Goldberg "P*SSED OFF" At WWE For Lacklustre Retirement Send-Off (WWE News)

Bill Goldberg greatly enjoyed sharing the ring with celebrated in-ring brute Gunther at WWE's latest Saturday Night's Main Event special on 12 July, but the former WCW legend can't shake feelings that his retirement occasion could've been better. In fact, Bill is "p*ssed off" at the way his epic career ultimately ended.

Again, Goldberg loved the match vs. Gunther. During a chat with Ariel Helwani, squash match artist Bill put the reigning World Heavyweight Champion over and said the Austrian "was an unbelievable guy to work with". Continuing, Goldberg added: "It was awesome. I had a good time and I was laughing. I actually had fun. There were moments in that match where I actually enjoyed myself, and I can’t say that I’ve done that very many times".

That's a huge compliment to Gunther. The reigning champ has been roundly praised online for his efforts vs. Goldberg - together, the pair went just over 15 minutes. For reference, that's the longest match Bill has worked since going over 19 minutes with Triple H and Kane at Armageddon 2003.

Goldberg also wishes the bout had taken place on a proper WWE PPV/PLE rather than on free television via SNME. That would've given both guys "a little bit more control over the time and the space" to make things even better. Reiterating his appreciation for the spotlight, Bill made sure to say that "it was an honour and a privilege to be given that opportunity".

He just wishes the build had been better, and that he wasn't cut off so quickly post-match.

Goldberg Thinks WWE's Lack Of Prep Is Insulting

That's a sore spot for Goldberg.

He told Helwani that WWE decided on his match with Gunther back in January, but the company refused to officially announce it on TV until just a few weeks out from Saturday Night's Main Event. This lack of tangible prep didn't really feed into the idea that Bill was retiring or making one last stand. The powerhouse reckons WWE could've done a better job with that.

According to Bill, there's "about a hundred things" he would've changed to make the occasion feel more special. For example, he pointed out that WWE only afforded him 3 interviews/promos after teasing the bout with Gunther way back at Bad Blood in October 2024. That didn't sit well with Goldberg, and neither did the way producers quickly cut him off during what turned out to be a 28 second post-match 'thank you' speech.

It's hard for Goldberg to shake thoughts that this might've been "the ultimate rib" at his expense. Bill was known for shorter matches throughout his career, so perhaps somebody brought that up in creative and Triple H decided to have a little giggle at his old foe's expense. Or, maybe that's way wide of the mark. That's just it: Goldberg isn't sure.

Both The Undertaker and John Cena came up in convo with Helwani. Here's what Bill had to say about that: "I’m not saying it was done on purpose by any stretch of the imagination. I’m saying that it wasn’t prepared for on purpose. That’s all. I mean, they wouldn’t do that to 'Taker, right? I don’t think they would. They’re not going to do that to Cena. Cena’s going around the world doing his retirement thing!".

Interestingly, Goldberg claims he'll be able to say even more about this situation and give his true thoughts on it in mere weeks. Ariel Helwani asked if Bill had signed a temporary NDA on his retirement match going in, and Goldberg replied: "Yeah, let's just say that".