Ryback vs. Goldberg: Feed me more (of whatever Ryan Reeves is smoking)

Dear Ryback: You're blowing it!

Earlier this week, "The Corn-fed Meathead" had a little chat with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Magazine, talking up his rise to prominence inside the squared circle while burying Bill Goldberg in the process. Yes, the same "Goldberg" who helped keep World Championship Wrestling (WCW) afloat in the 1990's.

He also said he was "much better" than Goldie "ever was."

Pump the brakes there, Skippy, you're going a bit fast. Now, let me preface this by saying I was never a big Goldberg fan. But that didn't stop me from marking out when he would jackhammer huge guys like Paul Wight. Seriously, that shit was impressive.

And Goldberg's success was not by accident.

There were plenty of strong, silent types before him. But he was able to make a career out of it because he understood the simplicity of success. Look big, act scary and above all else, shut the fuck up. Why do you think The Incredible Hulk has been around for 50 years? Because he can bench press Rhode Island while keeping his vocabulary limited to phrases like "puny humans" and "Hulk smash."

Which are not unlike "finish it" and "feed me more."

Ryback didn't say he was better than Goldberg was at this same point in his WCW career. Ryback said he was better than Goldberg ever was. That statement is so ludicrous I can barely type it without scowling. You can talk about power moves, or athleticism or anything else.

None of it matters.

This ain't the Olympics, folks, this is professional wrestling. And when I look back at what Goldberg did, I see a physical specimen who was an awful worker. But he knew how to be a star and ultimately, sell pay-per-views. That may be the only fact in this entire debate that is indisputable, but it also happens to be the crux of the argument.

Bill Goldberg was a proven draw. And anyone who downplays his star power because he was"just in it for the money" has apparently never watched professional sports. $35 million to play for a last place team? Where do I sign?

I think the timing is what bugs me about Ryback's comments. His career is still in utero. He hasn't even headlined a single event. Nothing. Nada. He'll get that chance in just a few days when he faces CM Punk at Hell in a Cell, but let's not forget he's only there because the real headliner blew out his elbow.

Ryback is just a commercial until John Cena gets back.

If he isn't, he has to prove otherwise. And getting to the top is only half the battle. You also have to prove you can stay there, too. Right now, Ryback hasn't proven anything but the ability to squash jobbers and get the crowd to chant his dopey catchphrase. You know what else they chant? Gollllllldberrrrrg. Instead of resisting that comparison, he should embrace it.

He isn't better than Goldberg, he is Goldberg.

And every time some fan calls him that, he should thank his lucky stars and pay his respects. Because the truth is, without Bill Goldberg, and the many wrestlers like him who paved the way for his one-dimensional gimmick, Ryan Reeves wouldn't even have a job.