Tuesday 16 January 2018 07:45, UK
It is unlikely there will ever be another Goldberg.
An unstoppable machine of a competitor, who won matches in seconds rather than minutes, the former Atlanta Falcon steamrollered everything in his path in the late-1990s.
It was the perfect execution of the perfect gimmick; a wrestler who simply cannot be beaten.
His rapid-fire rise through the ranks of WCW Nitro captured the imagination of the wrestling world.
Arena crowds would carry signs to his matches keeping a tally of his record, and many would carry placards bearing the legend 'Who's Next?'
In time, they would be replaced with ones which read: 'Who's Left?'
His mystique and aura endured through an unbroken streak which began on September 22, 1997 and ended on December 27, 1998 and included a reported record of 145 wins before that first loss.
Goldberg had collected the United States title and the World Heavyweight championship in that run and another, perhaps more historically significant, accolade as the final great star created by the WCW promotion.
His loss, which came at Starrcade 1998 and to Kevin Nash after Scott Hall had electrocuted him with a cattle prod, was hugely controversial.
The late Bobby Heenan summed up the mood within the industry when he said: "I would have had him go 3,000-0. He had that look that you could build around. Whoever decided to beat him and approved it destroyed WCW.
"I would have kept him unbeaten. Why not? (Rocky) Marciano did. It would have been something to talk about and you need something to talk about that's unique."
Goldberg's unique trait - his long unbeaten run - was something that had never existed in a major promotion before, and has only recently been repeated by Asuka, through NXT and now onto the main roster.
The clear difference is that Goldberg was marketed as the figurehead of the company and asked to main event huge pay-per-views as a result. While that may one day be the case for Asuka, she is not there yet.
He returned to WWE in 2016 after an absence of 12 years for a brief run which could have tainted his legacy.
It could have been a disaster but instead became something glorious, a perfectly-planned and immaculately-executed comeback which hid the flaws of Goldberg, now 50, and amplified his talents to the moon.
When he was retired by Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania last year, the reputation of both men was enhanced; Lesnar had shown a weakness in losing to Goldberg but also a new level of ferocity and determination for regaining his title.
Goldberg went out like a hero. To his son, and to the thousands of fans who were treated to one last ride on the Goldberg hype train.
In April he will join the Hall of Fame. As one of the most memorable and distinctive wrestlers of the past 30 years, few can argue against his inclusion.
