All this week we will be showing Appreciation for the legend that is Goldberg. We hope you can all enjoy his greatest moments with us here at Everything WWE.
During the Royal Rumble in 2004, Goldberg crossed paths with then-WWE Champion Brock Lesnar when the latter interrupted Goldberg during a backstage interview. While Goldberg was in the midst of dominating the Royal Rumble, Brock Lesnar interfered in the match and hit Goldberg with the F5.
With his attention turned toward Lesnar, Kurt Angle eliminated a distracted Goldberg from behind. Goldberg vowed revenge on Lesnar and after defeating Mark Henry and Jonathan Coachman in a No DQ match, he declared Brock Lesnar his next victim. On February 2, Goldberg was given a front row ticket to No Way Out by Steve Austin. Smackdown! General Manager Paul Heyman appeared on Raw and, along with Vince McMahon attempted to get Goldberg to back off in his vendetta against Brock Lesnar which resulted in Goldberg spearing Heyman and accidentally spearing Austin when he was aiming for McMahon. Goldberg attended No Way Out as a fan, confronting Lesnar at the event and, after several insults by Brock Lesnar, entered the ring and executed a Jackhammer on him.
Goldberg was then detained and escorted out of the arena by security guards. During the main event between Brock Lesnar and Eddie Guerrero, Goldberg reemerged from the crowd and cost Brock Lesnar the WWE Championship. This led to a match between the two being scheduled for WrestleMania XX with Austin serving as special guest referee. Fans knew this would be the final WWE match for both Goldberg and Brock Lesnar and thus gave largely negative reactions through the performance. Goldberg won the match and after it Lesnar showed Steve a middle finger and received a Stone Cold Stunner, Goldberg then celebrated his victory with Austin only to also receive a stunner.
On Two Things we are looking at two superstars past and present we believe would beat the undefeated Rusev. We have scanned the whole of the WWE past and present.
Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle’s intensity was unmatched; his technical wrestling skills unparalleled. Possessing an unprecedented competitive streak that fueled him to become a 1996 Olympic gold medalist, Angle dominated the amateur ranks before emerging as one of the most successful WWE Superstars of all time.
Simply put, Kurt Angle was a Wrestling Machine.
Starting his athletic career as a football and wrestling star in his hometown of Pittsburgh, he soon became one of the top amateur wrestlers in the entire country, winning a pair of NCAA titles at Clarion University. But Angle truly captured national attention in 1996 when he won the 220-pound freestyle wrestling competition at the Olympic Games in Atlanta with a broken neck.
His raw athleticism earned him an opportunity to try out with the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, but wrestling was The Olympic Hero’s true passion.
Four years after earning Olympic gold, Angle entered WWE and immediately became one of the most competitive individuals to set foot in the squared circle. Just weeks after his debut, Angle, who preached the virtues of his three I’s (Intensity, Integrity and Intelligence), won the European Championship.
Shortly thereafter, he captured the Intercontinental Championship and was crowned as King of the Ring in 2000. With momentum propelling the red, white and blue–clad grappler to new heights, he defeated The Rock at No Mercy to win his first WWE Championship.
A true testament to Angle’s passion and fortitude came in 2003. A mere week after being defeated by Brock Lesnar for the WWE Title at WrestleMania XIX, The Olympic Hero underwent a career-threatening neck surgery. Amazingly, Angle returned a short time later and in July 2003 at Vengeance — just 14 weeks after the operation — he made Lesnar tap out, reclaiming the WWE Title.
During his tenure in WWE, The Wrestling Machine tussled with the greatest Superstars of The Attitude Era, including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, The Undertaker, Triple H and Big Show and even battled John Cena in the Cenation leader’s debut. But it’s the Olympic gold medalist’s WrestleMania 21 bout against Shawn Michaels that stands as not only Angle’s best match, but also maybe the best WWE match ever.
Angle left WWE in 2006, but his seven years in WWE certainly raised the level of competitiveness for the entire WWE roster and left the WWE Universe with memories of some of the greatest bouts of all time. Oh it’s true, it’s true.
Kurt Angle would certainly be a worthy opponent for Rusev and would bring the passion he has for the U.S with him.
Umaga
"The Samoan Bulldozer" was not just a clever moniker for Umaga — it was what he was. Perhaps no other Superstar in WWE lived up to his billing as completely as the 348 pounder.
Umaga came from a long line of Samoans with a rich history — and a brutal path of destruction. Immediately upon his debut, it was clear that The Samoan Bulldozer would make a lasting impact. From the opening bell, he relentlessly attacked every Superstar that dared step in the ring with him, quickly earning him a reputation as one of the most vicious Superstars in the squared circle.
Umaga battled WWE's elite, from CM Punk to Ric Flair. His epic battles with Cena and Hardy over the WWE Championship and Intercontinental Title are modern-day WWE classics. And perhaps more than anyone, Umaga pushed Triple H to the limit. Many times The Game needed help walking back to the locker room after his battles with The Samoan Bulldozer.
Umaga was not a typical plodding big man, though. He was a super-heavyweight who was deceptively quick and could be as comfortable on the top rope as any cruiserweight. These traits, combined with his penchant for sadism, made Umaga very dangerous.
Though he remained an enigma to many observers in WWE, underneath that tattooed, monstrous exterior was a method to his madness. After all, he won the Intercontinental Championship and headlined WrestleMania 23 in the Battle of the Billionaires. Not bad for a wild Samoan.
Arriving in America by way of New Zealand, the demented duo of Butch and cousin Luke were one of the wildest and most unorthodox teams the WWE Universe had ever seen.
Prior to their arrival in WWE, Luke & Butch were known as The Sheepherders, one of the most vicious tag teams to ever step in the squared circle. Proudly bearing the flag of New Zealand, The Sheepherders stormed into North America in the 1960s, making a name for themselves with brutal brawls in Hawaii, Portland and Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling.
Luke & Butch continued brawling across America throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, capturing championships in various National Wrestling Alliance territories and Bill Watts’ Universal Wrestling Federation. Their penchant for ruthless battles made their sudden change in demeanor upon their WWE debut in 1988 very surprising to longtime fans.
Toothless and tattooed, the fun-loving Bushwhackers stomped to the ring in camouflage pants and combat boots, swinging their arms above their heads and licking the faces of any fans they could get their hands on. While this type of mad behavior endeared the cousins to the WWE Universe, it made the tough guys a despised pair for rivals like The Powers of Pain and The Bolsheviks.
This untamed outback savagery helped the Kiwis pick up some impressive wins in 1989, including a victory over The Fabulous Rougeaus at WrestleMania V in Atlantic City, N.J. This would not be the last time The Bushwhackers battered the French-Canadian brothers — the two teams met again at Royal Rumble in 1990 with Luke and Butch getting the win again.
In the years that followed, The Bushwhackers clashed with bigger teams like The Natural Disasters and The Nasty Boys. Though they didn’t always come out victorious, their popularity never waned.
In fact, the duo was so well-liked that they made an appearance on the hit television show “Family Matters” in 1994, where they stepped into the ring with Steve Urkel.
In 1996, The Bushwhackers had their final full-time stint in WWE. Though they were never able to capture the World Tag Team Championship, Butch & Luke made a lasting impression on the WWE Universe and were greeted with a great reception when they made a surprise return to the ring in the Gimmick Battle Royal at WrestleMania X-Seven.
Now, The Bushwhackers will take their place in sports-entertainment history, as Luke & Butch have been announced as members of the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015.
Often dubbed “The Franchise of WCW,” the man called Sting is one of the most recognizable and unique faces in sports-entertainment history. It was that distinction that made him the backbone of the Atlanta-based organization throughout the late 1980s until the end of WCW in 2001.
Beginning with his NWA debut in 1987, Sting brought an enormous amount of charisma to the ring with his bleach-blond hair, colorful face paint and neon ring gear. However, at the inaugural Clash of the Champions, a 45-minute time limit draw against NWA World Champion Ric Flair proved The Stinger was on his way to becoming one of sports-entertainment’s elite. Eventually, Sting defeated Flair for the NWA Title, and would later add six WCW World Titles, three WCW Tag Team Championships, two WCW International World Titles and two United States Championships to his resume throughout his career.
While the charismatic competitor was wildly popular with WCW fans, it was a shocking transformation in 1996 that made Sting even more memorable. With The New World Order imposing their will over WCW, The Stinger adopted a darker personality with white and black face paint and attire. He became a silent warrior who lurked in the rafters of arenas all over the country, ready to strike The nWo at a moment’s notice. For more than a year, Sting never spoke or competed in the ring, captivating audiences until finally he squared off and defeated WCW Champion and nWo leader, “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan.
Sting escalated his efforts against The nWo by joining longtime friend Lex Luger as part of The nWo Wolfpac, changing his white visage to red. However, when The nWo began to disband for good, Sting retained his dark look, but adopted an attitude more in line with his flashy "surfer" days.
As WCW’s days became numbered, Sting remained loyal to the organization, engaging in memorable rivalries with Bret “Hit Man” Hart and Vampiro. Fittingly, Sting and Ric Flair squared off in the final match on the last episode of WCW Monday Nitro.
Remembered for his colorful charisma and struggle with The nWo, Sting has become synonymous with the Atlanta-based organization. Although he has never competed in a WWE ring, more than a decade since the demise of WCW, he remains one of the most popular and respected competitors of all-time.
At Survivor Series 2014, The Authority was pulling out all the stops to prevent Dolph Ziggler from defeating Seth Rollins in the Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match. When it appeared that Rollins would secure the victory for Team Authority and ensure they remain in power, Sting appeared and confronted Triple H.
Following a tense staredown, The Game attacked The Stinger, who countered by executing his patented Scorpion Death Drop. Sting then pulled Ziggler on top of Rollins, giving Team Cena the win and dethroning The Authority.
As 2014 ended, John Cena was forced to bring The Authority back to power. One of their first orders of business was to fired Dolph Ziggler, Erick Rowan and Ryback for aiding Cena at Survivor Series.
One week before the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, Cena battled Kane, Seth Rollins and Big Show in a 3-on-1 Handicap Match in an effort to save his allies' jobs. Although the odds were stacked against the Cenation leader, Sting returned – making his WWE Raw debut – distracting Rollins and allowing Cena to capture a pinfall victory.
Fed up with Sting's interference, Triple H called out The Stinger for a face-to-face confrontation at WWE Fastlane. Using mind games of his own to frighten The Cerebral Assassin with a number of dopplegangers, WCW's face-painted franchise accepted The Game's offer.
At WWE Fastlane, Triple H attacked Sting, but The Vigilante evened the odds with his legendary baseball bat. Pointing to the WrestleMania sign hanging above the ring, Sting challenged The Game to a battle on The Grandest Stage of Them All. A t WrestleMania, not only will Sting battle Triple H in a veritable dream match, but the icon of WCW will compete inside a WWE ring for the first time ever.
What does this mean for the future of Sting? As he says, "the only thing sure about Sting is that nothing is for sure."
