Days after his final match against GUNTHER at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, Goldberg has spoken out about his retirement, expressing significant frustration with how his farewell was produced by WWE.
Speaking on the Ariel Helwani Show, Goldberg was candid about his feelings, stating, “Let’s just say I’m pissed off at the way that I went out. I put so much into it and I don’t feel the effort was reciprocated to put a stamp on what I accomplished.” He questioned why his retirement match was on a television special instead of a premium live event and noted that he was only given a three-week notice to prepare and build to the match.
He contrasted his treatment with how WWE is handling John Cena’s retirement tour, saying, “They wouldn’t do that to Taker, right? They’re not going to do that for Cena.”
Goldberg’s biggest frustration stemmed from the broadcast cutting away during his post-match speech. He claimed he was only given 28 seconds on live television before being cut off, something he believes was preventable. “I think it doesn’t matter because it’s live television and you can plan for it,” he said, calling the incident “the ultimate rib.” Despite his issues with the production, Goldberg had high praise for his opponent. “Gunther was an unbelievable guy to work with. It was awesome. I had a good time,” he said.
Goldberg’s comments provide his perspective on the controversial broadcast cut-off. As was previously reported, the reason for the abrupt ending on the NBC broadcast was due to WWE having a strict “hard out” time limit. It was also reported that at least one WWE executive apologized to Goldberg for the production issue immediately following the show.