Goldberg Was Allegedly Supposed To Dethrone Gunther

At WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, fans witnessed the final chapter in Goldberg’s storied career.

The Hall of Famer faced off against reigning World Heavyweight Champion Gunther in the main event in his hometown of Atlanta. While many expected fireworks, the ending caught viewers off guard.

Gunther choked out Goldberg to retain his championship and retire the legendary powerhouse. But according to a veteran of the business, that may not have been the original plan.

Richards Believes WWE Had Other Plans Regarding Goldberg-Gunther Match Finish

On his podcast, The Stevie Richards Show, former WWE star Stevie Richards offered his take on how the match was supposed to unfold before Seth Rollins suffered an injury earlier in the night.

Richards believes the original plan was for Da Man to defeat Gunther and then be blindsided by Seth Rollins, who would cash in his Money in the Bank contract to win the World Heavyweight Championship. This would allow Goldberg to retire after one final championship win while still giving WWE a fresh storyline, with Gunther hunting down Rollins to reclaim what he lost.

“I think that’s what was supposed to happen [Seth Rollins interrupts and cashes Money in the Bank on Goldberg after he won the match]. I think this was an audible that was called. I think Goldberg was supposed to go over.”

“You need to save everybody in a way, and get Gunther to not have to look less than after the title, or maybe he tries to fight Seth Rollins for the title. Here’s the thing, too. You just said that when this happened [injury] with Seth Rollins, they were scrambling to figure out for the rest of the show. That’s a clue.” [2:25:10 – 2:25:56]

Ultimately, those alleged plans appear to have been scrapped at the last minute due to Rollins’ injury earlier in the event during his match with LA Knight. Without Rollins available to cash in, WWE was forced to pivot. This resulted in Gunther choking out Goldberg to retain the title, even in Goldberg’s hometown.

While it protected the integrity of the World Heavyweight Championship, it came at the cost of denying Goldberg a fairytale ending, and left fans wondering what could’ve been.