
via Imago
The Undertaker and Goldberg faced off in WWE Super Showdown in January 2019

via Imago
The Undertaker and Goldberg faced off in WWE Super Showdown in January 2019
There’s something refreshing about watching legends battle it out in a wrestling ring. In an industry that’s built upon nostalgia (largely because it attained its peak in the late 90’s), having the veterans lace up the boots and slog it out in their 50’s isn’t necessarily the wildest idea. However, just an example of how wrong things can go was once showcased in a match between The Undertaker and Goldberg in Saudi Arabia.

ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
WWE was organizing the 2019 Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia. An expansion into a hitherto unexplored country means putting your best foot forward. For Vince McMahon, that means assembling his erstwhile top guns like The Undertaker and Goldberg.
As much as you bat for the new generation, none of them can sell tickets to casual fans to the volume of these two behemoths. No one expected the eventual match to be a technical masterpiece. However, what transpired was nothing short of the worst wrestling match in history.
Anyone who’s watched The Undertaker in his prime would have been left with tears in his eyes. The two legends botched basic moves and Goldberg gave himself a concussion by banging his head on the ring post. He even bothched his own finisher which is The Jackhammer.
The fallout could have been catastrophic. The Undertaker landed on his head and could have had a life threatening injury. Somehow, the match ended after The Dead Man put Goldberg away with another botched choke slam.
This subject was recently brought up in The Last Ride Documentary. The Undertaker and his wife Michelle McCool talked about this match. They felt as bad and scared as we did while watching this match.
What did The Undertaker and his wife say about the match with Goldberg?
The Undertaker opened the discussion by talking about the weight of expectations. All the fans expected them to put on a good show.

“You go last, you want to deliver. You want people thinking when they’re leaving like wow, that was man, we just watched Goldberg and Undertaker go at it.”
Michelle opened up on what she felt about the match –
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“That was a Trainwreck. It was not anything he wanted, it was not anything I’m sure Goldberg wanted or the fans wanted.”
“That crushed me, because I knew how much it would crush him. But more than that it’s his safety. I just knew, and I knew when he came inches, centimeters away from breaking his neck. I just texted our doctors and I was like is he okay. Normally, if he’s away I text him like “Baby, are you okay?” And he’s normally, yeah I’m good, don’t worry I’m good. For him to admit that he was truly in some serious pain, I don’t think I can even fathom how bad it was. And I’ve seen him go through a lot of injuries , a lot of scary moments but that one, man, that one got me. That didn’t look good at all.”
The Undertaker revealed that his expressions after the match were of genuine frustration.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“My reactions after the match, this dejected look on my face, there was, coz I was upset. He was really disappointed, I was disappointed.”
That match went a long way in tarnishing the legacies of the two stars. It was also a lesson for Vince McMahon to not overburden the ageing stars with big ticket matches. Let’s hope that he learns the lesson with regard to future installations of these big wrestling matches which can seriously harm their prospects going forward in their future lives.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT