Goldberg has been one of wrestling’s biggest stars since debuting in WCW back in 1997, and after a career that has spanned over 20 years, it all comes down to one more match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Tonight Goldberg took on one last opponent before closing out his WWE career, and it would be against one of WWE’s best in the Ring General Gunther, though the match itself was not at all what we expected, especially after the build from WWE in recent weeks, though perhaps it was what we should have expected going in.
Goldberg won the first exchange and shoved Gunther down, and while Gunther came back with a kick to the stomach, Goldberg shoved him to the ropes with a powerful shoulder tackle. Then Goldberg absorbed vicious chops from the Champion and laughed them off before hitting Gunther with a clothesline that sent him reeling.
Goldberg then rocked the Champ with powerful strikes to the head before knocking Gunther down to the mat once more, but Gunther stalled a jackhammer attempt and kicked Goldberg to the mat. Gunther then kicked the leg with the knee brace, but Goldberg got to his feet quickly and threw Gunther down from the top rope. Goldberg set up for a spear, but Gunther ran out of the ring to the floor, which caused Goldberg some frustration.
Gunther targeted the hurt knee and then clocked Goldberg with two more stinging chops, and then the Champ evaded a spear attempt from Goldberg, causing Goldberg to go right through the barricade onto the floor. Back from break, Goldberg was clearly worn down a bit, but he still found a reserve of energy, exchanging big strikes and chops with the Champion.
Unfortunately, Gunther hit the hurt knee once more and knocked Goldberg down, though the taunting from Gunther was only pissing Goldberg off. Goldberg came back with a big slam that knocked Gunther down, but Goldberg kept grabbing at his knee after any contact. Goldberg still managed to deliver hammering blows to Gunther, knocking him down in the corner, and then somehow he was able to flip Gunther over his head and avoid a powerbomb.
That’s when things shifted in the match, as Goldberg went for a spear only for Gunther to move out of the way and allow the referee, Charles Robinson, to get hit instead. Gunther then went right for the knee brace, taking it off and then using it as a weapon and damaging the hurt knee further. Gunther then hit Goldberg with the knee brace against the back of his head, and the writing seemed on the wall at this point as Gunther walked around the ring and taunted the crowd with it.
Gunther then taunted Goldberg’s son Gabe and shoved him, causing him to jump the barricade and get in Gunther’s face. Gunther then got back on the ring apron and ate a spear from Goldberg on his way in, giving the challenger some life. Goldberg set up for a jackhammer and then actually hit one on Gunther, and he went for a pin after a new referee ran down to the ring, but Gunther kicked out.
Gunther then locked in the sleeper on Goldberg, but he managed to fight out of it and sit up. Unfortunately, Gunther then locked in the sleeper again, and this time, Goldberg didn’t recover in time, giving Gunther the win. Gunther is still your WWE World Heavyweight Champion. After Gunther left the ring, Goldberg spoke to the crowd, which had a lot of his family and friends, and he thanked everyone for all the support.
Goldberg said, “I do apologize for going out a little subpar. I’ve got over 100 friends and family who came in from all over the world, and I just gotta say I can’t thank ya’ll enough. The fans in Atlanta have been absolutely wonderful. I love you, I couldn’t have done it without you.”
WWE has been known to deliver some shocking Title changes over the past few months, and there was a thought that perhaps WWE would actually have Goldberg run with one last Title reign before his final retirement match. Having Gunther be his opponent made that chance smaller for sure, but there was still an element of unpredictability to it. That ended up not being the case, but the match also played out longer than I would have anticipated, and it was a much better showing for Goldberg than some of his previous in-ring returns, especially when you consider he went through a barricade and actually managed to pull off a Jackhammer.
What did you think of Goldberg’s last ride in WWE, and was it the right result? Let us know in the comments, and you can talk all things wrestling with me on Bluesky @knightofoa!
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