It was September 22nd, 1997, when Bill Goldberg debuted for WCW, and in that match, he would defeat Hugh Morris in what would be the start of a winning streak that would reach over (reportedly) 170 consecutive pinfall victories. He would eventually win the world heavyweight championship from Hollywood Hulk Hogan and become a double champion (he held the U.S. title going into the bout) before suffering his first loss.
Tonight, in Atlanta, Georgia, Goldberg had his finale in the squared circle as he chased the heavyweight title one last time against 2x HC Gunther. Goldberg won the WCW title only once before losing the title and his ‘streak’ against Kevin Nash, but he has held the title twice before in WWE (after the merger with WCW). The title was supposed to be the side quest with the bully narrative as the crux of the feud after Bill demanded retribution for Gunther embarrassing him in front of his family last October.
Main Event: Gunther(c) vs Goldberg—Heavyweight Title
Goldberg received his trademark entrance with Ernest ‘The Cat’ Williams in his pre-Gorilla entourage. The match was sluggish throughout, and Gunther worked stiff when he was not targeting the braced-up knee of Goldberg. Bill’s family was ringside, and Gunther eventually brought them into the match’s storyline when he shoved Bill’s only son, AJ.
Gunther slapped Goldberg’s already red chest and tried his best to keep to Goldberg’s slower pace. Eventually, Goldberg played the greatest hits. First, he hit a two-star spear, and then went for a bold ‘Jackhammer’, which he executed on the heavyweight champ.
This was as close as Goldberg would get to winning the match, as Gunther kicked out to later choke out the Hall of Famer. Goldberg received a curtain call with friends like DDP, among his family in attendance. He admitted that Gunther was the first to beat him in his adopted home of ATL before acknowledging his fanbase and those in attendance.
The goodbye promo was unfortunately cut early as WWE was on a strict 10 pm ET cutoff time—the problem with network TV versus streaming. While we do not have to worry about the heavyweight title conundrum that accompanied a Goldberg win, it was also a lackluster final showing.
Jelly Rolling Into SummerSlam Like…
Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre
McIntyre and Orton’s impromptu pairing on Friday Night SmackDown continued its narrative involving Logan Paul and Grammy award-winning artist Jelly Roll in the opening bout of SNME. The match was short and existed for one reason only.
After Orton hit Drew with the RKO for the win, Logan Paul immediately involved himself and beat down Orton. That prompted Jelly Roll to get into the ring and help out his friend Randy. Jelly Roll managed to take care of Logan, but that is when Drew came flying in with a boot to the superstar singer’s head.
The rumors of a Jelly Roll match at SummerSlam were all but confirmed in this match, and we can look for an escalation on WWE TV this week.
Solo(c) vs. Jey Uso—United States Title
Solo and Jey put on a show for what the match was supposed to be, and that was Jey attempting to overcome the 3.0 Bloodline. The faction got involved later than expected, though, and the performance from both men was solid.
However, the champ would retain the title, and that launched the real story of the fight as the 7-foot monster Hikuleo beat down Jey Uso with Solo’s approval. That brought out a returning Jacob Fatu, who was taken out by the faction when last seen, to make the save on Jey. The pairing of a face, Fatu, with Jey should launch the ‘Somoan Werewolf” into a new stratosphere.
Plus, the pairing of the 7-foot monster with Jacob Fatu is very interesting as Fatu fights back for the U.S. title.
Seth Rollins Injury
Seth Rollins vs. LA Knight
The match was touted to potentially steal the show, and if it does steal the headlines, it will be for all the wrong reasons. Seth Rollins and LA Knight worked a fantastic match, with Knight getting much of the offense leading up to the end of the match.
Unfortunately, Rollins would injure his knee after a springboard from the middle rope to his feet. While Knight was able to get out of harm’s way, the match was over for Rollins. Upon return from break, commentary played up the injury and said they’d get details when they could, and, as of now, nothing concrete has emerged. The match was called a no contest.
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