Goldberg Reacts To Criticism From Bully Ray About His Return to WWE

As previously reported, Bully Ray criticized the return of Goldberg on Monday’s episode of WWE RAW, noting that he didn’t like the way his match with GUNTHER was announced. In an interview with The National Football Show (via Fightful), Goldberg responded to the criticism and said that it is an honor that he gets to wrestle the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Here are highlights:

On wrestling GUNTHER at Saturday Night’s Main Event: “Who I am to him (GUNTHER) is an old man — is a 58-year-old guy who is hobbled and not like he used to be and he believes that even at my peak, he could have taken me which is absolutely laughable. But, I mean… he’s a formidable opponent. He’s the World Heavyweight Champion. I remember meeting him years ago right when he broke in and the guy had a shooting star up his ass at that point and I knew he was gonna be destined for big things and hey, it’s an honor for me to get in the ring with him, it’s an honor to step into a position to be vying for the World Heavyweight Championship at 58 years old. I don’t know of any other ones who’ve retired with a match like that.”

On not going out like he did at Elimination Chamber 2022: “Because of what I just told you (is why I’m getting back in the ring). Because I ain’t freaking going out the way I went out. Period, end of story so at 58 years old, if I have to go in there hobbled, if I have to go in there 30 pounds lighter, I don’t give a sh*t. Because I have a point to make and at 58 years old, can I still make that point? I don’t know, but, I’m gonna do my best… 50 percent of me is better than 99 percent of the pricks on the planet, I believe, and so if I still give that effort and have the work ethic, though I’m not who I used to be but here I am. I mean, we don’t lose that. It’s a risk, it’s a huge risk. Am I risking the legacy of Goldberg in the ring? Yeah… Every time you step in there, you risk that. But, it’s risk versus reward and it’s another opportunity to give Gage a platform to see his dad go out and do his thing. I mean, he’s the reason why I came out of retirement in the beginning. 15 years ago or whatever it was for the first time. I’m not doing it for me — I mean, I am partly but, I’m mainly doing it for him. If they have to drag me out of there or carry me out of there, then that’s fine because I chose to do it and I chose to spend the last six months training and preparing for this.”

On Bully Ray’s criticism: “I was 176-0. I don’t have to stand in freakin’ line… So Bully Ray can bite me. But everybody’s got an opinion, and Bully Ray has a podcast that’s about wrestling, and so you’re obviously gonna chime in and give your two cents and I love him to death and I respect his opinion. But his opinion is like an asshole and everybody’s got one. So I mean, that’s fine. Everybody, ‘Oh, Goldberg’s limping to the ring, Goldberg’s small, Goldberg’s old.’ I am freakin’ old. What do you want me to do? … Turn the clock back? But, show me another 58-year-old dude that’s willing to go out and do this? I mean, there’s a couple. But I’m gonna hopefully surpass their performance and at the end of the day, I gotta surpass my performance in the past.”

In his most recent WWE run, Goldberg returned in 2016 after more than a decade away, initially to promote a video game before entering a short-term in-ring program. He quickly became involved in high-profile matches, including defeating Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series 2016 and briefly holding the Universal Championship in 2017 and again in 2020. His appearances were mostly limited to major events like WrestleMania and Saudi Arabia shows, often in brief matches that emphasized his established persona. Goldberg’s final WWE appearances were sporadic and typically tied to marquee storylines, with his last match taking place in early 2022. Since then, he has remained inactive in the company, with no official retirement announced.