Brock Lesnar has had many memorable matches in WWE against some of the biggest names. The Beast has wrestled with the likes of John Cena, Dwayne Johnson, The Undertaker, and many others.

These feuds and matches have left a lasting impression on the fans. However, one of his most hyped matches early in his career bombed on the biggest stage of them all, and fans remember it for all the wrong reasons.

The match in question is the infamous Brock Lesnar vs Goldberg encounter at WrestleMania 20. On paper, it had the hallmarks of being an epic clash between two athletic powerhouses. Goldberg, who was one of the biggest stars of the 90s going up against the Next Big Thing.

But before the match took place, news swirled around that both wrestlers were looking to leave WWE after their WrestleMania clash. This led to the fans booing and jeering both stars when they were in the ring, slugging it out.

The contest never reached the expected levels and is only remembered for the hostile crowd’s reaction. WWE legend Jim Ross recently talked about what went wrong with the match booking.

JR feels WWE mishandled Brock Lesnar

WWE billed the match between Brock Lesnar and Goldberg as their biggest match of the night. Goldberg, a wrestling icon against WWE’s new poster boy Brock Lesnar at the Grandest Stage of Them All in Madison Square Garden with WWE legend Stone Cold Steve Austin as the referee, was as big as it got.

But before their match reports emerged, both stars were on their way out after this bout. Lesnar was tired of the full-time WWE schedule and wanted to try something else. Goldberg, on the other hand, wasn’t happy with his booking and let his contract expire.

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As fans learned this information, they voiced their displeasure at WrestleMania 20 during their match. The fans jeered, booed, and heckled both Goldberg and The Beast Incarnate. They displayed their anger in full as the match became a secondary affair.

The arena rang with boos throughout the match and what was supposed to be a high-profile match went down in history for all the wrong reasons. Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast, the legendary WWE commentator JR recalled where things went wrong on that fateful night.

Disheartening Update on Brock Lesnar’s Near Future in WWE

JR said that social media rumors and news impacted the match a lot. He said the crowd was ready to “kill” them because they were leaving. Moreover, the JR touched on Lesnar getting burnt out as a big factor in his departure.

He stated Lesnar was a true athlete and WWE didn’t know how to manage him. JR said, “So when you see a guy like that, get frayed on the edges, ie, burning out, you can take him out of the fire, and you do that by paying attention to communicating with your talents.” However, Ross recalled a guy like Lesnar was difficult to communicate with.

The current AEW official continued, “And Brock was almost non-communicable. “He was angry, he’s mad at the world, he wanted to get out, he’s burned out.” According to JR, these circumstances led to the angry crowd response during the match. He added, “So well, by the time those guys made their entrances, the jury had already convicted those guys. They didn’t have a trial. Trial was over. The trial was over when they first made the scene.

Lesnar and Goldberg redeemed themselves years later

In one of the most remarkable turnarounds, Goldberg and Brock Lesnar redeemed their WrestleMania 20 disappointment in spectacular fashion 12 years later. Lesnar returned to WWE in 2012 after a career in UFC and looked unstoppable. Goldberg also signed with WWE in 2016 and the stage was set for an epic rematch.

At Survivor Series 2016, the two mega stars went toe-to-toe again. In a shocking outcome, Goldberg defeated Lesnar in less than 90 seconds, leaving everyone jaw-dropped. The two would come face to face again at the 2017 Royal Rumble when the former WCW Champion again got the better of Lesnar.

They would finally settle the score at WrestleMania 33. The Conqueror challenged Goldberg for his Universal title on the Show of Shows. And unlike their previous WrestleMania match, this one was exciting, filled with action, and had the crowd invested.

Lesnar came out on top as the two stars completed their redemption after 12 years. The two haven’t faced each other since, but have expressed their admiration for one another.

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