"DON'T BELIEVE THE hype." That's what Triple-H has been saying about Bill Goldberg - not for just the past several months, but for the past few years. With Triple-H and Goldberg, this was a case of two men hating each other's guts before they ever met face-to-face. Goldberg probably hated Triple-H because he was a close friend of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, his political adversaries in WCW. Triple-H probably hated Goldberg because he had been listening to Hall and Nash's version of events.
Had Goldberg really done anything to offend Triple-H? No. Had Triple-H done something to offend Goldberg? No. Sadly, both men chose to despise each other ... just because it seemed to be the natural thing to do, especially since they were top stars in rival companies it wasn't long before their mutual disdain became public. On a radio show in 2000, Triple-H described then-WCW superstar Goldberg as a "prima donna" who "sits out when things don't go his way."
Goldberg was quick to offer a rebuttal on scoopswrestling.com - 'I think that's, pardon me, the biggest crock of s____ I've ever heard ...Why the hell would I stay out? I think that's ridiculous. It pains me to even hear that. But you know what? That probably came from Triple-H, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, who I think is a piece of s- And I'll throw a challenge out to him to meet me in my backyard, and I'll give him the damn address. I'll even send a car for him."
Soon after those opening salvos, Triple-H and Goldberg had their first confrontation, at a product licensing convention in New York City. Goldberg shouted obscenities at Triple-H and Stephanie McMahon, who were signing auto-graphs at a table only about 30 feet away. The incident was an embarrassment to WCW, in particular, and intensified the bad blood between the two men.
Both superstars tried to avoid any discussions of their past history when Goldberg made his Raw debut on March 31. But it was the foremost thought on everyone's mind. During a wwe.com interview on the night of his debut, Goldberg was asked whether he could work with Triple-H. The most positive comment Goldberg could muster was a curt, "Business is business."
With Goldberg on the Raw roster, a clash for Triple-H's title was inevitable. Their war of words became even more intense on July 22 outside the Staples Center in Los Angeles. At a press conference for SummerSlam 2003, co-General Manager Eric Bischoff announced that Triple-H would defend the WWE Raw championship against Goldberg.
Before Goldberg got off the tour bus, Triple-H alluded to the hype surrounding the former WCW World champion. He remarked that WWE wouldn't "set up 176 guys for him to mow down, because it is not a manufacturing plant produced to make Goldberg the man."
Goldberg had a message for "The Game" a few minutes later. "As I stand here before you today, I can tell you that I have waited for this moment for a hell of a long time. When I first came to WWE, I had a couple of goals. The Rock was one, and to get that title and to get my hands around Triple-H's neck!"
Long-time critics of Goldberg wondered if "Da Man," notorious for being injury-prone, could remain healthy until SummerSlam. After all, it was a relatively long time between July 22 and August 24. And could Goldberg, with two years of ring rust and a relatively easy WWE schedule, keep pace with Triple-H in a pay-per-view main event? WWE didn't take any chances and booked Helmsley vs. Goldberg in a series of matches to occur at house shows and Raw broadcasts after the cameras stopped rolling.
The long-awaited showdown between Triple-H and Goldberg was set to take place on July 28 at the World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado, following a Raw broadcast. Within a few minutes, Triple-H went down with a serious groin injury and languished in the corner until fellow Evolution member Randy Orton could run to the ring and draw the match-ending disqualification. Goldberg appeared exasperated and incredulous. Upon his signing with WWE, Goldberg stated that his body was not 100 percent, but that he had dealt with injuries all of his life. It was assumed that Goldberg, not Triple-H, was most likely to suffer an injury to jeopardize their SummerSlam match. Co-GM Steve Austin hastily added Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash, Chris Jericho, and Randy Orton to the equation, announcing that Triple-H would defend the Raw belt against those four challengers plus Goldberg at SummerSlam. Triple-H, due to his groin injury, avoided much action, but used a sledgehammer to deck Goldberg and retain the title in the end.
To get a one-on-one rematch, Goldberg agreed to leave WWE if Triple-H won. If Triple-H intentionally got disqualified or counted out, he would lose the Raw title.
After a three-year rivalry, Triple-H and Goldberg finally faced each other in a high-profile singles match. It happened on September 21 at Unforgiven. Goldberg wrestled one of the better matches of his career, maybe his best since defending the WCW title against Dallas Page at Halloween Havoc 1998.
Triple-H, still hobbling a bit, bled, and Goldberg unleashed the spear. Isn't that what fans paid to see? In the end, Triple-H's sledgehammer was no match for Goldberg's jackhammer, which "Da Man" used on "The Game" at the 15-minute mark. Referee Earl Hebner made the three-count, and Goldberg was declared the new Raw champion.
The two warriors had fought a solid match. Triple-H had gone down in defeat. Goldberg reigned supreme. So why did fans still have an empty feeling?
One reason was that few doubted the outcome. Triple-H needed to rehab his nagging groin injury. He was preparing for his wedding to Stephanie McMahon on October 25. He had two Hollywood projects in the works. Bluntly put, was there any reason for Goldberg not to defeat Triple-H at Unforgiven?
So where does the Goldberg-Helmsley feud stand right now? Actually, it might be over. Leading into Survivor Series, Triple-H placed a $100,000 bounty on the new champion's head. Fellow Evolution member Randy Orton is the most likely candidate to answer that challenge while Triple-H enjoys his honeymoon with Stephanie. Don't be surprised if Kevin Nash looks to collect as well. We might get another chapter of Triple-H vs. Goldberg in January.
WWE probably never envisioned a long feud between Goldberg and Triple-H, anyway. It was a short-term deal. There's genuine hatred between the two men, and that's something Vince McMahon likes to exploit for controversy, but realizes it creates bad locker room morale in the long term. He doesn't need another Shawn Michaels-Bret Hart rivalry poisoning the atmosphere.
McMahon and the other powers-that-be are also aware that neither Goldberg nor Triple-H can survive the physical demands of a blood feud. In 2002, Goldberg injured his left arm during a temper-Induced tirade at a charity auto racing event. That prevented him from using his spear and jackhammer combination during his comeback matches in All-Japan last summer. It also postponed his negotiations with WWE, and it isn't clear whether he has fully recovered from that injury. A series of injuries ended Goldberg's NFL career and forced him to spend an inordinate amount of time on the disabled list while in WCW.
Triple-H's medical file was pretty much empty until he tore a quadriceps muscle during a tag team match on Raw in May 2001. His cardiovascular conditioning simply hasn't been the same since he returned to action in January of the following year. Critics say Triple-H's obsession with maintaining a bodybuilder's physique has affected his in-ring performance. He also suffered a crushed larynx, due to a legdrop from Rob Van Dam, inside the "Elimination Chamber" at Survivor Series 2002. He was also dogged by further thigh problems in 2003 before going down with the groin injury.
In light of that, the WWE powers-that-be were lucky that Triple-H and Goldberg were healthy at the same time. The bad feelings between the two men are adding to an unstable situation, one that could result in more injuries. If Triple-H doesn't leave for Hollywood soon, then it's unlikely that he or Goldberg will survive the ongoing war.