Goldberg Names Brock Lesnar His Best Opponent Ever, Cites Shared DNA as the Reason

Bill Goldberg has opened up about who he considers the greatest opponent of his career, and the answer is Brock Lesnar — a rival he describes as a mirror image of himself.

Goldberg explained that the similarities between the two men are precisely what made their matchups so compelling. Both are physically imposing, legitimately dangerous athletes who built their reputations on dominance and short, explosive encounters. That shared DNA, in Goldberg’s view, is what elevated Lesnar above every other opponent he faced across a lengthy career in both WCW and WWE.

The two most notable chapters of their rivalry played out in WWE. When Goldberg returned to a WWE ring at Survivor Series 2016, he and Lesnar met for the first time in over a decade — and the result was a stunning 90-second squash, with Goldberg running through one of the most feared performers in company history as if he’d never left. It was a moment that instantly reignited both men’s standing with the audience and set the stage for a more prolonged feud. That rivalry carried through to WrestleMania 33, giving the two legends a bigger stage to settle the score.

Goldberg’s original run in WWE, of course, ended famously at WrestleMania XX in 2004 in a match against Lesnar that drew significant heat from the live crowd in Madison Square Garden — both men were known to be departing the company, and the audience let them hear about it. That the two were able to revisit their history over a decade later and produce genuinely impactful moments speaks to why Goldberg holds Lesnar in such high regard.

For a man who faced the likes of Hollywood Hogan, Steve Austin, and The Rock during his career, calling Lesnar the best is a strong statement — and one that will likely fuel plenty of debate among fans.