The sight of Brock Lesnar being dismantled in under 90 seconds remains one of the most shocking moments in recent WWE history. The 2016 Survivor Series main event saw Goldberg run through The Beast with two spears and a jackhammer in a squash that left fans stunned. Years later, Paul Heyman has shed light on the deliberate booking strategy behind that moment.
Speaking in an interview with Inside the Ropes, the manager explained that the match was built entirely around “shock value.” The creative team’s aim was to defy the widespread expectation that Lesnar would win, making Goldberg’s dominant victory even more impactful.
Heyman emphasized that for the surprise to work, the opponent needed credibility in such a dominant role. He compared Goldberg’s believability to another of Lesnar’s celebrated opponents from that period. “I mean, you know, we go down the list. AJ Styles—I love the Brock Lesnar vs. AJ Styles match. Can AJ Styles beat Brock Lesnar in 90 seconds with that shock value? Not credibly. Goldberg? You believe it. We had shock value involved. And here comes Goldberg. Here comes Clint Eastwood coming back for one more fight. And you know it’s one more fight. You think he’s going to get his a— kicked by Brock Lesnar, but man, I would really love to see Goldberg come back. And this whole comeback story—one last run, one last moment, one last spear, one last jackhammer, one last a— kicking.”
The match layout was designed to heighten disbelief moment by moment, from the opening spear to the final three-count, leaving fans no chance to process events until it was over. “And Goldberg fires Brock Lesnar out of his boots and you go, ‘Whoa, this match started fast,’ and he hits a second spear and you go, ‘Holy, this is going down really fast. Where are they going from here?’ And Goldberg takes that step back and you go, ‘Holy, he’s setting up the jackhammer. Lesnar’s going to kick out of the jackhammer. No way. Lesnar’s getting beat in 86 seconds. Jackhammer—one, two, three.’ And you sat there and went, ‘Goldberg is the man.’”