can start interfering in matches or accomplishing feats like capturing the U.S. AND I-C titles he can get to the top of the card and build anticipation for himself from the fans.

 

[SacredMesa]

No one remembers his rise. I remember the night Goldberg defeated Hogan clean, i remember Hugh Morris going down, I remember Jerry Flynn lasting longer then most, I remember Raven losing his U.S. title, i remember large segments of the build up. You can stretch a lot of things accross 18 months, 187 or how many guys the streak stopped with however, that number is solid.

Ryback and Broadus could had both been in Goldberg's position but interference from WWE creative is highly likely. Count must always be kept, competition must always get bigger, midcard title must be obtained half way through the process, video of the victims must be played and replayed in chronological order.. there is a formula..

P.S. Samoa Joe is the Rock of TNA and AJ is the Austin, both are small fish that grew into big fish yet remained in a small pond.. they need to jump shift in Jeff Jarrett like fashion and they need to take their histories with them to WWE and start competing in mainevents.

Don't remember his rise? I remember him winning Christophers Daniels Super X cup and setting up the first of multiple Triple Threat matches between himself Daniels and Styles. I remember after he won a 4 way elimination match how he gave Daniels a "concussion" resulting in AJ calling him out resulting in him winning his first X Division title at Turning Point, I remember him beating Daniels so bad Styles had to throw in the towel at Final Resolution leading to the 2nd triple threat at unbreakable, which Joe won. I remember Daniels finally winning the title back in an ultimate X match at Destination X. I remember him winning that title back and then losing it in a triple threat with Senshi and Sonjay Dutt. I remember when he tagged with Sting against Double J and Steiner, I remember his fued with Steiner and beating him at Slammiversary, I remember him beating Double J in the fans revenge lumber jack match, and I remember his eventual loss to Kurt Angle at Genesis.

To say people don't remember his build up is simply silly. You don't need a chronological time line of people he destroyed playing every day to make give someone a meaningful undefeated streak.

 

[ShinobiMusashi]

I liked the way ECW did Taz's starting in late 95 when he returned from his neck injury.

He started out as a strait up nasty heel that was unstoppable. They billed him as "A new kind of hybrid wrestler, like you see on these Ultimate Fighting Championship pay per views" as Joey Styles said in his match at Cyberslam 96(February). He wouldn't use chairs or tables or weapons, only his fists, and he would rub that in the ECW crowd's face any chance he could get. They hated him for it, but he just kept on destroying everyone.

Paul fed the most over guys in the company to him through the year of 1996. They brought in UFC 7 tournament finalist Paul Varelans, and even Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle to feed to him(the latter fell through).

It was a slow build all through 1996 where he would steadily call out his arch rival Sabu(The CM Punk of 1996, king of the indies), who was the Stone Cold Steve Austin of ECW at the time.

Taz was like Ken Shamrock was in the UFC in the early days. He had his entrourage of fighters that he was training, and even a coach(Alfonso), and he looked down on Pro Wrestling and it's fans, especially ECW.

Finally Taz and Sabu hooked up after a year of buildup at the first ECW pay per view Barely Legal, where they did a double switch. Sabu lost, shook Taz's hand, then turned on him when RVD came out to attack him. Bill Alfonso turned on Taz to align with Sabu and RVD, and it was eventually discovered that they were connected with Jerry Lawler's WWF Invasion of ECW.

This finally allowed the fans to get behind Taz, and cheer him, something they had been wanting to do because of how bad ass he was.

Taz's undefeated streak came to an end in a rematch with Sabu, but after the match he was elevated up the roster when he defeated Shane Douglas for his TV title in the 5 minute submission challenge.

After winning the TV title from Douglas Taz went on another undefeated streak until Bam Bam put him through the ring to win his TV title. From there Taz was the man in ECW as much as KB likes to believe RVD was, he wasn't until it came out that Taz was gone to WWE late summer 99.

Taz from 1996 to 1999 was Heyman's best booking.