Goldberg Losing To Triple H Is The Worst Booking Decision In WWE SummerSlam History
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WWE signing Goldberg in 2003 created a lot of buzz for fans wanting to see the former WCW legend thrive in the promotion. WCW ending two years prior saw a few major names sitting out with their contracts running out receiving huge checks to sit at home. Goldberg did not sign until that deal ended, and he felt that it was time to return to the ring.
Triple H was the lead heel on Raw when Goldberg joined to ultimately set up huge matches against each other. Fans wanted to believe Goldberg could have the same hype and appeal from his WCW matches as an unstoppable badass. SummerSlam 2003 saw all the hopes end with an all-time bad booking decision of Triple H pinning Goldberg at the worst time.
It Ended Goldberg's Undefeated Streak Chances
The most interesting thing about Goldberg signing with WWE in 2003 was that it came at a time when they needed him. WWE was cruising with star power from 1998 to 2003 until a few major changes took place. Steve Austin retired due to a neck injury to end his time as an in-ring competitor just one night before Goldberg debuted. The Rock was phasing out of a full-time role by heading to Hollywood.
RELATED: 10 Differences Between Goldberg In WCW & WWE
Goldberg was joining right when the two biggest stars in recent memory were leaving the product. There were other top names, but WWE badly needed the star power with two unique rosters of the brand split era. Goldberg should have had the same undefeated streak storyline starting his career in WWE as he did in WCW since that drew the most money and defined his career.
The first few months of Goldberg in WWE were hit or miss. Fans cheered for The Rock over Goldberg in the latter’s debut WWE match. However, a feud with Chris Jericho did help the audience get behind Goldberg since Jericho was always a great heel. The Elimination Chamber match at SummerSlam 2003 had Goldberg going into his first title shot without a WWE loss just yet.
Goldberg Was The Perfect Person To End The Reign Of Terror
Triple H received a lot of criticism around this time for his infamous “reign of terror” as the World Champion. Names like Scott Steiner, Rob Van Dam, and Booker T had all suffered losses to Triple H that completely ruined their momentum and harmed their main event chances. Goldberg felt like he was on another level from those other names based on his WCW run being the hottest thing in the business back then.
WWE booking the Elimination Chamber match added Goldberg, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Kevin Nash, and Randy Orton as the challengers to Triple H. Even with six Hall of Fame-worthy stars in the match, everyone knew Goldberg and Triple H were the only names with a realistic chance of leaving the night as World Champion.
Goldberg winning felt like the obvious move because it was the right move. Even though he was a former WCW star, Goldberg was young enough to have a long run if his WWE stint worked out. WWE using him in recent years show how much money they lost by not booking the moment fans wanted in his prime. This was Goldberg’s night if WWE wanted him to become a top star for them.
It Was Unforgivable Booking
The wildest thing about this Elimination Chamber match is that WWE booked it perfectly until the end. Goldberg eliminated three of the four wrestlers on his own before it came down to him and Triple H. The destruction of Goldberg hitting everyone with spears and jackhammers had the audience on fire. Chris Jericho getting speared through one of the pods showed how much fans were behind Goldberg.
WWE decided to do the worst thing possible and have Triple H retain the World Championship by pinning Goldberg with help from a sledgehammer. Ric Flair sliding the weapon in the structure allowed Triple H to win with WWE continuing the story. Goldberg eventually got his win over Triple H to become World Champion, but it was too late.
The World Championship reign of Goldberg was disappointing and ended right back to Triple H at the end of 2003. Goldberg left WWE in 2004 and his run was viewed as a huge disaster. There are some arguments against Goldberg and how he handled his WWE stint, but the company deserves the most blame. SummerSlam 2003 gave them the perfect night to make Goldberg one of their top guys and they let it go by. Triple H pinning Goldberg ruined the rest of his run and was the all-time worst WWE booking decision.
