Why not create another Goldberg?

[Milkyway!]

I can recall twice in professional wrestling that someone had a streak, and took it to the heights Goldberg did.

One is obviously Bill Goldberg, and the other was The Ultimate Warrior.

What did they do? They were fast in the ring, hard hitting, had the look, and squashed jobbers for the better part of their careers.

Why not do this again? Are there going to be Goldberg chants like when they were doing it with Ryback? Sure. Does it matter? No take the rub.

Is this wrestler going to have longevity? Probably not. But 2 years of hard hitting cash by someone super hot seems like it could be worth 4-5 minutes of television time on a 3 hour program.

So should the WWE attempt to recreate an undefeated streak? It's an easy story, and it's obviously going to get interesting around 40-50 week point when a guy is 60-0. Even if it is squash matches against locals, mid cards, and maybe even one or two "big" names like Swagger, Ziggles, etc here and there

 

[FeeltheBANG16]

You can re-create Goldberg's streak, but you can't re-create Goldberg. Simple as that. Somebody can win 170 matches in a row and it won't mean squat if they don't get over with the fans.

 

[Catacomb]

mr prefect also had a lengthy undefeated streak, but you dont hear too much about it.
as others have said, wwe already tried this with ryback, if they wanna try again with someone new it is way too soon, and not a good idea.

 

[JJ15776]

You can re-create Goldberg's streak, but you can't re-create Goldberg. Simple as that. Somebody can win 170 matches in a row and it won't mean squat if they don't get over with the fans.

Exactly. Goldberg was "created" by the fans. They responded to him in a big way, just like they did with Ultimate Warrior. You can't just put a guy on an undefeated streak and watch the money roll in. In fact, they've tried this plenty of times over the years, and it didn't work. Tatanka was undefeated for a long time when he came into the WWE, and there's a reason he wasn't listed with Warrior and Goldberg. He was a decent midcarder, but he never got to thst level, and he never would have no matter how long he was undefeated.

Could they attempt it? Sure. Will it work? Probably not.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

If you want a perfect example of what would happen if WWE genuinely, 100% tried to recreate a lengthy streak, look no further than the underwhelming TNA career of Crimson. It was a plan that was doomed to fail from the moment it started because fans could see that it was merely an attempt to purposely create a past gimmick that came about accidentally. The fact that Goldberg himself was referenced during TNA commentary only set in stone what most fans already knew: TNA was trying to create the next Goldberg.

You can have a guy go on a lengthy undefeated streak, it doesn't mean that the fans will respond to it the way they responded to Goldberg. Taker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania, the alliance & naming of the original Four Horsemen, SCSA at WM XIII bleeding profusely while still refusing to submit, the Austin 3:16 speech at KOTR '96, etc. are all examples of great happenings that weren't planned on. A bunch of writers didn't sit down in somebody's office and decide for Taker to go undefeated 21 years at WrestleMania, Jim Crockett, Jr. and the bookers of Mid-Atlantic didn't come up with The Four Horsemen's name, it just organically happened. There are reports that WWE wants to try and recreate the fan response to Daniel Bryan in Cesaro and if that's true, then it's almost certainly doomed to fail.

Stuff like that simply be manufactured on the whim of management, otherwise they'd be able to create the next Rock or Stone Cold whenever they felt like it.

 

[justinept]

Goldberg wasn't simply created by the fans. He was also created by the Monday Night Wars. The WWE had finally turned the corner and were once against legitimate competition for WCW. The NWO was losing almost two years old at that point, had lost most of its appeal, and the company needed to do something to slow down the WWE's momentum. Goldberg provided the obvious solution to that problem because the fans latched on to him. It was a pretty basic strategy that had worked well with the WWF at the time - give the fans what they want, and they'll watch your product over the competition.

Pushing Goldberg as fast as they did, and as hard they did, came with certain risks, though. The biggest risk was his ring work. The guy was still green at the time, and he wasn't the safest guy to work with. It's one thing to put a guy like that with mid-carders and risk their safety, but it's a whole other story to put him with main event guys that are necessary to the ratings. His kick to Bret Hart's head is the the most often-cited example of Goldberg's reckless ring style.

This same scenario played out with Ryback. He was another monster face who didn't lose. And as crazy as it might seem today since you can hear crickets when his music hits, the guy was over in a big way with the fans. All the same factors to create another Goldberg were there with this guy. The only difference was that the WWE wasn't desperate to create a new face. There was no competition (still isn't), and no real risk of fans changing the channel if Ryback wasn't pushed to the moon. So when the top stars started to complain that Ryback was dangerous to work with, the WWE had no reason to risk their safety by pairing them with him.

Note: This isn't to say that Goldberg wouldn't have eventually gotten to the top. It's just to say that I don't think he'd have gotten there as quickly as he did if WCW wasn't desperate for ratings in mid-1998. I think WCW probably would've kept him in the mid-card a bit longer, kept him more humble, and demanded that he work safer before giving him the main event push.

 

[bioshock]

It can work, but they just need someone who has that big strong look, like Ryback did, but they also need someone with a couple of high impact moves. Goldberg had the spear and jackhammer, while Ryback was a little slower and played to the crowd a bit more.

Also needs to be a fresh new face, maybe not some guy who has been a regular loser on NXT, the thing with Goldberg is he was no nonsense and didn't play to the crowd, also he didn't have a prior wrestling career under a different gimmick. Where as Ryback did as Skip Sheppfield so that did no favors for him from the start.

People really tend to forget that when they compare Ryback to Goldberg, he was very much so NOT like Goldberg.

 

[MC_Live]

You can't create another Goldberg. There is only one Goldberg. WWE was on their way to making Ryback a huge star. Feed Me More was being chanted louder than anything else at the time, even the Goldberg chants. And then... poof. Gone. A few wrong steps and that's it. Goldberg was an almost organic creation. WCW put him out there, and when the plan was executed, he took off. Can WWE try to plan for this to happen to someone. Sure. Will it work? Chances aren't likely. It has to be the right storyline for the right guy. You can't just say, "ok, this guy is going to be 100-0 and become a huge phenomenon because we're going to make him Goldberg 2.0" it won't work. You have to push a guy to push a guy, and hopefully the crowd catches on. If the guy just so happens to keep winning, and the crowd likes it that's one thing. But you can't try to completely manufacture it, because it will backfire.

 

[Dragon Chief]

I agree with the others users when they say you cannot create another Goldberg but the way they are currently booking Roman Reigns and the way they booked Brock Lesnar in the past, is similar to the way they booked Goldberg. Setting dominant milestones, eliminating several wrestlers in matches. They can never create another Goldberg but they can create different stars by giving them similar, yet different dominant type pushes, so long as that wrestler is able to carry that "dominant" persona well.

 

[Kliq69]

WWE's style of matches doesn't lend itself to Goldberg's rise. WWE predicates its matches on comebacks. Goldberg's entrance was normally much longer than any of his matches and thus it kept the mystique growing. He'd hit the ring, maybe trade some punches, spear, jackhammer and pose before leaving. It left the fans in awe.

Even Ryback's winning streak and initial Goldberg like matches were longer, they included more offense from the opponents and more offense from Ryback himself. Ryback's matches were to show his strength like him hitting 2 or 3 guys at once with his finish, Goldberg just dominated from bell to bell and didn't look like he could be harmed whatsoever.

I've argued for years that WWE needs to bring back true squash matches, matches that feature little to no offense from opponents to clearly demonstrate that some guys are just on completely different levels than the rest of the competitors. Until they bring back the old idea of squash matches, they're very limited in the ways they can get guys over and many of the traditional methods will no longer work under the current format.

 

[tvcolosi]

you are on too something here...

Lets create another Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold, Rock, and Bruno Sammartino! Just fooling with you pal....

They tried it with Ryback and he got Goldberg chants which was detrimental to his push. It seems they are trying a modified version Rusev. Big monster squashing jobbers is as old as time so they will try it every few years. Sometimes it works sometimes it flops.

 

[shafe_41]

Because they tried. With Ryback. It failed miserably. Nobody cares about Ryback.
Moreover, because all fans would do is bitch "Oh look, another Goldberg. Creative can't think of anything new. WWE is so stupid. DERP DERP DERP."

Why not create a first of something else rather than rehash old gimmicks with a new image? I'd rather see WWE try 100 things with 1 or 2 huge successes than try to recreate Goldberg.

 

[Slash-LN]

As much as I don't care for Goldberg there was more than him than just the streak.
He had a huge intensity and great presence. He was believable in the squash role but also was believable when it came time to face tougher competition.
His rise seemed organic. I don't know if the streak was the storyline from the get go because I don't remember them keeping track if it at first. Once they started keeping track of it though the fans latched. On.

Tatanka was undefeated for two years I believe and no body cared. Even now hardly anyone mentions that when it comes to his career. He just wasn't the right guy to have such a streak and make it matter.

It's all about the performer.

You would almost have to bring them to the main roster first or establish the streak in NXT but that's rolling the dice because the streak can only go so long before you have to have a loss and keep the guy believable after. Tidbit. Don't have them lose their first match being pinned with one finger.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

Ryback was pretty much Goldberg 2.0 and that didn't work out well.

As for a wrestler being undefeated and beat out jobbers and lower mid carders to have a streak it won't happen on Triple H's watch. Triple H was vocal before about Goldberg only getting over because he was being fed jobbers and lower mid carders as opposed to improving his craft, so since Triple H was critical about Goldberg's undefeated streak I doubt he he will let something like that happen in the WWE.

 

[sTyLnK]

You always hear about how people think such and such is the next HBK or Goldberg etc (just giving random examples). But the reality is that it never ends up that way. Each wrestler or pro athlete carve their own path in the end. Glimpses of past greats? Absolutely. A good measuring stick? You bet. But every athlete/wrestler does indeed carve their own path when it's all said and done.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

You can't just create another Godlberg. His popularity wasn't planned, it was just the fans latching on to him and making him a star, which is what has happened recently with Daniel Bryan. WWE are rumoured to be trying to recreate this crowd popularity for Cesaro, which I fully expect to fail.

You can push someone as much as you like, but if they don't connect with the audience it isn't going to work. TNA tried this with Crimson and his undefeated streak, which bombed. WWE had a Goldberg clone in Ryback, who was getting over to a degree but they ruined that as well by ending his undefeated streak unneccesarily, killing his momentum dead.

If it was that easy to go out and "create" another Goldberg, who was a phenomenon, don't you think WWE would have made another Stone Cold, another Rock or another Warrior by now? It's not as easy as it looks!

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

You can't "create" another ANYBODY. And even if you COULD, it wouldn't work because the fans don't want to be given something that is a blatant rip-off of something from the past. Goldberg's rise wasn't just because of the incredible push he got, the fans actually believed in him. He made his presence known from the first time he was on Nitro and beat Hugh Morrus out of nowhere. The streak may not have even been put into place if he didn't get over that first time the way he did.

 

[Pedigree1]

There is no scenario in which its a good idea,to re-create any kind of situation. It has to happen on a whim and be original. The goldberg streak is such an example. Sure,it was very cool and interesting him squashing jobber after jobber then to the mid-card and so on and so on.

I dont think they necessarily tried with Ryback being the next goldberg,sure there were similarities but thats about it. The fact that when the crowd chanted goldberg at Ryback adn the WWE chose to ignore it,is what killed Ryback not the so-called Goldberg push.

Any kind of situation where you re-create a magical character or moment,will always be doomed to fail.. If the WWE does indeed want to re-create Daniel Bryan through Cesaro,it will fail no doubt. Us the fans,all we want is originality not some blatant rip-off or carbon copy! Thats why Crimson failed,it was a cheap attempt to rival or duplicate Goldberg. It only hurts the talent,not the management who comes up with the idea.

 

[LionheartY2J]

This happens all too often. A young, up-and-comer gets a huge reaction from the fans. The powers that be knee jerk them all the way to the top, and aggressively cram them down the fans' throats. And what happens when something is aggressively crammed down your throat? You gag. You get sick of it.

The most obvious example was Ryback, though his rapid fall from Grace was due as much to being a stiff and mostly awful worker as well as the fans quickly rejecting him. Other examples of guys they've tried pushing overly hard with epic fail results were Big E, as well as Sheamus and Del Rio, who achieved enormous success out of the gate as heels, then were given contrived face runs and the fans weren't buying it. I sincerely hope they don't do the same with Roman Reigns.

As for Goldberg, you have to remember that he came up very quietly via Thunder, mowing his way through jobbers and local workers before easing him into bigger angles starting with the Flock and finally the NWO and his first title run, which came as a huge surprise on an episode of Nitro, something unheard of these days, so that helped with his legacy.

This would also be very difficult because WWE doesn't have a "Thunder" where they could slowly build a character up like that before easing him into the mid card and then main event. I can't imagine them being patient enough to do so even if they did.

 

[harrythem]

They kind of did create a Goldberg...he's called Daniel Bryan.

That's about as close as you can get to re-creating Goldberg because it wasn't the streak or his matches, it was his "x factor" to just connect with the audience in a way that makes them get behind him even when creative didn't have a care for him. The fan-created buzz can't be manufactured and, even when it happens, WWE seems to take offense at it (see Zack Ryder/Dolph Ziggler et al). WWE wants to create the organic growth like Goldberg with this "Cesaro section" stuff but it won't work because it's not real....


Unless Vince McMahon has a superstar creation chamber in his office, that would be awesome!

 

[The Sychopath]

If they tried to do it today, than all you would hear from the crowd is Goldberg chants since they'd obviously know what WWE is trying to do. But WWE has never been good with booking undefeated streaks. Tatanka's streak didn't really do much for him at all. Mr. Perfect had one & you never hear anyone talk about it years later. Ryback had one for awhile, and it was a huge failure. Now they seem to be doing one with Rusev. And it'll turn out to be the same thing as someone like Kozlov or Khali where they get pushed for awhile only to do the job to someone like Cena. And than get pushed down the card into a comedy act.

 

[lil steroid meat]

I agree with the fact that the "streak" thing is cool and an easy way to make a high profile player in the company.

Ryback just happened less than a year ago, so it would have to be a different character than the silent musclehead who only exists to squash people. Not only is that character boring in 2014 but you're setting them up to be subjected to Goldberg chants for the rest of their career.

A cocky Flair type of character who gets a streak by winning dirty or a Million Dollar Man type character where he pays off referees or something like that has potential. It keeps people engaged and creates a money moment when the streak is broken.

Only thing with WWE and things like streaks, is that it requires them to keep devoting TV time and effort into the character, something that they haven't done with the countless "next big thing" type characters like Drew McIntyre, Ryback, Kozlov, Khali etc. etc. WWE is very impatient and will abandon someone if one thing doesn't go right.

 

[Dagger Dias]

This can be a good idea, but only if booked properly. WWE has tried this more than once in the past few years. In the end it has been ruined each time before the undefeated streak storyline is able to fully be played out, and the wrestler receiving the push gets rushed into a world title scenario they are not ready for yet, and then they lose the streak as well as ALL of their momentum. Ryback is the more recent example. His booking was fine up until he got rushed into the world title matches he subsequently lost. Remember Vladimir Kozlov? Before becoming the sidekick of Santino Marella or part of William Regal's Ruthless Roundtable, he had an undefeated streak of his own.... until he got rushed into a world title match against Triple H. He was never believable as a threat again after that.

If WWE found someone they wanted to give this type of a storyline and push to, hopefully they hold off on trying it again until they find someone who not only would be believable in the role, but someone they will actually want to go through with the full storyline with and NOT rush them into a world title match right in the middle of the push. It results in a waste of everyone's time and derails all the momentum of the wrestler. We are better off not having another one of these angles unless it can get booked properly. It can be done, with the right wrestler and the right booking. I don't see it happening again for a while, and when it does it will likely end up failing the way Kozlov and Ryback did.