Friday 16 June 2017

Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar (WrestleMania 33) Review

Goldberg vs Brock Lesnar (WrestleMania 33)



I was going to watch this match again anyway and thought I may as well review it too whilst I have time.

This all started out with all sorts of rumours over last summer about Goldberg potentially returning to WWE and possibly facing Brock Lesnar. Both of them were asked at various points about a potential match, with both of them working the people with hints and jabs that would indicate something may well be happening.







Then, after all the hype and rumours

BILL FUCKING GOLDBERG RETURNED TO THE WWE



It was a moment that I honestly believed would never happen. With Goldberg's age and his strained relationship over the years with the company, I didn't think we'd see him in the ring ever again TBH. But he came back and cut one of the most believable, emotional promos you could get and got the fans behind him straight off the bat.

Oh, and Brock Lesnar



The match was set for the upcoming Survivor Series. The build up also featured on of the best segments in the last few years on Raw;




Goldberg's intensity was fucking amazing here. Don't give a shit how old the fucker is, this is something you can't teach, he's just got that believability that adds so much to something like this. He also looked fantastic too, in great shape for someone who came back on really short notice and had double knee surgery not long before coming back, too.

And then the match happened.




Perfect Spear. Perfect Jackhammer.



86 FUCKING SECONDS!!!!!!!!!!!

86 FUCKING SECONDS!!!!!!!!!!!

86 FUCKING SECONDS!!!!!!!!!!!

GOLDBERG JUST SQUASHED BROCK LESNAR IN

86 FUCKING SECONDS!!!!!!!!!!!

A result that hardly anyone could see coming and definitely not in this fashion. Goldberg didn't just beat Lesnar, he SQUASHED Lesnar. An incredible moment that evoked responses that harked back to the streak ending.

I'll skip ahead to the match now. Goldberg was coming in as Universal Champion. This decision made a section of fans turn on Goldberg because he bat a current favourite; Kevin Owens. Owens was on a pretty shitty title reign that lasted for around 6 months before Goldberg squashed him too. Now, I like Owens and I'm not 100% behind the decision to put the belt on Goldberg. His match with Lesnar at WM was already as big as it could be, but they obviously felt they needed to try and add some big name value to the new belt, so Goldberg got a short title run and the long plan was to give it Lesnar.

I have to say though, it was still surreal to see Goldberg with a WWE title again, even though it was the UT.

So, the rematch was set. Beforehand, the match was already getting shit on from all corners. TWO OLD BASTARDS THAT SPAM 2 MOVES, CAN'T WRESTLE, MATCH WILL BE COMPLETE SHIT, THIS SHIT CAN'T FUCKING MAIN EVENT



Well, the match certainly shut people up and here is why:

Lesnar is out first and I always liked it when he wears his beany hat. We are also reminded just how long the WrestleMania 33 ramp is



Goldberg is out next. Bill Goldberg, at WrestleMania, as champion. Damn, never though I'd see the day. He also looks even better than he did at Survivor Series, bulking up to look like Goldberg. Certainly did the trick, he looks fantastic.



First we get the introductions. Just as Jo Jo goes to introduce Lesnar, Heyman takes the mic and does it himself. Which gets a pop from the crowd. Goldberg though gets some boos as he's introduced. Oh well. We'll see if that holds up, here we go.

Both square off and Goldberg goes straight for Brock for a lock up, but Lesnar quickly reverses it and starts to send Goldberg to



Lesnar follows the first one up with another, then another.

THREE GERMAN SUPLEXES STRAIGHT TO GOLDBERG.

Brock, gets up, proud at what he's just done, but just as he starts to turn around towards Goldberg





SPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The camera angle on this shot is fucking fantastic too. You don't see Goldberg pop up and run at Brock, so the surprise element is all there. For once, the camera director actually did a great job here.

Goldberg gets up and starts readying himself, waiting for Lesnar to get back up again. As soon as Brock does, another DEVISTATING

SPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two spears to Brock



Think we all know what's coming up now.

JACKHAMMMMMMMMMMMMMME.....................................

But Brock very wisely rolls out of the ring. Goldberg though, doesn't wait around and follows him outside. Lesnar is trying to get himself together by the barricade, just as Goldberg is stalking him from the opposite side, like a hunter after his prey.

Goldberg waits for Lesnar to get back up and RUNS STRAIGHT FOR HIM



SPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THROUGH THE FUCKING BARRICADE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



It was mightily impressive though. Big crowd pop for this. Goldberg was lucky it didn't take his bloody ear off looking at the bump he also took TBH. Must have really felt it going through like that.

Crowd definitely needed this and are fully behind the match. Funny how it all works.

Goldberg gets Lesnar immediately back to his feet on the outside, fives him a knee to the gut and drags him back inside the ring.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLDBERG chant starts up in the crowd.

Goldberg knows this is his big chance to finish Lesnar off now, three spears and now he's looking for his other devastating patented move. The move nobody has ever kicked out of (well ok, Hogan did technically, but he wasn't supposed to but fuck I'm not going into all of that now). Nobody has ever kicked out of it; OK????

He puts Lesnar into position.

HERE IT COMES.

Just as he's about to get Lesnar up, Brock reverses it and gets Goldberg into position for the F5.....................But Goldberg counters that and delivers ANOTHER



SPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To Lesnar.

Are you fucking kidding me?????!!!!!!!

Goldberg again signals for the JACKHAMMMMMMMMMMMMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!

Once again, he gets Lesnar into position. Could this be it?



JACKHAMMMMMMMMMMMMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love that little detail of Goldberg doing the throat slash beforehand too. He pins Brock, well this is it.

Well this is it, Goldberg is going to retain. He's hit 4 fucking SPEARS and the damn JACKHAMMER for crying out loud.

1..............................2.............................................................................

BROCK KICKED OUT!!!!!!!!!!!! BROCK KICKED OUT!!!!!!!!!!!! BROCK KICKED OUT!!!!!!!!!!!! BROCK KICKED OUT!!!!!!!!!!!! BROCK KICKED OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!







NO FUCKING WAY

Goldberg is shocked to fuck.

THIS ALWAYS FINIHERS THEM OFF???!!!!!!!

He gets right back up, goes into the corner and readies himself for seemingly another spear attempt.

WHOLE CROWD IS LIKE



Goldberg waits patiently for Lesnar to get back up again.

Heyman is screaming at Brock “He's in position again”. He knows another spear and surely that would be that.

Lesnar gets back up, Goldberg runs straight for him................BUT

BROCK FUCKING LESNAR JUMPS STRAIGHT THE FUCK OVER GOLDBERG

NO REALLY

BROCK FUCKING LESNAR JUMPS STRAIGHT THE FUCK OVER GOLDBERG.



This guy is nearly 300lbs FFS. It's NUTS!!!!!!!!!!!!

That sends Goldberg crashing head first into the corner.

The crowd are like “WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED”?

Lesnar picks Goldberg up and now it's the real time for some SUPLEX CITY BITCH.

He delivers a FIFTH............THEN A SIXTH

Crowd also fully counting these too

SEVEN..........................EIGHT...............................NINE

Lesnar gets up, looks around and sees the crowd ALL CHANTING FOR A TENTH GERMAN SUPLEX TO BE HIT

So Brock fully obliges

TEN......................TEN FUCKING SUPLEXES TO GOLDBERG

Lesnar stand over Goldberg, waiting for him to get back to his feet. As he does, Brock picks him up into the F5



1........................2.................................................................3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:brock IS THE NEW UNIVERSAL CHAMPION



Brock even gives a fan a nice little fist bump on his way out



Wow. What a spectacle.

Where to really start. Going in, most people were totally shitting on this whole match and were expecting them to stink out the place, as they did at WM20, probably worse being as it was 13 years later. Even I was wondering just what they were going to come up with TBH, as it couldn't be another squash like SS, this is WM after all. I was thinking of a brawl to cover any limitations Goldberg may have. But what we got was FUCKING AMAZING. I still cannot believe how perfectly they booked this match, I mean, I would live to know who was the agent for this, if there was one, because they got it spot on.

It's as simple of a match structure as you like, but this is pretty much exactly how it should have been booked. Just let them go out there, hit all there big moves, try and get the crowd going and make it into a spectacle, and they succeeded on all of those fronts and more.

That first spear was spectacular and like I said in the review, the camera angle was so perfect for that. The fucking leapfrog from Lesnar was a total WHAT THE FUCK moment too, as was the spear through the barricade. I also didn't really expect Goldberg to take (m)any suplexes TBH, let alone 10!!!

The crowd were not the best all night, barring the ladder match and this match followed the God awful Wyatt/Orton match and at the start of Brock/Goldberg they were all wondering what was going to happen, but fuck they soon woke up and this match ended up getting one of the biggest reactions and was a big highlight of the whole event. I love the crowd's reaction to Brock's leap and they were all 'Yessing' the suplexes. You see, as maligned as that whole stick is, the crowds still get behind it and chant along at all the suplexes.

The one thing I would change and yes I know it's nitpicking something as great as this, but I would personally have had Goldberg kick out of the F5. Yes I know they may be trying to go back to telling the story of it only takes one F5 to stop people again, but after what Lesnar took, including by the way the fucking JACKHAMMER, I would have had Goldberg survive the F5, then have Lesnar flip out for a moment and then have to hit another one to finish him off. It's only a minor thing as I adore this match.

Lesnar beat Goldberg clean as a whistle too. That needs to be said more.

THIS MATCH IS UNDER FIVE DAMN MINUTES TOO.

Amazing.

Well that was longer than I planned lol.

Thanks for reading.

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