Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

WWE Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

20-0? Goldberg racks up that record in his sleep.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 10, 2013

Most everyone can agree that wrestling is fixed, right? As in this isn't "real" professional sports where the game is completely decided on the field of play, and if it's influenced by anything it's good or bad refereeing or umpiring and, very occasionally, Vegas and shady back room deals. Professional wrestlers enter the ring already knowing the outcome. Fans can see even the best of them pulling their punches and stomping on the mat to give off the sensation of more violence than is really taking place, but make no mistake that everything else is very much real. The big moves, the slams, the assaults off the ropes, the climb up the wobbly ladder, the fall through the table, the smack with the chair, it's all practiced and performed as safely as possible but, as the WWE Home Video disclaimer says, these guys "take real risks and endure unimaginable pain." Sometimes, there's a slip, and people get seriously injured. But much of that is only sort of beside the point. The point is that it is fixed, and unless something wonky happens, everybody's OK with it. Imagine, now, a wrestler so ready for primetime right out of the gate, someone with a larger-than-life presence against even legends of the square circle, that he "wins" his first match. It's certainly not unprecedented, but it happens. Now imagine that wrestler at 2-0, 5-0, 10-0, 100-0, 173-0? The fix may be in, but that's a lot of confidence in star power, fan acceptance and happiness with the outcome, and a huge burden, no doubt, even on very broad shoulders. Bill Goldberg emerged onto the professional wrestling scene an unknown and literally took it by storm, never being on the wrong end of a count-out, uttering "I quit," or otherwise finding himself on the losing side of the ledger for 173 matches. That's special. Really special, even if the record is only as legitimate as professional wrestling allows.

That's one scary dude.

Unfortunately, this isn't really his story. Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection is almost nothing but a compilation piece that showcases a wide assortment of his best matches. Sure it tells his backstory, but only in a very broad and brief manner. In between the matches, there's a nameless narrator filling in the gaps and sharing the basics of Goldberg's career, from his rise in WCW to the heart of the streak, from the end of the streak to his two-year absence from professional wrestling and return to the WWE. The program is significantly lacking in depth, and why a wrestler of this stature didn't at least earn even a "micro-documentary" in which individuals actually sit down and speak in between matches is a mystery, never mind why he isn't featured in a more thorough documentary like some of the biggest superstars of the past few decades. The lack of depth is a major disappointment, but at the very least the ringside announcers do a good enough job of at least setting the scene and sharing facts about Goldberg's career as they relate to the particular match and the timetable surrounding it. It's rather humorous, actually, to listen to the commentators "fumble" about in his career debut match against Hugh Morris as they try and figure out who he is and where he's from, particularly in context of knowing where his career is ultimately headed. Still, he's deserving of more, but until then this set certainly satisfies the appetite for some classic Goldberg on Blu-ray with a plethora of classic matches spread across two discs.

Disc One:

• Career Match: Goldberg vs. Hugh Morris. Nitro -- September 22, 1997.
• Career Match: Goldberg vs. The Barbarian. Nitro -- September 29, 1997.
• Career Match: Goldberg vs. Steve "Mongo" McMichael. Starrcade -- December 28, 1997.
• United States Championship Match: Goldberg vs. Raven. Nitro -- April 20, 1998.
• Career Match: Goldberg vs. Scott Hall. Nitro -- July 6, 1998.
• WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Goldberg vs. Hollywood Hulk Hogan. Nitro -- July 6, 1998.
• WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Goldberg vs. Curt Hennig. Bash at the Beach -- July 12, 1998.
• WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Goldberg vs. Sting. Nitro -- September 14, 1998.
• WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Goldberg vs. Diamond Dallas Page. Halloween Havoc -- October 25, 1998.
• WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Goldberg vs. The Giant. Nitro -- November 23, 1998.
• No Disqualification Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Goldberg vs. Kevin Nash. Starrcade -- December 27, 1998.
• Career Match: Goldberg vs. Ric Flair. Nitro -- March 8, 1999.
• Fatal 4 Way Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Goldberg vs. Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair vs. Diamond Dallas Page. Nitro -- April 5, 1999.
• Career Match: Goldberg vs. Kevin Nash. Spring Stampede -- April 11, 1999.
• Career Match: Goldberg vs. Diamond Dallas Page. Fall Brawl -- September 12, 1999.
• United States Championship Match: Goldberg vs. Sid. Halloween Havoc -- October 24, 1999.
• Career Match: Goldberg vs. Sting. Halloween Havoc -- October 24, 1999.
• "I Quit" Match: Goldberg vs. Sid. Mayhem -- November 21, 1999.
• No Disqualification Match: Goldberg vs. Scott Steiner. Fall Brawl -- September 17, 2000.
• 2-on-1 Handicap Match: Goldberg vs. Kronk. Halloween Havoc -- October 29, 2000.
• No Disqualification Match: Goldberg & DeWayne Bruce vs. Lex Luger & Buff Bagwell. Sin -- January 14, 2001.

Disc Two:

• Career Match: Goldberg vs. The Rock. Backlash -- April 27, 2003.
• Steel Cage Match: Goldberg vs. Christian. RAW -- May 12, 2003.
• Career Match: Goldberg vs. Chris Jericho. Bad Blood -- June 15, 2003.
• Elimination Chamber Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Goldberg vs. Triple H vs. Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels vs. Kevin Nash vs. Chris Jericho. SummerSlam -- August 24, 2003.
• World Heavyweight Championship Match: Goldberg vs. Triple H. Unforgiven -- September 21, 2003.
• Career Match: Goldberg vs. Mark Henry. RAW -- October 6, 2003.
• Career Match: Goldberg vs. Batista. RAW -- November 10, 2003.
• World Heavyweight Championship Match: Goldberg vs. Triple H. Survivor Series -- November 16, 2003.
• Career Match: Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar. WrestleMania XX -- March 14, 2004.

WWE Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection arrives on Blu-ray with all of its material sourced from standard definition 1.33:1 footage but framed with "black bars" on either side of the 1.78:1 display. The picture quality is basically the same as every other WWE standard definition presentation so far seen on Blu-ray. Image accuracy suffers from all of the usual SD problems but holds up well enough at the end of the day, offering a basically stable image that yields adequate details and colors. Still, the image lacks the precision vibrancy and slick detailing and smoothness of HD footage, but fans are seeing this material as good as it's ever likely to look, barring some future technology. For now, this is the best way to watch Goldberg's career unfold in terms of raw picture presentation.

WWE Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection features the standard WWE Home Video Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Much like the video, there's not much here of note. It's all sourced from older footage, and there's not that accuracy, faultless spacing, and improved clarity found with newer presentations. Certainly, there's a slight gap in quality between the older footage and the newer material. The further back one goes, the less dynamic the sound. The more modern elements do enjoy a modest uptick in overall presentation, including improved crowd ambience, musical immersion, action dynamics, and ringside commentary. There's nothing here that will blow listeners away, but for a compilation of footage that stretches only to 2004, the results are satisfactory given the constraints.

WWE Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection contains the following bonus matches, all billed as "Blu-ray Exclusives" and appearing on disc two:

• Career Match: World Title Battle Royal. Road Wild -- August 8, 1998.
• Career Match: Goldberg vs. Bam Bam Bigelow. SuperBrawl IX -- February 21, 1999.
• Career Match: Goldberg vs. Sting. Nitro -- November 8, 1999.
• No Disqualification Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Goldberg vs. Bret "Hit Man" Hart. Starrcade -- December 19, 1999.
• World Heavyweight Championship Match: Goldberg vs. Shawn Michaels. RAW -- October 20, 2003.

WWE Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Goldberg was a wrestler who brought nearly unparalleled focus, stamina, size, and strength to the square ring. The former football standout excelled as a professional wrestler and began his career with an incredible, never-to-be-replicated 173-0 record. The Undertaker must wear Goldberg pajamas. That's how incredible a streak this really was. It's a disservice that a wrestler of Goldberg's stature didn't earn a more thorough Blu-ray release, but Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection is at least a highly enjoyable compilation of some of the man's finest matches across his WCW and WWE career. This release could have been so much more, but as it is wrestling fans should find more than enough value, even if they're secretly lamenting the missed potential while enjoying one of the best of the past two decades at work. WWE Home Video's Blu-ray release of Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection features the usual WWE video and audio. A few bonus matches are included. Recommended despite the missed potential.