Every Year Of Goldberg's WCW/WWE Career, Ranked From Worst To Best
John Castro More than 20 years after his debut, Bill Goldberg is still a dominant force in the world of pro wrestling. Though he's become a polarizing character in recent years, fans still tune in to see the WWE Hall of Famer every time he comes around.
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However, those appearances become less frequent with each passing year. How long this latest run will last is anyone's guess. But it's already one of the best year's of Goldberg's career as he is once again going to WrestleMania as the Universal Champion. But where does 2020 rank in comparison to his previous years in WCW and WWE? To know how each year of Goldberg's career stacks up, you'll want to read...WHAT'S NEXT.
11 2000
Goldberg missed the first half of the year due to injury. When he returned, WCW's head writer Vince Russo decided to take the biggest star that the company ever created and turn him heel. When that failed, Goldberg resumed his role as a superhero.
Though he was back in the good graces of the fans, Goldberg was still the victim of shoddy booking as Russo tried to recreate Goldberg's undefeated streak. This time there was a catch: if Goldberg were to lose at any point, he'd have to retire.
10 2001
About that last stipulation. At WCW Sin, Goldberg teamed with his former trainer DeWayne Bruce to take on Lex Luger and Buff Bagwell. A former wrestler himself, Bruce didn't have the best win-loss record, so having him as Goldberg's partner added some drama to this flaky storyline.
Surprisingly, Bruce and Goldberg went on to lose the match. But the creative geniuses in WCW had Goldberg eat the pin after he was blinded by a "fan." Though Goldberg didn't actually retire, this ironically turned out to be his last match in WCW as the company was sold to Vince McMahon two months later.
9 1999
Goldberg had moderate success in 1999. He bludgeoned Sid Vicious to win the U.S. Title at HalloweenHavoc and towards the end of the year, he captured his first and only tag team title after forming a brief alliance with Bret Hart.
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However, 1999 is remembered for the injuries Goldberg caused, first to Bret Hart, and then to himself. At Starrcade, an errant kick to Hart's head led to the end of The Hitman's career. Weeks later, Goldberg severed an artery in his arm trying to bust out a limousine window in an attempt to get to the nWo.
8 2004
With his WWE career winding down, Goldberg didn't wrestle much in 2004. At the RoyalRumble, WWE advanced his storyline with Brock Lesnar by having Lesnar eliminate Goldberg from the Rumble match. The following month, Goldberg had a hand in helping Eddie Guerrero lift the WWE Title from Lesnar.
From there, it was on to WrestleManiaXX where both Lesnar and Goldberg were booed out of the arena as it had been discovered that both men were leaving WWE after 'Mania. It was a surreal moment as the match became more about the fans' reaction than the contest itself.
7 2019
Goldberg wrestled his first match in more than two years when he faced The Undertaker at SuperShowDown in June. Things went downhill fast as both men fumbled their way to the finish line after Goldberg suffered a concussion.
Determined to make a better showing of himself, Goldberg returned at SummerSlam to defeat Dolph Ziggler. There, Goldberg looked more like the WCW version fans fell in love with in the late '90s. Though Goldberg had redeemed himself, 2019 will always be remembered for the debacle at SuperShowdown.
6 2003
Two years after purchasing WCW, WWE was finally able to bring in their rival's biggest star, Bill Goldberg. But despite winning the World Heavyweight Title and defeating the likes of Triple H and The Rock, Goldberg had a rough time adjusting to his new surroundings.
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A strained relationship with management and an altercation with Chris Jericho did little to ease Goldberg's transition into WWE. And while he received a great ovation upon his arrival, fan reaction to Goldberg was often mixed depending on whom he was wrestling.
5 2020
Goldberg made headlines this year when he returned to WWE and squashed their hottest star, Bray Wyatt, to win the Universal Title. Fan reaction to WWE putting the title on the 53-year old legend has been negative, but Goldberg and WWE are boldly marching forward.
Pending a change or cancellation of the event, Goldberg is now slated to defend the title against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. While their spot on the card has yet to be determined, Goldberg versus Reigns figures to be one of the top attractions at WWE's biggest show of the year.
4 2017
Demand to see more of Goldberg was at an all-time high after his successful return the previous fall. Because of that, fans got to see Goldberg in a few dream scenarios with the likes of Roman Reigns and The Undertaker.
After Goldberg won the Universal Title from Kevin Owens, it was on to WrestleMania33 for a violent sprint with his old rival Brock Lesnar. Though Goldberg lost, both he and Lesnar more than made up for their disastrous encounter at WrestleManiaXX.
3 1997
Goldberg was an enigma to fans when he first appeared on Nitro in the fall of '97. Though he looked like an established superstar, Goldberg had only wrestled a handful of dark matches prior to his debut.
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Shortly after his first televised match, Goldberg unleashed a violent new move: the spear. The destructive football tackle quickly caught the fans' attention. While Goldberg was asking who's next, everyone was wondering, "Who's this guy?"
2 2016
After being announced as the pre-order bonus character for the video game WWE 2K17, rumors started swirling about a possible comeback. In the fall of 2016, Goldberg's return was made official when it was announced that he would face Brock Lesnar at SurvivorSeries.
Many wondered if this was another attempt by WWE to bury World Championship Wrestling. Surprisingly, WWE presented Goldberg as he was in WCW, complete with his original entrance theme. If that wasn't enough, Goldberg shocked the world as he squashed Lesnar like a Nitro jobber in under 90 seconds. It was like 1998 all over again.
1 1998
The only thing soaring faster than Goldberg's undefeated streak was his popularity. WCW soon realized they had a star on its hands and knew they had to do something fast. In April, they put the United States Title on him, but it wasn't enough to appease the fans.
Looking to strike while the iron was hot, WCW booked Goldberg to defeat Hulk Hogan for the World Title on Nitro. For WCW, this was one of their last ratings win over Raw. For Goldberg, the victory cemented his status as a legend.
NEXT: Goldberg: 10 Wrestlers He Needs To Defend The Universal Championship Against