Goldberg deserves a meaningful retirement angle, but it’s Gunther who stands to gain the most from it. Here’s why.
First of all, I want to say that I get it. Yes, when Goldberg’s music hits, it’s easy for the eyes to roll and to just think “come on, Bill, retire already”. But I’d argue that’s exactly what WWE is trying to do with Goldberg, and has spent the last few years thinking up a suitable opponent for this very purpose.
It would seem that WWE has settled on Gunther, who may or may not be Goldberg’s final opponent, in a match for the World Heavyweight Championship at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Atlanta on July 12, 2025.
And at the moment, I’m okay with it.
Nostalgia over common sense
While yes, Goldberg being immediately given a shot at the title is a little jarring, I’d argue it’s the critics of this who need to be honest with themselves. This sort of thing happens all the time in wrestling. If a big star comes back, they often get immediately thrown into title contention. That’s just the way it is.
So maybe we should stop clutching our pearls at Goldberg for jumping the queue. There is no queue; there is only the whims of the bookers. Yet fans are right to be concerned, let’s not forget about how utterly derailed Bray Wyatt’s “Fiend” character was after he was squashed by Goldberg – and the less we say about that Undertaker match in Saudi Arabia, the better.
However, I strongly believe Goldberg deserves a decent retirement angle and that he has earned it. While his first WWE run was somewhat of a damp squib, his last feud with Brock Lesnar, which culminated in a match at WrestleMania 33 and led to Lesnar’s run with the Universal Championship, was great TV. It was also a fun match that achieved everything it needed to. It’s just a shame about some of the Goldberg matches since then.
While this could (and perhaps should) have been Goldberg’s retirement angle, it wasn’t, so another is needed. But let’s not forget what that match and subsequent title reign did for the Beast Incarnate in the years to come. Fans are quick to forget, but Goldberg is intrinsically linked to that success. Could something similar happen again with Gunther?
People forget how great Brock and Goldberg’s last feud was. Image credit: WWE
Appreciating Goldberg as a legend
Those who didn’t watch WCW during the Monday Night Wars/Attitude Era, or those who are too young to remember, won’t have the connection to Goldberg that some fans have. On a personal level, I have a lot of nostalgia for him as a performer, and regardless of whether WCW was inflating the figure every week, Goldberg’s streak was always a reason to tune in. Anticipating who was going to break it made up the discussion topic of many a lunch break while I was at school.
Then there’s the accessibility factor, you see, in the UK, WWF was on Sky TV, which not everyone had. However, WCW was on Channel 5 on a Friday night, which everyone had access to, so some of us grew up on a diet of WCW before we discovered what would become WWE. As for myself, I’d watch WCW Nitro, then run around to my friend’s house, and we’d watch Raw together. We didn’t care that both shows originally aired four days ago.
As kids who enjoyed both WCW and WWF, we held no tribalism, and we loved figures like Goldberg, Sting, and the NWO just as much as we loved Stone Cold, Undertaker, and DX. So, for a wrestling fan like myself, I feel strongly that Goldberg should go out the right way.
“And new Heavyweight Champion”
However, I get a bit more uneasy when I consider that Goldberg could beat Gunther and win the Heavyweight Championship. Now, part of me remembers that Goldberg held the Big Gold Belt after WWF took over WCW, and that Goldberg won this when he finally joined WWE. So, his winning that belt’s spiritual successor would be a nice way to round out his career, taking things full circle.
But then again, do we really want that at the expense of Gunther, someone poised to become one of WWE’s biggest stars? This is when I remember what happened with the Fiend, and all of a sudden, it becomes harder to look at people tweeting words like “Oldberg” and feel the usual contempt.
When you consider they rushed the belt off Jey Uso on an episode of Raw, things get even more awkward. All this not only runs the risk of damaging the current stars, but it also risks tainting Goldberg’s legacy even further.
So I find myself in a place where, as much as I’d love to see one of my childhood wrestling heroes have one more run, one more spear, one more jackhammer, I want to see him go out on his shield even more. Not only do I want this for Goldberg, as it will give his career the satisfying full stop it needs, but I also want it for Gunther.
Goldberg will face Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event in July 2025. Image credit: WWE
Does Gunther need this more?
There’s no shame for Goldberg in being put out to pasture by Gunther. It’s a realistic end to the story of a combat athlete, who not only defended his family’s honour, but proved he can still hang at the age of 58, especially if he takes Gunther to the limit.
As for Gunther, being the one who finally ended the career of Goldberg is a serious feather in his cap. This was the guy who drove Brock Lesnar to the brink of madness, crushed the NWO, and went on one of the most ridiculous winning streaks in wrestling history. Whether you watched WCW or not, that means something.
While it could be a torch-passing moment, giving Gunther pause and offering respect like he did to Pat McAfee, it could also be a victory that lets Gunther heel it up while he endlessly crows about being the man who ended Bill Goldberg. Either way, it’s great for him and makes him look strong.
So this is where I am as a lifelong Goldberg fan – he must lose. But I’m open to the match. However, if he wins at Saturday Night Main Event, that’s when we can all start to feel concerned.
But then again, sometimes you’ve just got to let The Game play.
