WWE Has Almost Impossible Task of Repairing Goldberg's Damaged Mystique

Goldberg returned to WWE on Monday's Raw, confronting WWE champion Drew McIntyre and challenging him to a match at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view in an angle that landed with a whimper rather than a bang.

Why was a legendary figure from the Monday Night Wars and one of the few genuine icons of the industry met with such apathy from a fanbase with a clear love for the nostalgic? 

The answer lies in the diminishing of a mystique WWE now faces the unenviable task of repairing.

How Did We Get Here?

Goldberg is one of the biggest, most successful and popular stars of the Monday Night Wars.

A genuine ass-kicker, he exploded from the screen and into the living rooms of fans around the globe with a 174-0 unbeaten streak and a mystique about him that captured the attention of the audience.

He looked the part of a smashmouth badass and fans believed in him in that role, so much so that he even managed to survive the questionable decision to end his unbeaten streak.

In 2021, though, the mystical element that was such a vital part of his character has become worn.

The entrance music is the same, the pyro is still there and Goldberg still looks like Goldberg, albeit grayer. Yet, something does not feel right.

Perhaps the lack of excitement surrounding the WWE Hall of Famer can be attributed to the diminishing returns from an in-ring perspective.

After all, it was just two years ago that he took part in one of the worst matches in modern wrestling history against The Undertaker in Saudi Arabia, nearly dropping The Deadman on his head in the process.

Sure, Goldberg was suffering from a concussion at the time, and while there is no diminishing the significance of such a head injury, the optics were that of an old man not being able to keep up between the ropes anymore.

Maybe the lack of energy can be chalked up to the fact that the last time fans saw the former universal champion he was getting squashed by Braun Strowman at WrestleMania 36 in a match with zero build and no real meaning. 

Losses to Undertaker and Strowman, coupled with the subpar in-ring production and the perception that Goldberg is yet another star of a bygone era jumping back into the ring to steal a spot from a younger, more deserving star, has chipped away at the aura of the iconic performer.

The specialness, the big-match feel that once accompanied him as he stepped through the curtain, has taken a hit by all of it.

And why?

Goldberg explained in his 2018 Hall of Fame speech that he returned to wrestling so that his son could see him wrestle. He wanted his child to see why his dad was one of the biggest stars on the planet.

He accomplished that at Survivor Series in 2016, when he did the unthinkable and demolished Brock Lesnar in near-record time. It was the storybook ending his character deserved and one he should have been more than happy to ride off into the sunset with.

Except, he came back. He won his first Universal Championship from Kevin Owens and dropped it to Lesnar at WrestleMania 33. Even then it would have been OK. He did the right thing and put The Beast Incarnate over on wrestling's grandest stage. His return was complete.

Except, he came back. Again and again.

The Undertaker debacle; an unnecessary Dolph Ziggler match at SummerSlam; another Universal Championship victory, this time over a fledgling Fiend character that really could not afford the loss. Each appearance opened him up to more criticism and further erased whatever bit of charisma was left, to the point that he looked more like an insatiable, aging veteran than an unconquerable badass.

The repetitive booking did not help.

So far removed from the initial reason for his return, there is no obvious answer to why Goldberg would continue to subject himself to the dilution of his legacy. That is, other than money, of which he is being paid plenty through 2023 for two matches per year, as he told The Pop Culture Show.

Now, the 54-year-old is back again, challenging Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble in a match with no backstory and on a completely illogical basis: the Scot's "disrespect" for the legends. Except, you know, McIntyre hasn't shown any whatsoever.

WWE manifested a storyline better suited for Randy Orton, forcing it on McIntyre and expecting fans to get over it because, "Oh, Goldberg's back!" However, the audience has exhausted its excitement for the veteran, who we know will come back once or twice every year for one more disappointing main event at the expense of younger talent.

The good news, though, is that the mystique can still be repaired despite all the damage done to it.

Looking to the Future

To figure out how to best utilize Goldberg and rebuild his aura, one must look no further than All Elite Wrestling and its use of Sting to this point.

The Icon is 61 years old but is as over as any other star in AEW because the company has managed to maintain what makes him special: the air of mystery and the vigilante attitude. But most importantly, it has not overexposed him or tried to insult the audience's intelligence by suggesting he can still hang with the younger wrestlers of today.

Sting has been utilized as backup for Darby Allin, and the TNT champion will benefit from the veteran's reputation and credibility.

Goldberg could well do the same thing in WWE.

Imagine how much Ricochet would have benefited from having the Hall of Famer stand by his side in a war with Retribution or The Hurt Business. Not only would the former U.S. champion have his star boosted immediately, but the heel factions also would have felt the rub that working with Goldberg provides.

Best of all, in any actual match scenario, The One and Only could carry the majority of the work before the veteran explodes into the match, hits his stuff and still looks like a badass. Instead of, you know, being asked to go 10 minutes with the equally seasoned and beat-up Undertaker.

There are countless scenarios in which Goldberg could easily maintain his popularity while giving back to the industry by putting over young stars. His usage isn't his fault but more a result of WWE Creative not knowing how to best utilize him for maximum effect.

Yes, dream matches are always going to draw fans but booking Goldberg against McIntyre, who can wrestle circles around him, only tells the audience the WWE champion can beat up an AARP subscriber.

Allow him to work with, and get over, the young stars rather than squaring off against them.

Under the current deal, WWE has five more matches to really get the most out of Goldberg. Putting him in a position to expose how unprepared he is to work with today's stars will not cut it.

Cue the music, fire off the pyro and let him captivate audiences with the prematch presentation.

Rather than exposing his weaknesses and further diminishing everything made him special in the first place, both Goldberg and WWE should recognize the issues and work to repair his reputation and, more importantly, his mystique.

After all, that is what made fans sit up and take notice of the shaven-headed newcomer in September 1997 in the first place.