Goldberg has been absent from the wrestling spotlight for over two years. The WCW legend last wrestled Roman Reigns at WWE Elimination Chamber 2022, falling short to the Tribal Chief in just six minutes. This loss brought an end to Goldberg’s latest WWE run, one which began in Fall 2016 and saw him compete in a total of 12 matches. While Goldberg’s in-ring return brought a new lease to his career, one which was thought to have ended in 2004, the WWE Hall of Famer has been adamant about having one last run before he officially calls it quits.
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Goldberg Reveals Scrapped Plans For His AEW Debut
That final run could have happened in AEW, and as recently as earlier this year.
Speaking to Chris Van Vliet on Insight, Goldberg admitted that while he was never close to landing a deal with AEW, he did float the idea of working with Sting on The Icon’s retirement tour.
“I reached out to Sting because I wanted to be a part [of it]. I thought he and I could do a farewell thing at some point together,” Goldberg revealed. “But it wasn’t about me. It was about Sting. I could never overshadow anything that he does. But I don’t want to conquer the waters. It would have been a nice crescendo, but it wasn’t about me. So the timing was kind of off.”
Sting officially ended his in-ring career this past March at AEW Revolution, bringing a three-year run with AEW to a close. Sting had previously been forced to retire in Fall 2015 after injuries suffered in a match against Seth Rollins. Sting’s farewell ended alongside a group of generations, including AEW tag partner Darby Allin, sons Garrett and Steven Borden, and longtime rival Ric Flair. Goldberg likely would’ve had a role akin to Flair, supporting his fellow former WCW roster member.
“It’s hard for me to really pass judgment on their production because I don’t watch it. I see clips of it,” Goldberg said when asked about his thoughts on the AEW product. “It’s hard to give a rational breakdown of how they are if I don’t really watch it, so I don’t really know.”
All Elite Wrestling presents its biggest show of the year, AEW ALL IN: London, from Wembley Stadium on Sunday, August 25th.
