I’m going to preface all of this by saying that I was obsessed with Goldberg when I was a kid. Growing up in a WCW household in the mid-to-late ‘90s, Goldberg, with his badass look, spear and jackhammer combo, and general mystique, was a huge hit in the Sledge home. But when I recently found out that the wrestler who had huge moments in WWE and WCW announced he would be having a retirement match, I have to admit I was disinterested, to say the least.
Without even taking into consideration everything that’s been said about Bill Goldberg over the years by the likes of Bret Hart, the thought of the wrestler-turned-actor taking a top spot at an upcoming WWE event just isn’t doing anything for me. And you know, I think I figured out why.
Goldberg Has Come And Gone Multiple Times Over The Past Decade
After staying away from WWE for more than a decade after being booed out of Madison Square Garden at WrestleMania XX back in March 2004, Goldberg has come and gone multiple times.
He first came back for Survivor Series 2016 where he defeated Brock Lesnar in a shocking victory, squashed Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship, and then lost it to Lesnar at WrestleMania 33 the following April. He’d come back around in 2019 and take a similar path that saw him beat the late Bray Wyatt for the Universal title again and then lose to Braun Strowman at WrestleMania 36 after Roman Reigns dropped out due to medical concerns in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a similar story in 2021 and early 2022.
What I’m getting at is Goldberg and his habit of coming back, wrestling a few matches, winning and losing a belt, and then dipping out has grown tiresome, boring, and not interesting whatsoever. There’s no longevity, no staying power, and no stakes.
If They Waste A Gunther Match On Goldberg, I'm Going To Be Pissed
When Goldberg made his first appearance with WWE in more than two years at Bad Blood in October 2024, he got into an in-ring altercation with World Heavyweight Champion Gunther in front of the WCW mainstay’s hometown crowd in Atlanta, Georgia. When they were standing face-to-face, I kept thinking to myself, “Don’t do this to Gunther, please!” because I don’t want to see one of the best wrestlers in WWE, let alone the world get caught up in what will probably be a bad match and waste of time.
No, I don’t think WWE will feed Gunther to Goldberg and have the past-his-prime wrestling legend take the WHC off his waist (though the company did force Kevin Owens and Bray Wyatt to drop their belts in glorified squash matches), but you can’t have one of your biggest stars take part in a sideshow attraction like that. Plus, Gunther wouldn’t really get any heat from beating a 57-year-old man in what would end up being a five-minute match, so there’s nothing to gain.
I'm Honestly More Focused On John Cena's Retirement Tour
I know that I sound more than a little hypocritical being not interested in watching Goldberg’s final bout white being on board with John Cena’s retirement tour, but I’m honestly more focused on watching the Peacemaker star make history than any other nostalgia match right now. And not to be that guy, but Goldberg never really did anything consequential since debuting with the company more than 20 years ago. He never won the WWE Championship, isn’t known for having great matches, and most of his aura was built up in WCW long before Vince McMahon bought his biggest rival.
Cena, on the other hand, is on the Mount Rushmore of WWE and has stayed with the company his entire career. Yeah, he’s working a part-time schedule right now to focus on his acting career, but he’s been WWE through-and-through since day one. Watching Cena take on the likes of Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, and possibly The Rock before hanging up his boots is a lot more appealing than anything involving Goldberg, but that could just be me.
As they say, wrestling is a subjective art form, and as much as 2010 me would hate to hear this, I’m more excited to see Cena’s final run than just about anything else right now.
I Don't Even Recall The Last Time Goldberg Put On A Good Match
Here’s another thing, I know Goldberg was never a work-rate wrestler or in-ring technician (just look at what Steven Regal did to him), but I honestly can’t remember the last time he put on a good match. I guess his fight against Bobby Lashley at Crown Jewel 2021 was decent, but that was a no-holds-barred falls count anywhere match, and it’s pretty much impossible to mess those up. But outside of that, all of his singles matches since his early WWE days have been unremarkable and forgotten duds.
Again, Goldberg is more of a spectacle than a wrestler, and that’s always been the case. However, in today’s WWE, where wrestlers getting room to put on some incredible in-ring matches, It’s hard to get excited about another Goldberg match where he beats down on an opponent, spears them, and puts them in the jackhammer like it’s May 1998 all over again.
What Role Should Legacy Attractions Play Moving Forward
At the end of the day, professional wrestling is a form of entertainment, and companies like WWE are always going to need to have big marquee attractions to keep fans filling up those increasingly more expensive seats and continue to keep a Peacock subscription to watch all those major events. Legacy attractions like Goldberg, John Cena’s final tour, and Trish Stratus and Lita are always going to have a place in the product, but what role should they play moving forward?
I’m all for a quick pop at the Royal Rumble when some surprise entrant we haven’t seen in years shows up and does their finisher and signature pose before being eliminated. I'm even down for a former champion showing up and giving a young star the rub. But I want it to be done the right way, a believable and meaningful way that doesn’t feel shoe-horned or unnecessary, and I’m nervous that won’t be the case with Goldberg.
I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens with Goldberg, his retirement match, and everything that happens in between. But with Raw moving to Netflix in January 2025, I’m sure we’ll be seeing much more of him in the very near future, for better or worse.
