Eric Bischoff Says Goldberg Only Wrestles In WWE For The Money
In which Easy E effectively calls his former WCW Champion a mercenary.
Is much-maligned WWE part-timer Bill Goldberg only in it for the money? Eric Bischoff seems to think so.
Speaking on Chris Van Vliet's Insight podcast, the ex-WCW chief said that his former World Champion's regular WWE returns weren't being done for a love of the business, but because he wants to get paid (h/t WrestlingNews.co for the transcriptions):-
“Goldberg is doing it for the money. This is not love for the business or I want to get out there and perform. In my opinion, sorry Bill, you and I aren’t close friends, but we are friends. If what I’m saying offends you Bill, I apologize because I don’t mean it to, but c’mon. Do you think he’s doing it for fun or do you think he’s doing it for the money?"
This seems like a harsh criticism, though Bischoff praised Goldberg for his smarts, adding that he'd do the exact same thing if he was in the 54-year-old's shoes:-
"He’s smart. That’s not a bad thing. That’s what I’m saying. I’m not putting him down. If I had the ability at Bill’s age and look the way Bill did and somebody said, ‘Hey, I’ll stroke you a seven figure check to come in and work for five minutes’, c’mon. Let’s be honest with ourselves and not bust anybody’s b*lls over it. Every one of us would do it. We dream about that opportunity.”
Goldberg last wrestled for WWE at Royal Rumble 2021, failing in his attempt at capturing the WWE Championship from Drew McIntyre.
Such bouts have become a constant source of anxiety for WWE fans fearing the veteran may triumph at the expense of a popular, younger full-time performer, particularly after Super ShowDown 2020, when Goldberg felled The Fiend to become Universal Champion at 53 years old. A month-long reign followed, with the veteran dropping the strap at WrestleMania 36.
Goldberg's current contract calls for him to wrestle two WWE matches each year through 2022. There's no word on when his next bout could be, with no rumours of a WrestleMania 37 clash doing the rounds.