Goldberg had polarizing runs in both WCW and WWE with noteworthy results in each promotion. WCW signed Goldberg after his NFL career ended and received the biggest push of a lifetime. Goldberg’s undefeated streak made him a top superstar finding his way into the main event scene. The time in WCW lasted until the company went out of business in 2001.
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WWE signed Goldberg when his prior WCW contract expired and looked to find top success with him. Goldberg’s run was viewed as disappointing despite getting a major push. The returns over the past five years have led to better performances from Goldberg later in his career. Without further ado, let's find out just what things about Goldberg’s time in WCW and WWE were different along with what stayed the same.
10 Different: Undefeated Streak Ending Faster
The unbeaten streak of Goldberg in WCW was the biggest part of his identity. Wrestlers being unable to defeat Goldberg for over a year made him come off as the unstoppable monster fans wanted to witness destroy all the heels.
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WWE seemed ready to start a similar idea with his first four months featuring dominance. However, the first loss for Goldberg didn’t even come in a singles match. Goldberg was pinned by Triple H in the Elimination Chamber to suffer a loss way too early.
9 Same: Entrance
WWE did not want to mess with the magic of Goldberg’s entrance by changing it too much. The entrance theme had a slight difference or two, but it was meant to be as similar as possible. Goldberg’s WCW presentation started with the entrance putting him over the top.
Other aspects of the entrance remained the same like cameras showing him leaving his locker room for the walk to the ring. The pyro was the biggest similarity with Goldberg walking through it for the cool visual before every match.
8 Different: Attempt At Comedic Moments
Goldberg was one of the most serious wrestlers in WCW when getting over as a top star. The personality of Goldberg outside of the ring mirrored this and he hated having to add any elements of comedy to his game.
Chris Jericho witnessed Goldberg refusing to work with him due to the use of comedy in Jericho’s promos. Goldberg hated that WWE tried to force him into comedy segments on a few occasions. Goldust putting a wig on him backstage was a moment Goldberg ranted about for years.
7 Same: Finishing Moves
The change of a wrestler leaving promotions will often see them switching up finishing moves to make new things work. Goldberg decided to completely remain locked into his routine from WCW matches that got him over.
The spear and jackhammer were the two moves Goldberg always used to finish matches without ever switching it up. Goldberg used the same move set for the entirety of his WWE run and fans still enjoyed them in the right context most of the time.
6 Different: Longer Matches
The biggest weakness of Goldberg was exposed in his first WWE stint. Most of Goldberg’s WCW matches were under five minutes with even his main event matches rarely going past 15. WWE refused to budge on their perception of main events needing longer matches.
Goldberg was put into matches with Chris Jericho and Triple H that exposed him despite working against top workers. The longer matches were the biggest reason for his downfall in WWE compared to WCW. Even in recent years, Goldberg’s worst performance came when trying to go long against The Undertaker.
5 Same: Little Talking
Promos are usually a huge part of any wrestler’s rise to the top, but Goldberg proved it wasn’t always a must. WCW rarely let Goldberg talk for more than a short line or two when building up his big attraction matches.
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The man of little words didn’t need promos to do his talking. WWE continued with that blueprint when having him say very little in the build to his matches. Goldberg talking more would have been a recipe for failure.
4 Different: Fan Response
Goldberg was one of the most beloved wrestlers in WCW history when breaking out organically. The fan reaction was the biggest reason for Goldberg moving up the ladder into a tier where only legends with name-value had reached at that time.
WWE fans often cheered him, but there were more mixed reactions for his biggest matches. Goldberg was booed during his debut match against The Rock. Fans noticeably cheered Chris Jericho and Triple H at times over him since he was viewed with resentment from the sole WWE fans.
3 Same: Burying Others
The criticism against Goldberg was that his match style usually ruined the momentum or credibility of other wrestlers. Goldberg squashing Chris Jericho in a segment was even worse than beating him in a match in WCW as the worst-case scenario.
WWE tried to change that with the longer matches, but it didn’t last in the bigger picture. Goldberg’s second WWE run led to him burying more talent like Kevin Owens and "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt in squash matches for the Universal Championship.
2 Different: Clean Losses
Goldberg only lost a handful of matches in WCW and they almost never came in a clean fashion. The only decisive loss for Goldberg in WCW came at the hands of Scott Steiner in a No DQ match where a steel pipe was used.
WWE witnessed Goldberg having more clean losses in both stints there. Kane’s chokeslam cleanly defeated Goldberg when Triple H stole the pin in a triple threat match. WWE booked Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker, Braun Strowman, and Drew McIntyre to beat Goldberg cleanly during his second run.
1 Same: Dominant World Champion
The biggest thing WWE did for Goldberg that was similar to WCW was having him win world titles in dominant fashion. Goldberg’s WCW Championship win over Hulk Hogan established him as the top dog in the company.
WWE booked Goldberg to have a decisive win over Triple H to win the World Championship of the same big gold belt. Even the recent runs as Universal Champion saw Goldberg easily defeating Kevin Owens and The Fiend to get booked as a dominant champ.
