Goldberg's 10 Best Matches, According To Dave Meltzer

Most fans view Goldberg as a wrestling icon. Ironically, most fans also criticize him for having a very limited in-ring skillset. His matches are remembered for having big-time moments but do not "tell a story" in the same way many other greats like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Kenny Omega have their entire careers.

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It's easy to assume that Dave Meltzer has not given out very high marks for Goldberg's matches. Surprisingly, the top ten highest-rated matches of Goldberg's career include quite a few three-star matches and some iconic matches that some fans think are rated way too low (even for Goldberg). This list examines the ten greatest matches of Goldberg's career according to Dave Meltzer's five-star rating system.

10 Vs Triple H - Survivor Series 2003 (2.5 Stars)

Goldberg has only lost one match on Raw which occurred during his feud with Evolution (Triple H, Batista, Ric Flair, and Randy Orton). During this storyline, it seemed a beast like Goldberg was the only one who could stop the stable of stars who were running through the WWE roster.

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This match was actually the peak of Goldberg's run in the WWE as he entered defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. He and Triple H put on a quick main event at Survivor Series 2003, where Goldberg was ultimately victorious despite interference from every member of Evolution. It would be over a decade after this match before Goldberg would again defend a world title at a pay-per-view.

9 Vs Bret Hart - Starrcade 1999 (2.75 Stars)

Although they fought multiple times in WCW, Goldberg was never able to get a singles victory over Bret Hart. One of their more memorable feuds was the lead-up to Starrcade 1999. Most of their matches seemed arbitrarily thrown together, but this one included two stars that respected each other and even won the WCW Tag Team Championships together.

This "No Disqualification" WCW World Heavyweight Championship match would likely have been better received if not for the horrible ending that resembled their Montreal Screwjob. By that time, the screwjob was old news and Roddy Piper running in to end the match before Goldberg tapped out to the Sharpshooter was awful.

8 Vs Diamond Dallas Page - Halloween Havoc 1998 (3.25 Star)

Halloween Havoc 1998 was a stacked card featuring the rematch of Warrior vs Hogan, which received a negative 5-star review. Although many fans consider this match one of the best of Goldberg's career, it occurred at the end of WCW's reign on top of the wrestling world.

DDP vs Goldberg competed for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in a match that was entertaining throughout, but the legacy of this bout will always be that the match cut off before ending on the pay-per-view feed. Goldberg was ultimately victorious. It actually aired in its entirety on Nitro the next day and was also the highest-rated episode of Nitro of all time.

7 Vs Chris Jericho, Kevin Nash, Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, Triple H - SummerSlam 2003 (3.25 Stars)

The second Elimination Chamber took place at SummerSlam 2003. It was still early in the era of the chamber and this one attempted to turn up the intensity much more than the first one. Although this is one of his higher-rated matches, Goldberg entered the chamber last and dominated.

He lost thanks to interference from Evolution who handed Triple H the sledgehammer and helped him retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

6 Vs Diamond Dallas Page - WCW Monday Nitro April 19, 1999 (3.25 Stars)

This match occurred during the "rough days" of WCW. It's unfortunate for Goldberg since, at this point, he's one of the most over-stars at the company. Pretty much any fan who saw this match on Nitro saw the Halloween Havoc match between the two that preceded it.

Goldberg and DDP would have probably received a better rating on this match if it didn't end in the most horrible way imaginable. After the two put on a great match, Kevin Nash "saved" Goldberg after the ref was knocked down. It was a mess.

5 Vs Brock Lesnar - WrestleMania 33 (3.5 Stars)

This match was way better than it should have been. The first time Lesnar and Goldberg met at WrestleMania 20, the two stars were booed out of the arena. That match was lackluster, but most fans were upset knowing both men were quitting the company after the bout.

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In 2017, the two competed in their first WrestleMania match in over a decade for the Universal Championship. The match lasted less than five minutes but was entertaining enough to earn its place on the card. Lesnar was victorious leading to his 504-day Universal Championship run.

4 Vs Scott Hall - Souled Out 1999 (3.5 Stars)

Scott Hall's legacy of outside-the-ring problems always preceded him, but he was no slouch in the ring. This "Stun Gun Ladder match" was right up his alley since he competed in a five-star Ladder match against Shawn Michaels only five years before this bout against Goldberg.

Very few times in WCW was Goldberg able to entertain an audience for more than ten minutes, but this near twenty-minute match was full of action. Goldberg ended up tazing Hall and then performing his finisher winning the match. This was the last time Hall and Goldberg ever competed one on one.

3 Vs Chris Jericho - Bad Blood 2003 (3.5 Stars)

This match had actually been brewing since Goldberg and Jericho's time in WCW. In an insane storyline where a "mystery assailant" was hired by Jericho to hit Goldberg with a car, it turned into a story where Jericho said the last thing he had left to achieve in his career was a win over Goldberg.

The two never clashed at WCW, but this match was special. It was in the midcard at Bad Blood 2003 but ended up being one of the best matches of the night. Goldberg won the bout which was the only singles match the two ever competed in against each other.

2 Vs Bobby Lashley - Crown Jewel 2021 (3.75 Stars)

The idea of Lashley competing against Goldberg was always exciting for fans. Yes, by 2021 Goldberg was way beyond his prime, but the two beasts made the best of the limitations. Their SummerSlam 2021 bout was nothing special, but this "falls count anywhere" match more than made up for it.

The storyline was supposed to appear personal since Lashley had put Goldberg's son in the Hurt Lock. They paid this off all the way as Goldberg was ruthless, and the match ended with him Spearing Lashley off of the entrance ramp onto some tables.

1 Vs Scott Steiner - Fall Brawl 2000 (4.25 Stars)

Although WCW was a dumpster fire at the time, this match was great. Steiner and Goldberg absolutely bring the heat to each other. Steiner famously wore a black mask in this "No DQ" match at Fall Brawl 2000. Although everyone assumed this would go for five minutes, Goldberg actually went through a full match and escaped the Steiner Recliner at one point.

Vince Russo interfered with this match helping Scott Steiner get the victory. In terms of story, Russo's addition makes sense, but overall, Steiner didn't need the help and controlled this match.