Goldberg isn’t holding back when it comes to how his final WWE match played out, openly expressing frustration over what he felt was a mishandled farewell.
In a candid conversation on
The Ariel Helwani Show, the WWE Hall of Famer called his send-off at
Saturday Night’s Main Event disappointing. While he appreciated the chance to share the ring with Gunther, Goldberg felt the match lacked the planning, respect, and significance his career deserved.
“Let’s just say I’m pissed off at the way I went out,” he said. “Because I put so much into it, and I don’t feel as though the effort was reciprocated to put a stamp on what I’ve accomplished.”
Despite the honor of facing the World Heavyweight Champion, Goldberg said several aspects fell short. One major sticking point was that the match aired on regular check television instead of a premium event, something he felt undercut the moment.
“Ultimately, to have a little bit more control over the time and the space would have been much more preferred, let’s just put it that way,” he said. “They cut me off after 20 seconds with the microphone in my hand, for God’s sake.”
Goldberg hinted that there’s more to the story he can’t yet share due to contractual obligations, but promised he’ll speak more freely once those expire.
“I have two weeks before I can really spill the beans and make my feelings known about the entire rundown. From the inception of the idea to its delivery, it was a little less than to be desired. But again, I’m not gonna complain because not many people get that opportunity.”
Even with the frustrations, he had praise for Gunther, calling him “unbelievable” to work with.
“I actually had fun,” he said. “There were moments in that match where I enjoyed myself. I can’t say that’s happened very often.”
Goldberg also revealed WWE waited until just weeks before the match to announce it publicly, even though the decision had been made months earlier.
“I would have loved for them to announce it in January and have a build-up to it, and do something I thought was maybe worthy of my career. But they chose to do it with three weeks’ notice. It is what it is. It’s part of the package.”
He also touched on WWE’s interest in his son, Gage, saying the company offered him an NIL deal.
“They tried to give him an NIL, but when I found out how much they were going to give him, I put the brakes on that one. But they’d be ignorant not to consider that it could be in his future.”
Looking back, Goldberg stands by his performance but still questions the handling of his farewell.
“I think it could have been done a little bit differently. I’m happy with my performance. I’m happy with the setting. But could it have been better? Absolutely. It can always be better.”
When asked what he would have changed, he pointed to the lack of preparation and respect.
“There’s about a hundred things. I did three interviews beforehand. They cut me off 30 seconds into my speech, bro. You don’t do that, but it’s all good.”
Pressed on who made the call to cut him short, Goldberg simply said,
“I think it doesn’t matter because it’s check television and you can plan for it. That’s all.”
He summed up the whole experience with a dose of sarcasm.
“I got the opportunity to speak for 28 seconds. Not many people get that. But it’s just, everything throughout the years built up to something like the ultimate rib. I guess that was the ultimate rib.”
Goldberg stopped short of accusing WWE of doing it on purpose, but made it clear he felt the situation lacked care.
“I’m not saying it was done on purpose by any stretch of the imagination. I’m saying that it wasn’t prepared for on purpose. That’s all. I mean, they wouldn’t do that to Taker, right? They’re not going to do that to Cena. Cena’s going around the world doing his retirement thing.”
Goldberg is expected to speak more openly in two weeks, once his NDA officially expires.
