This past weekend in Atlanta, one of the most intimidating men in his heyday, Bill Goldberg, wrestled for the last time in WWE. He put his nose to the grindstone and seemed hell-bent on pulling off an upset against Gunther but came up short. That wouldn’t have hurt Da Man more than the fact that he got cut 28 seconds into his post-match speech.
While having Goldberg on his show, Ariel Helwani addressed the elephant in the room and sought the legend’s stance on it. The WWE Hall of Famer, in response, didn’t think the company did it on purpose but did say they weren’t prepared for it, and that, according to the former Universal Champion, was intentional.
He then cited the likes of The Undertaker and John Cena and added that such a thing wouldn’t have happened to them. The Tulsa native then quipped that he was merely in a world title match on Saturday, which he’s had aplenty in his career. So, it didn’t add much to his repertoire. Helwani also mentioned that it could have been NBC’s call, rather than WWE’s, to cut off the broadcast at 10 PM EST. Goldberg aptly retorted by saying that things could have been planned better since it was live television.
“I’m not saying it was done on purpose, by any stretch of imagination. I’m saying that it wasn’t prepared for on purpose. That’s all. They wouldn’t do that to Taker right? They’re not gonna do that to Cena……….I’m gonna catch hell for this…I don’t care, I’ve had World Heavyweight matches all the time, that doesn’t do anything for me — It just felt a little eh to me.”
Bill Goldberg via The Ariel Helwani Show
The WCW great also noted that WWE was fully aware of his intentions to address the crowd and those watching at home the way he did. In essence, it wasn’t a case of him randomly deciding to speak on the fly. As of now, one can watch Goldberg’s speech in its entirety, as WWE has uploaded it on its digital platforms.
Goldberg Apologized to His Saturday Night’s Main Event Opponent Gunther for “No-Selling” His Chop
During the aforementioned conversation, Goldberg revealed that his retirement match with Gunther was finalized by the onset of 2025 itself. They had a heated confrontation at last year’s Bad Blood PLE in October, and preparations for their inevitable bout had been underway since then. The location of Goldberg’s wrestling swan song couldn’t have been better—it was his adopted hometown of Atlanta.
However, The Icon admitted that he would’ve preferred to have his last match on a premium live event. But regardless of the ins and outs, Da Man felt honored to have gotten the opportunity to bow out on his terms. The execution of it, although, could’ve been better, added the 58-year-old. He also spoke highly of his dance partner, who was Gunther.
“I laughed when he chopped me, but I didn’t know what to expect… It’s a great work punch, but I thought it was gonna hurt more, that’s all. It just startled me and I didn’t mean to do that. I really apologize because I didn’t mean that. That’s not a rib. I’m not trying to downplay his move, but it caught me off guard and I completely broke character.”
Bill Goldberg via The Ariel Helwani Show
First of all, Goldberg apologized for legitimately clocking him once with his right hand. The former Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle also wasn’t proud of laughing off one of the chops the Austrian landed across his chest. Goldberg affirmed that it caught him off guard, and he didn’t mean to downplay the move by any means. Their match lasted 14 minutes and 23 seconds, according to the official clock, marking the WCW stalwart’s longest in-ring outing since 2003.
