WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray harshly criticized the logic behind Goldberg being granted an immediate World Heavyweight Championship match, calling it “insulting” to the intelligence of WWE fans. Speaking out, he said, “I despise lack of logic in wrestling. I get it. It’s wrestling. I get it, it’s sports entertainment. I understand creative liberty… This is not wiggle room.” His main issue was not with the spectacle but with the complete absence of a storyline or justification for the match being made so quickly on Raw.
Bully likened the fans’ continued support for illogical booking to politics, saying, “You know how certain politicians get voted into office, and they consistently do a bad job, but yet, every voting cycle… the people continue to vote this politician back into office? That’s what’s going on here. Until the WWE Universe decides that they hate this and walk away from the product… nothing will change.” In other words, the fans’ tolerance allows WWE to ignore logical storytelling without consequence.
He specifically pointed out the flaws in how the match was announced: “Did Gunther issue an open challenge? No… Did Gunther say, ‘no matter who it is… you get the next title shot’? No… Who made the match? Why did they make the match? What’s the logic behind them saying yes?” He concluded, “A storyline like this, to me, is insulting because it’s just ramming something down your fan base’s throat and just expecting them to consume it.”
To demonstrate what he believes would be a more effective and logical approach, Bully proposed an alternate booking scenario that could have taken place in the same episode. “How about Goldberg comes out? You do the segment exactly as it’s done… Then you go to the back. Nick Aldis walks in says, ‘Mate, I’m sorry… I can’t agree to this.’ And Goldberg says, ‘I want an answer, and I want an answer now. Who can make this match?’” Bully then described a scene where “we have a camera follow Goldberg through the arena… right by Triple H. Triple H looks up, takes off his headphones. Triple H gets up, stands right in Goldberg’s face… Triple H puts out his hand, shakes Goldberg’s hand. There’s the match being made right there. It’s a story… that would have made more sense than just going, ‘Hey, ladies and gentlemen, Goldberg versus Gunther.’”
Source: Busted Open Radio
Has Bully been in a coma for the last twenty years? Ever since the demise of WCW, WWE has built a long history of nonlogical booking. And the fans, in the best Pavlovian response, lap it up. And fans will never walk away. They walk away and embrace any other promotion, and they surrender their seat at the “Cool Kids” table. WWE will continue to insult their fans intelligence, and the fans will drop to their knees begging for more.
I’m not a fan of Golberg vs Gunther but there is history between the two. So, this match isn’t out of nowhere.
@Disgruntled Jobber
I’d argue the nonlogical booking started well before WCW fell.
Do you know a wrestling company that doesn’t insult their fans’ intelligence?
I could understand why people aren’t huge fans of Goldberg in this day and age of wrestling, but there is a reason they rely on the part timers. The newer rosters aren’t as over.