Now, I say “actually” with intent and a sarcastic look on my face as I’d usually not be of this opinion.

History has taught some wrestling fans to be fearful when WWE drags out an old, dusty thing from the attic. Nostalgia and merchandise sales are often the fuel for this behaviour and it can result in said relic replacing the most recent project’s place on the mantelpiece. Knowing this, the announcement of Bill Goldberg’s return during the advent of Super Showdown season instinctively caused me to roll my eyes and groan heavily.

Upon reflection, I sense this might not be the case this time around. If Big Bill is bringing his full arsenal to visibly/mentally “up the power-levels” of, and show how much damage The Fiend is able to endure, I’m on board with that!

Bray Wyatt’s Fiend has already shown how the extended efforts of Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan, The Miz and dodgy PPV finishes don’t even phase him. Surviving 5-10 minutes of Goldberg with unlimited special moves (and still winning) would do wonders for the supernatural/unbeatable persona that Bray has created.

Looking back to previous incidents, Goldberg getting involved with the Kevin Owens/Chris Jericho/Universal title picture the other year was an absolute joke. It showed just how shallow the thinking was towards two long-term employees that had worked on an angle for around a year. All that effort, only to be unceremoniously pushed aside so Vince McMahon could watch two ageing “vitamin” enhanced gorillas batter the absolute piss out of each other one more time.

Brock Lesnar’s character didn’t need the win/rub (but maybe his ego did) and the Universal Championship was fine where it was; two former best friends/bromantic lovers were trying to kill each other over it, it meant something! The urge to dive into that swimming pool full of money and blow everything else up and then out of the way was too great.

Additional leeway can be given when Super Showdown comes around. It’s not really taking talent off the card if said talent aren’t keen on making that trip anyway. This opens somewhat of a parallel universe to host some nostalgic legend vs legend contests.

The self-inflicted abomination that was the Golberg vs Undertaker match spoke for itself and only dirtied the legacies of the two men involved. It showed that neither could claim to be the performer they once were, despite the size of their wages for the night. The Brothers of Destruction vs Triple H & Shawn Michaels encounter left a lot to be desired also. Thankfully, these did nothing to directly halter the rise of a newer star, and this (in my opinion) should always be the case.

When it comes to doing the right thing in this respect, see also: Mick Foley putting over Edge, and Kurt Angle retiring in a losing effort to Baron Corbin

. Don’t see also: Stone Cold Steve Austin…although, perhaps others have learned/are learning/will learn from his mistake.

Just as long as Goldberg doesn’t go and make me eat all those words by winning the belt at Super Showdown, I can appreciate his recent return as good wrestling.

Bad Wrestling: Laughing at Otis

Have you ever been under the impression that you’ve been led to laugh AT someone when they’ve been led to believe people are laughing WITH them? Have you related to/sympathised with a person, cheered them on, but then felt unsettled afterwards and you didn’t know why? There are many times I’ve felt this way when watching WWE.

Remember Eugene? I feel that if it had not been for Nick Dinsmore’s (not tasteful per se, but not distasteful) personal presentation of the character, the positive reaction he was met with from the fans wouldn’t have existed. Nor would his personality tweak/dialling down and subsequently brief push. WWE didn’t really make a great first impression with the character.

How about Chad Gable/Shorty G? An Olympic athlete was showing us how you can take control of your (apparent) flaws and still succeed in whatever you want from life…for about 5 minutes. Soon after, we’ve reverted back to bad jokes about his height and the narrative that he’s just an expendable little pipsqueak on the roster. A “real superstar” like Sheamus or Baron Corbin could toy with him like a cat playing with a mouse and Gable is still going around telling people he’s embracing it all.

Heavy Machinery’s Otis Dozavic carries my latest concern in this regard. He seems like a genuinely nice bloke, he works hard, and he has a personality that folk will naturally gravitate towards.

Since being on my TV, I’ve seen the guy have some entertaining, yet rather formulaic and repetitive matches. However, during these matches, and for the majority of the time he’s backstage/not in the ring, he’s sadly been left playing the fool.

Otis finds himself frequently jiggling and thrusting his extra weight around in a manner that most, if not all friends/family members would be shouting “awww, no, put it away!” Just to add to the public humiliation, Otis is more often than not covered in food and/or food-based products during these moments too.

I’m frequently left feeling confused and conflicted with a blend of pity, frustration and misplaced anger. It’s not quite like watching Bastion Booger being pushed as a baby-face, but more like observing someone getting a kick out of making Chunk do The Truffle Shuffle…aka forcing an overweight child to humiliate themselves for treats.

Otis’ Valentine’s Day date with Mandy Rose fell flat on its face before it got started, and I’m sure the whole thing will end in horror and/or heartbreak for the poor chap. Let’s hope he can endure the impending public humiliation, and then he can focus a bit more on adding a layer or two to his in-ring work.

Otis Dozavic is an Olympian and a Greco-Roman beast, not Vince McMahon’s buffoon. Bad wrestling!

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