It would be wrong to affirm that nobody at all wanted to see Brock Lesnar vs. Goldberg at Survivor Series, a rematch from the pair’s only previous encounter, which took place at WrestleMania XX more than twelve long years ago. Surely there were youngsters, somehow lumbered with the current product, who were eager for a glimpse of what a quirk of birth had them miss, or grown men, who have drifted away from sports entertainment, who nevertheless found their curiosity piqued.
Even many longtime followers of World Wrestling Entertainment probably gulped and tuned in once the show had begun, because after all, the WWE Network is just $9.99 a month. But any fan with a memory could hardly have been looking forward to the rematch, because their first affair proved one of the biggest fiascos in a company whose history is full of them.
It was well known in the months and weeks leading up to WrestleMania XX that the event would mark Goldberg’s last match. Belatedly joining WWE after the failure of the ‘Invasion’, his year-long stint had been underwhelming at best, and already in his late thirties, he had neither the desire nor the financial incentive to go on. But with days until the showpiece hit the notoriously smart Madison Square Garden, news emerged that Brock Lesnar was to leave WWE after WrestleMania XX too.
Lesnar was off to try his hand in the NFL, and though Stone Cold Steve Austin had been inserted into the match as a special guest referee, what would once have been hotly anticipated was left feeling hollow, with everyone aware that nothing was at stake. And when Lesnar and Goldberg faced off in the middle of the card, it seemed to take them an age to lock up, Austin having to cajole a couple of monsters who appeared more than a little concerned about unnecessary hurt.
Whether their hearts were in the match or otherwise, the New York City audience had their minds made up, angry over Lesnar’s departure after his strong build as one of the faces of the company, ready to discern and shout down the merest semblance of lacking effort. The match actually lasted more than thirteen minutes, before Goldberg – after kicking out of an F-5 – finished with a spear and Jackhammer for the 1-2-3. But it was slow and ponderous, beset by jeering, sing-song goodbyes, and chants of ‘You sold out!’, before WWE sought to bury the debacle by virtue of two Stone Cold Stunners, leaving both men lying in an attempt to force some sort of high note.
Lesnar would not return to WWE until 2012, post-UFC, and though he suffered preliminary losses to John Cena and Triple H, his second run began in earnest when at WrestleMania XXX he defeated ‘The Streak’. The victory over The Undertaker reincarnated ‘The Beast’, and Lesnar has been virtually unstoppable since, limited dates and one last gasp as a mixed martial artist halting his momentum – but ever since WrestleMania XXX, Lesnar has been positioned above all other wrestlers, tougher, stronger, more legitimate, the man to beat.
Yet despite this aggressive positioning, Lesnar’s reputation has fallen among fans following UFC 200. Though he defeated Mark Hunt by unanimous decision, he was subsequently accused of a doping violation, and has been provisionally suspended for twice testing positive for the estrogen blocker clomiphene. The perception that Lesnar has cheated in one sport, and been let off by those in charge of WWE, added to the staleness of his presentation and an overabundance of suplexes, altogether have damped Lesnar’s mystique.
The ferocious loner appears less fierce now that he seems to depend on other sources for a leg up. Goldberg on the other hand was making his first return to wrestling in twelve years at Survivor Series, better on the microphone than ever, and undoubtedly still in great shape. But at the age of almost fifty, fans justifiably wondered just how much left he had to give. Was this really a triumphant return, or more of a retake – a mere diversion, booked for the sake of publicity, with nothing meaningful on the line once again?
After more than a month of fairly mundane buildup, Goldberg’s intensity matched by neither Lesnar nor Paul Heyman, as WWE creative created by rote – a standoff on Raw lacking in vigour, security guards tumbling like so many times before, the attempt to draw Goldberg’s family into the issue neither particularly plausible nor showing good taste – finally it was time for the Survivor Series main event. A short match was to be expected given Goldberg’s age and conditioning, but nobody expected him to demolish Lesnar in 1:26.
All it took was a couple of spears and a Jackhammer, and that was that, as Survivor Series departed our screens forty minutes ahead of schedule. The match was novel and carried with it a certain thrill, but as the excitement waned it was easy to dwell and reconsider, for amid all the bluster was there really a point? After putting two and a half years into Lesnar, he wound up losing to a much older part-timer, with ramifications for a company desperately short of new stars.
Is WWE destined to become nothing more than a nostalgia act, and if so how long can it keep up? In ten years’ time, will they still be wheeling out The Rock, Goldberg, and The Undertaker, because nobody from the current generation of superstars has reached the same level of acclaim? The way the match was constructed, WWE evaded the risk of being seen as car crash TV. But do such short bursts of excitement win long-term viewers, or do they suggest to the prospective audience that they need do no more than dip in?
With Goldberg and Lesnar set to feature in the Royal Rumble, speculation has a WrestleMania rematch already on the card. But Lesnar has already suffered two defeats against Goldberg, so a third encounter would prove no decider. And in terms of storyline, wrestling ability, even signature moves, there doesn’t appear much in the pair left to milk. An interesting angle could be built around Lesnar’s desire for some sort of redemption, but any furthering of the family aspect will fall flat. And once this arc is all over, will WWE be better off?
