10 Biggest Regrets From Goldberg's WWE Career
7. Letting Matt Riddle Get To Him
Since arriving in WWE, Riddle (or Matt Riddle as he was back then) has never been shy when it comes to his opinions on Goldberg. He’s been openly critical of Bill’s more recent in-ring showings. Goldberg didn’t take too kindly to the comments, leading to a tense backstage exchange.
If you take Riddle’s word for it, his words are all in the interest of the business.
“If you just listen to the dirt sheets or watch me do interviews, you might hate me [laughs]. But in real life, I’m a pretty nice guy. I talk crap, but that’s just to drum up interest.”
But he certainly didn’t pull any punches. Already under scrutiny from fans and the wrestling press, you could see why Goldberg could do without a colleague joining in.
Plus, Riddle has form in this area. He’s also had heat in the past with both Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar. so we can’t put all the blame for their spat on Goldberg.
That said, at the time Riddle was the exciting new guy on the black and gold brand back when that collection of words still made sense together. When he started throwing Jackhammers into his matches fans were well up for a match between the pair.
In shooting Riddle down, Bill looked like the grump spoiling the fun and pulling rank on the new guy. He might have been wise to keep his own counsel. Or even propose an onscreen clash with the hot new star.