WCW Goldberg vs. WWE Lesnar brings to mind a crossing over of two wrestling games, similar to how you can play as legendary teams in sports games. It’s a dream matchup between two of the biggest stars at the beginning of their careers to see who is the most dominant.
Honestly, I think that’d be an awesome match, but that’s not what this article is about. Here, I want to explore which one was handled better by their respective company when starting out.
In many ways, it seems a no-brainer as Vince McMahon has a proven history of creating larger than life characters and putting them over in a seemingly flawless way.
WCW, on the other hand, became a powerhouse by grabbing established WWE talent like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash in the 90s. Ric Flair went back and forth between the two companies a couple of times as well.
Into this mix stepped two of the most lucrative talents in wrestling history.
It’s all in the presentation
While Eric Bischoff has admitted on his podcast, 83 Weeks, that Goldberg only had roughly six months of training before he was pushed (or shoved?) into the spotlight as world champion, was it really any different than others have made their mark?
There are always the slow burners like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Steve Austin who spend ten or more years paying their dues and working their way up the ladder before their break comes. Those are the workmen types, and often the more well-rounded of the top wrestlers in a promotion. It’s not that they’re more talented or better than everyone else, per se, but they’ve been around a lot longer and have gained more experience than a majority of their peers.
Then you have the lightening strike every promoter wants; it’s just a question of them catching said lightening in a bottle. This is a far shorter list and mainly occurs because the fans go absolutely ga-ga over them. When a wrestler steps out and the crowd erupts, we hope the promoter is paying attention and pushes that wrestler.
Such was the case with Bill Goldberg. Once he stepped out of the curtain there was no ignoring him. He’s too well defined, too intense, and too charismatic (it bleeds from him even if his mic skills aren’t that good) for us to ignore. I remember I liked him when he first debuted on Nitro against Hugh Morris (FYI Morris if Bray Wyatt’s father, so how cool would it be to see the Fiend and Goldberg face off? Just a thought).
It was a great introduction to the man that would carry the WCW banner for some time to come. His matches were quick, brutal affairs (Though I have to admit I was kinda surprised he beat the Barbarian, one of my favorites). They were visceral in a way that harkened back to the Ultimate Warrior (my second fav all time. Can you see a trend here?).
It was a great introduction and the fans were loud enough that the WCW executives continued their push. Week after week, Goldberg’s legend grew as did his wins, though the total of 173-0 streak is debated.
Much the same happened in the WWE five years later after the Monday Night Wars were decided when a young man that was everything Vince McMahon looks for in a wrestler (size, muscular, and good looking).
Unlike Goldberg, who’s assent seemed more like a happy accident than not, Lesnar’s push was intended from the start. With Paul Heyman at his side and his amateur wrestling background as a starting block, Lesnar exploded onto the scene. He quickly stormed through the WWE ranks and became the youngest at the time to with the WWE championship.
Since then, Lesnar has held the position of being WWE’s most dangerous and terrifying talent, often evoking oohs and ahhs from the commentators as they continue to push him.
So, which one was handled better?
At best, it may be a tie. Goldberg was pushed to the head of the line while he was still trying to figure things out and may have listened to the wrong people. Only he knows for sure.
Lesnar was pushed in much the same way, as he was handed everything early on in his career. The difference is, Lesnar had enough experience to remain grounded. He’s often said being close to his family is important, and it cost him some lucrative dream jobs. He also tired of the WWE grind early on, and has attempted various other sports to fulfill his desires.
Since his early years, Lesnar had relied on the simple high impact match devices like Goldberg in his matches, as that’s become the norm in the WWE over the last decade or so.
In many ways, these two are more alike than we tend to believe, as was their fast rise to fame. While Lesnar’s rise was better planned and he had a background better preparing him for his chosen profession, I have to say I believe Goldberg was handled better. He may have been limited, but to get past all the problems in WCW and become the legend he is took a great deal of effort.
In a weird way, it’s interesting to see how a company like WCW that was so dysfunctional at times mirrored Vince McMahon’s decision. Or, since Lesnar premiered in 2002, maybe McMahon mirrored Eric Bischoff and WCW in handling Lesnar more times than not. It wouldn’t be the first time he borrowed from another individual or promotion.
With fans cheering and money flowing, it was easy for us to overlook how wrestlers were treated or handled early in their career. Still is, to be honest. We’re quick to point out a botch and cry mistake or claim someone isn’t ready. Often times, we do it simply because we don’t like the character and it’s easier to denounce them if we view them as being poor wrestlers.
It often comes down to how one is handled by their promotion, so savor the WCW Goldberg vs. WWE Lesnar times however it better suits you.
