Goldberg Admits To Being “Terrified” To Wrestle In Saudi Arabia
WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg has opened up about being “terrified” ahead of his first appearance in Saudi Arabia.
The first events WWE held in Saudi Arabia were a series of house shows in Riyadh in April 2014. The company followed this up with similar shows in October 2015 and November 2016. Following the success of these events, WWE made a decade-long commitment to the Kingdom in 2018, which would see two pay-per-view events take place in Saudi Arabia annually.
The first of these was the Greatest Royal Rumble that April, which was followed by the first Crown Jewel event in November. At the shows, it became a tradition for WWE Legends to make an appearance and take part in dream matches.
One of those matches saw Goldberg finally take on The Undertaker at Super ShowDown in June 2019.
Goldberg recalled his initial trepidation at travelling to the country on the Pat McAfee Show, saying that, because of his Jewish faith, he was “terrified” about going to Saudi Arabia.
“As one of the most visible Jewish guys on the planet, I was terrified to go over the first time, I really was. It was under the auspices of the WWE, so obviously, the security was there.
“I’ll be perfectly honest; I haven’t gotten a reception like that anywhere around the world that’s much better. I mean, those people are so appreciative of what we do, the characters that we are, the business that we provide for them, the entertainment we provide.
“Let’s be perfectly honest, they’re at the ground-breaking stage of the westernization of that part of the world. We caught a lot of sh*t in the beginning.
“Look at all the people who’ve jumped on board right now. Look at all the talent, all the events that they’ve been able to put on, to westernize, evolve, that’s the word I was looking for, no question. We caught a lot of sh*t in the beginning, I think we should be very proud of the precedent that we set.”
Goldberg, who has since continued to appear in Saudi Arabia, most recently competing against Bobby Lashley at Crown Jewel, also confirmed that he has one match left on his WWE contract and then “that’s it.”
“I’ve got one more match left on my deal, man. Then that’s it. Everybody knows I’ve got one more and then that’s it.”
H/T to Wrestling Inc for the above transcription.