When you sit back and analyse Brock Lesnar’s latest stint in WWE, it’s difficult to argue that it could be the most destructive and dominant run in recent memory - even if his Universal Championship reign is now beginning to bore some fans.
He’s destroyed everyone he’s gone up against and is well on his way to eclipsing CM Punk’s ‘record’ as the longest reigning world champion in the modern era. Although, speculation suggests that his run in the WWE could finally be coming to an end with a return to the UFC on the horizon.
WRESTLEMANIA XX
One of the best decisions WWE made regarding The Beast is that they decided to visit an incredibly underwhelming feud and match from his first time in a bid to ‘right a wrong’ where both he and Goldberg left the company on a sour note right after WrestleMania XX.
Although that match will always be a blemish on the history they have, it's not the first and only things fans will associate them with moving forward.
As we know, Goldberg’s return was welcomed in 2016 when he defeated Lesnar again, before their encounter at WrestleMania 33 finally put their storyline to bed. Thanks to this storyline, it’s sometimes easy to forget just how bad their original match was at Madison Square Garden in 2004.
Speaking on Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard, Prichard has explained that the reason the match was such a massive flop was because neither man really cared about the match as they were leaving and in turn, this annoyed the fans which caused them to turn on both stars too.
Plus, the only reason they had Goldberg win was because technically, he was the face in that match, despite getting booed, and Lesnar really didn’t care how the match played out, suggesting there was hardly any planning or any feelings from the WWE about it all.
FACE VS HEEL
According to Wrestling Inc, he said: “It was not the worst match in WrestleMania history for f**k’s sake. There have been worse matches, but this stunk. Everybody knew it. I watched it in the audience.The air just came out of the Garden.
“It was just horrible, and both guys were just going through the motions as far as Brock and Goldberg. The crowd had turned on both, and didn’t give a s**t. They were p***ed off at both guys.
“They were p***ed off that Brock and Goldberg weren’t sticking around and they just wanted Steve Austin to kick both of their a**es. The only high spot was the Stunners in the end.
“The decision to have Goldberg win was because of a babyface finish. Brock didn’t give a s**t.”
Although the WWE had the last laugh thanks to Austin, it’s a shame to find out that there was so much negativity heading into this match.
In the end, though, perhaps giving the face the win did make a lot more sense, even if it was borderline impossible to see into the future that the win would be perfect in advancing their feud years later.
What do you make of WWE’s underwhelming reason for giving Goldberg the win against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania XX? Have YOUR say in the comments section below.