Goldberg Didn’t Ask For Upcoming Retirement Match

The pitch for Goldberg’s retirement match didn’t come from the man himself.

Just a month after getting into a heated confrontation with Gunther at Bad Blood, Goldberg announced his intention to return to the ring for a retirement match in 2025.

This sparked speculation that his farewell could come with the dominant Austrian, but no news on a match has been forthcoming. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t tentative plans being put in place backstage.

It’s been reported that Gunther was indeed in line to face Goldberg once he’s lost the World Heavyweight Championship. The report added that the retirement match will likely take place at SummerSlam, although an opponent is yet to be confirmed.

Triple H Asked Goldberg To Return

Given how the announcement of his retirement was made and his previous comments on the topic, most fans expected the retirement match to be Goldberg’s idea. However, it seems that wasn’t the case.

During a new interview with Ariel Helwani, the veteran was asked how the idea for a retirement match came about, and he revealed it was Triple H who initially made the call.

“I don’t beg. I’m never going to do that. I was lucky enough one day to be on my tractor here, on the property, cutting the grass, and I get a phone call from Hunter [Triple H]. I was astonished. I hung up the first time because I didn’t know who it was.

Once we had the conversation, I was extremely appreciative and honored that he would think of me. It was an interview that I did that he saw where I said I thought I was owed a retirement match and if I would still be up for that, and maybe let’s talk.

It’s a testament to something I did in the past because I deserve that kind of respect. We all know it’s a business decision at the end of the day. To what degree, nobody knows. I do believe that he was speaking from the heart and he thought if it’s something that I wanted, that I deserve it. It took them that long to call me.

I wasn’t going to [beg for] it. I don’t work like that. If I had to go down like I went down in Saudi, then so be it,”

In the same interview, Goldberg reiterated that during this period he was promised a retirement match by Vince McMahon, but the ex-WWE boss went back on the agreement.

H/t to Fightful