Time for Goldberg and WWE to part ways

[Guest Trivia247]

Time for Goldberg and WWE to part ways

 

By Rennie Detore

TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Sunday, July 6, 2003

 

If you could choose one word to describe Goldberg's time in WWE, what would it be? Linda McMahon picked "disappointing."

 

WWE's chief executive officer commented on Goldberg and the general perception regarding his stint thus far with the company during a recent media conference call. McMahon didn't come across as overly harsh, but the term "disappointing" reportedly irritated the former WCW champion.

 

McMahon's word choice cements the frustration both sides (Goldberg-WWE) have expressed since Goldberg joined the federation in March, debuting on "Raw" the day after "Wrestlemania XIX."

 

Goldberg's first high-profile WWE match with The Rock in April at "Backlash" didn't generate the kind of pay-per-view buyrate the company had hoped. Conversely, Goldberg has expressed disappointment in WWE's creative department and how they've handled his character.

 

Goldberg balked at several storyline ideas during his feud with Chris Jericho, especially instances in which Jericho got the better of Goldberg on "Raw." The war of verbal attrition culminated just before Jericho and Goldberg fought at "Bad Blood," when Jericho wanted to kick out of Goldberg's spear.

 

Goldberg denied the request, furthering his reputation as someone who refuses to be a team player -- a mentality that severely clashes with WWE's locker room ideology that unity produces quality.

 

Quality and unity weren't attributes Goldberg was exposed to during his time with WCW. His success came quickly and elicited ill-feelings from other superstars who had "paid their dues" without similar results. Early on, Goldberg adapted to WCW's backstabbing mentality among wrestlers that protecting one's spot is more important than the overall success and direction of the company.

 

WCW folded, and Goldberg took his backward ideals home to collect a guaranteed paycheck owed to him by Time Warner, WCW's parent company. WWE came calling for Goldberg, perhaps feeling that time off and a second opportunity to prove himself would be enough to change his self-indulgent ways.

 

Goldberg's ego wasn't built solely because of his time in WCW. Even before reaching main-event status, Goldberg never really admired wrestling or understood the business. He's an ex-football player who needed a way to make a living after the NFL didn't pan out.

 

Goldberg fashioned a marketable look -- one that already had become popular, thanks to Steve Austin -- and WCW jumped at the chance to feature its own version of "Stone Cold." WCW pushed Goldberg so hard and fast that he never stopped to appreciate his good fortune in an industry that turns away thousands of potentials each year.

 

Instead, Goldberg took success not in stride but as if it was something owed to him. His streak of 100 victories masked what little ability he had, both in the ring and behind the mic, and indirectly convinced WCW brass into thinking that he could carry a company.

 

WWE rightfully jumped at the opportunity to sign Goldberg, if for no other reason than he's a big name who could help bolster "Raw" with more than Chris Harvard and Rodney Mack. Vince McMahon, however, doesn't really seem interested in doing anything more than he has to with Goldberg, lacking motivation to rally behind someone so closely associated with WCW.

 

Goldberg, too, doesn't seem motivated, although that has never seemed like one of his stronger attributes during his sports entertainment career.

 

The former WCW champion is going through the motions, hoping to score a big payday with little or no effort. His presence isn't enough, though, to ensure success. So, essentially, Goldberg and WWE are disinterested parties forging a relationship that neither wants to be part of in hopes that, by some accident, success follows. Two sides, lacking direction and respect, attempting to use one another for individual purposes has given fans what we've seen from Goldberg and WWE since the would-be monumental union took place four months ago.

 

In a word, it's been "uneventful."

 

Hulk Hogan and WWE parted ways Tuesday after the two sides couldn't creatively agree on storylines for the "Mr. America" character.

 

The general feeling is that Hogan will return, perhaps for "Wrestlemania XX" next year in New York at Madison Square Garden. Besides creative difficulties with McMahon, Hogan was upset that his "Wrestlemania XIX" payoff wasn't what he expected.

 

Rennie Detore's Pro Wrestling Insider appears Sundays in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He can be reached at [email protected].

 

* Link: Original Article/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

 

 

 

heh sorry to get your hopes up LOL

[Guest Choken One]

You heartless bastard. I already ordered the Champange and Six Piece orchtrastra.

 

DAMN YOU!

[Guest Eagan469]

damnit, I thought he was gone!

 

fuck goldberg

[Guest Choken One]

It's time to burn Trivia at the stake...

 

Boo bradley was one thing with the HBK arrested post...but this...this...IS WAR!

 

Trivia...I'll give you oh 2 seconds to run...

 

1.....

 

 

2...

 

<CHASES LIKE A MADMAN!

[Guest Trivia247]

It's time to burn Trivia at the stake...

 

Boo bradley was one thing with the HBK arrested post...but this...this...IS WAR!

 

Trivia...I'll give you oh 2 seconds to run...

 

1.....

 

 

2...

 

<CHASES LIKE A MADMAN!

Gets one of those Wrestling buddies from the 80's and threatens to use it like a Samurai Warrior...

 

LOL

 

 

hell this is just more applied pressure on Goldshit and a clarification on why we who dislike him got Justification as to why.

[Guest BoboBrazil]

I would miss Goldberg on Raw. He is one of the most entertaining segments each week.

[Guest Trivia247]

I would miss Goldberg on Raw. He is one of the most entertaining segments each week.

what all three minutes of his segment?

[Guest Choken One]

CO: Is no match for the AWESOME POWER of the wrestling buddies.

 

Please...You posted that title SCRICTLY for our reaction...

 

don't worry I would've done the exact same thing

[Guest Choken One]

I would miss Goldberg on Raw. He is one of the most entertaining segments each week.

Well aside from The Jericho/X show, RVD and The rare Flair promo...

 

Goldberg's gonna look entertaining next to ROD MACK and the guy with the long blond hair and big honker.

[Guest Trivia247]

Actually this is more serious because this is actually a articile from Print news

 

so this had gone out to Main stream media

[Guest Choken One]

what newspaper was it?

 

I mean if it was some small "Ft. Launderdale Tribune" or something...it doesn't merit any "OMG~! MAINSTREAM PRESS" but if it was like Chicago-Sun Times or something...then yeah...Soup's on.

[Guest bob_barron]

Am I the only one who did laugh out loud when trivia revealed that he mistitled the thread topic and "got our hopes up?"

[Guest Choken One]

I can see it was the Pittsburgh Tribune...

 

 

MMM...They broke the Angle Story if I recall...

 

I guess they got a Wrestling loving editor...

[Guest Choken One]

Am I the only one who did laugh out loud when trivia revealed that he mistitled the thread topic and "got our hopes up?"

Not really.

 

 

I knew it wasn't what It was implied because The IWC would've collaspsed.

[Guest Trivia247]

Am I the only one who did laugh out loud when trivia revealed that he mistitled the thread topic and "got our hopes up?"

well I did add at the bottom of the original

 

heh sorry to get your hopes up.

 

lol

 

However I didn't Mistitled it... since it was the title of the article itself.

 

just added the no mo twist of lemon and imported water for effect

 

but it is a slow news day and this has gone out to the pittsburg tribune so people in the Pitts are reading it. heh

[Guest Coffey]

I still think that Goldberg could help the WWE. He has just been booked poorly in my eyes. Yeah, I know he's not a technical master or even all that good in the ring. However, he is still a recognized name in this profession. You can't expect one man to come in and make your show not suck anymore anyway. Maybe he could make one segment not suck, but that won't turn around the whole show.

 

So, against Jericho & The Rock both, they have Goldberg sell a shoulder injury. Do they WANT the matches to suck? Goldberg is a power wrestler whom needs his arms to execute his moveset. So, of course, they take away his arm/shoulder...thus taking away his entire moveset. Not only that, but the WWE is making Goldberg talk way too fucking much. He's better with the "less talk, more business" gimmick like he had in WCW.

 

Bah, I don't know what I'm trying to say. I like Goldberg. If you don't, I could give two shits. Just like I'm sure no one cares if I like him. I'm tired of all the threads dedicated towards just bashing wrestlers. They suck and are fucking boring as shit to sift through on a daily basis. I'm equally tired of having to read posters defend the people being talked about in the same threads. It that the only conversation we ever have?

[Guest Mulatto Heat]

In the same vein, every single one of your Goldberg arguments has been said at least three times since the moment Goldberg debuted. No, wait, since the moment the rumor started that he was coming in. If not by you, then by Downhome.

[Guest Coffey]

In the same vein, every single one of your Goldberg arguments has been said at least three times since the moment Goldberg debuted.

You didn't add anything new to the thread. You didn't break any new ground and say anything new. You're just as much a sheep as everyone else on these boards.

[Guest Mulatto Heat]

Well, neither did you, so you can baa along with the rest of us.

[Guest JMA]

Damn misleading titles...

 

DAMNIT~!

[Guest Choken One]

we should add this to the rules of banishment...

 

Two counts of Misleading titles=LIFETIME BANISHMENT!

 

Esp when it involves the firing of FB.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Yet another reason why Trivia deserved TSM's most irritating poster.

 

[Guest The Old Me]

I knew he couldn't have been fired, when I saw this topic wasn't 25 pages long.

[Guest MarvinisaLunatic]

I dont see why everyone's getting all upity over the title of the post.

 

they key word is "TIME"..

[Guest The Decadent Slacker]

Eh, whatever. Good ol' Goldbung will either leave or be Steinerized by December, WM at the latest.

 

I still want him shooting on HHH at Summerslam as his final "Fuck You" to the company.i just want to see how they'd handle it more than anything.

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

For those wondering about the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, it's pretty much the second-fiddle newspaper in Pittsburgh, and this guy writes a wrestling column once a week.

 

Back a few years ago when wrestling was hot, the Trib had some community papers (North Hills News Record was the publication out by where I lived) it owned run special editions every Tuesday -- it lasted about a month or so, I believe...

[Guest AndrewTS]

Funny thing: on Confidential, Flair basically said Goldie got where he was just because WCW needed to make a star, and Bischoff admitted Goldberg didn't have the skills or experience to be truly "ready" for it. They said it in a much nicer way, though:

 

"Goldberg is an example of what a company can do to make a star."

 

"I wish Bill had been a more seasoned performer..."

[Guest Trivia247]

Yet another reason why Trivia deserved TSM's most irritating poster.

 

geez so irritating?

 

It was the title of the news article itself but I guess that doesn't compute too ya

 

but hell... Didn't realize there we're so many who follow the topic and title line without readng the story intially like going over the cliff into the sea like a bunch of lemmings.

 

 

Fuck Goldberg!

[Guest JMFabiano524]

Eh, whatever. Good ol' Goldbung will either leave or be Steinerized by December, WM at the latest.

 

I still want him shooting on HHH at Summerslam as his final "Fuck You" to the company.i just want to see how they'd handle it more than anything.

Ready to start the "Kick HHH in the Head" fund yet?

[Guest Anglesault]

I still think that Goldberg could help the WWE. (...)However, he is still a recognized name in this profession.

So was Hogan.

 

And Flair

 

And HBK

 

And Steiner