I concluded a career spanning over two decades when I faced Gunther for the WWE Heavyweight Championship during Saturday Night’s Main Event last weekend. The WWE labeled my return and our match as Goldberg’s Last Ride, and indeed it felt like an epic farewell. Although Gunther emerged victorious, preserving his title, I gave a powerful performance.
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, I spoke candidly about my final run with the WWE. I didn’t hold back on expressing what bothered me most about how everything unfolded, and I also addressed the question of whether this was indeed my last match.
What Went Wrong
During a recent interview (via Fightful), Goldberg was queried if facing Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event had been the plan all along, to which he responded, “Well, I wouldn’t say I was ecstatic about that particular aspect.” When asked for the reason behind this, Goldberg explained it was primarily due to concerns over the format of live television and the limited ability to control how things unfolded.
On Saturday night, Goldberg appeared live on television in Atlanta. He expressed that while he often imagines how events might unfold, having more control over time and space would have been ideal. However, he put it mildly. The chance to compete against the World Heavyweight Champion Gunther on such a prestigious show was an honor and privilege he couldn’t pass up. He felt it was crucial to seize this opportunity.
Due to the real-time television broadcast, viewers on NBC saw Goldberg’s speech after the match get abruptly terminated, as it was significantly shortened. In reality, his speech lasted for 10 minutes, which was later uploaded to WWE’s YouTube channel. However, Goldberg was far from satisfied with how this situation unfolded.
Goldberg expressed agreement when asked if he would have enjoyed a longer live event, stating, “Definitely, yes. My speaking time was extremely limited with a microphone in my hand. I only have two more weeks before I can fully express my thoughts on the entire project from its conception to its completion. The experience was less than ideal, but I won’t complain because not many people get this opportunity. There were several factors that put me at a disadvantage, but being able to perform a 12-13 minute match felt like an eternity. It was a wonderful opportunity, and Gunther was an exceptional partner to work with. The whole experience was fantastic. I even laughed as he was chopping me. I genuinely had fun. In two weeks, I’ll share the entire story.
Goldberg was questioned about whether it was a Non-Disclosure Agreement to which he responded, “I’ll put it this way.” Later, he was asked why the construction period lasted only three weeks despite plans being set in motion last November. Goldberg replied, “Had they announced it in January and built up to it as I had hoped, I believe it would have been an appropriate capstone for my career. However, they decided to go with a three-week notice instead. That’s the way it turned out. It’s just one of those things. It’s part of the deal you get handed, and I can’t say I thought the deal would be different, but still, I was disappointed.
Goldberg vocalized his disappointment in how things turned out for him, feeling that there were several areas where improvements could have been made. In essence, he’s saying he’s upset because he invested a lot and didn’t feel the outcome matched the effort put in. However, he’s not denying that he was thrilled about the opportunity, as he was previously with WCW. He believes things could have been managed differently, but is content with his performance and the context in which it took place. Yet, he acknowledges there was room for improvement, even suggesting it could always be better.
Goldberg was questioned about what could have been handled differently. He responded by saying, “There were around 100 things that could have been done differently. I gave three interviews over a six-month period. Each time they cut me off just 30 seconds into my talk. That’s not the way to do it,” Goldberg asserted. Regarding his speech at the end, he had always intended for it to be delivered towards the end of the show, but it was never communicated that it would only last for 28 seconds.
Goldberg stated, “I had no idea I’d only speak for 28 seconds. Yet, when I was given the chance, I seized it. It might have been a surprise, but I’m not going to complain about it. After all, not everyone gets such a brief moment in the spotlight. Over the years, everything led up to this unexpected joke – perhaps that was the biggest joke of all.
In a different context, Goldberg stated that he didn’t believe it was intentional, but pointed out that certain individuals wouldn’t have experienced this situation. He expressed, “I’m not implying it was deliberate, but rather it wasn’t strategically planned to happen. They wouldn’t do that to The Undertaker, would they? Nor to John Cena, who is globetrotting for his farewell tour. My match was just a World Heavyweight Championship bout. To be frank with you, I expect some backlash for this, but I don’t mind. I had countless World Heavyweight Championship matches before. That doesn’t excite me much anymore. It does, but it needs to be more than just a championship match in the end. Do something different, say something new. It just felt ‘meh’ to me. I’m not here to whine and complain because I don’t do that. I’m not grumbling in any way, shape or form. If you ask, I’ll respond honestly.
Was This His Real Final Match?
When asked if he would return to wrestling, Goldberg implied that in essence, he’s retired, but he couldn’t definitively rule out the possibility. He mentioned that after putting in five months of hard work, he feels it wouldn’t be fair to say the effort was wasted since his match only lasted 14 minutes. At 58 years old and with a body that has taken a lot of wear and tear, Goldberg hopes he managed to hide much of the damage. He had a retirement match, and many people came from around the world to attend. However, he’s unsure if he wants to restart his career by announcing a comeback, given that such decisions aren’t usually made lightly in professional wrestling. In essence, Goldberg said he considers himself retired, but not until he’s truly gone.
In response to being queried about my potential future involvement with WWE, I shared that it’s not currently part of my plans, but I did make an exception to one condition. To be frank, I don’t envision myself hanging around the WWE anytime soon, under any circumstance. However, the wrestling world should know that retirement is merely a concept until you take your final bow. At present, I am very much alive and breathing! It was truly exhilarating, and I had a fantastic time during my stint there. The experience showed me capabilities that I never thought possible.
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2025-07-16 03:40