Goldberg’s final WWE match saw him lose to Roman Reigns in just six minutes at the 2022 Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in Saudi Arabia. “Da Man” then made it clear in a few interviews that he had no more matches left on his current contract, which was followed by the news earlier this year that his deal had officially expired and he was now a free agent. However, Goldberg also made the claim in an interview with Sports Illustrated that he was “owed” a retirement match by WWE.
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“You never say never, especially in wrestling, and they owe me one. That’s all I can say. I made a deal with the devil and I did my job, and they owe me a retirement match. At the end of the day, at 56, it’s not something where I’m sitting by the phone waiting for a call. I’ve got a few ideas of how to do it on my own, possibly in Israel. So never say never,” Goldberg said.
He clarified those comments in a new radio interview with 93.7 The Ticket this week. According to the WWE Hall of Famer, Vince McMahon gave him a handshake deal that included a send-off match.
“Vince McMahon and I had a handshake understanding that, you know, after the Roman Reigns match I would have a proper retirement match,” Goldberg said (h/t Sportskeeda). “And, you know, that hasn’t come to fruition through them. So, therefore… You know, nobody puts a stamp on my career. Nobody tells me when I’m done, period. When somebody tells me that, you know, I kinda like to fight against it. I like to do things my own way and I go out my own way. And I certainly don’t go out, you know, under Roman Reigns, you know, three weeks after I’ve had Covid and agreed to a match.”
He also addressed the possibility of jumping to AEW — “If I go on a world tour and promote it myself, you know, that’s a possibility. If I, you know, hey, I’m a businessman and I’m fortunately, you know, in the position I firmly believe to where I can still make it happen. So, you know, at the end of the day, like I said, I do believe that my character deserves a proper send-off. If I go on a world tour and promote it myself, you know, that’s a possibility. If I, you know, hey, I’m a businessman and I’m fortunately, you know, in the position I firmly believe to where I can still make it happen. So, you know, at the end of the day, like I said, I do believe that my character deserves a proper send-off.”
