Matt Riddle reflected on his confrontation with WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg at last year’s SummerSlam pay-per-view event.
The first news about this came from Riddle, who shared the story when he appeared on the SummerSlam Watch Along Livestream.
Due to the comments made by Riddle about the legendary pro wrestler in the past, when they ran into each backstage, they exchanged some words.
The NXT star made an appearance on today’s episode of The Bump where he was asked about his relationship with Goldberg.
Riddle started out by stating that they have differing opinions and mindsets about the business. He stated that he likes to push the pace and expects a lot from himself. Riddle understands that they don’t see eye-to-eye on that type of thing and how to work.
“He doesn’t want to be my bro, I completely understand. I didn’t really want to be his bro. That’s just how the cookie crumbled.”
Regarding the confrontation at SummerSlam, Riddle recalled how Shane McMahon was down the hall from them at the arena and watched the whole thing. It turns out that McMahon thought that they were going to fight.
“And after, Shane was like, ‘Thanks for not swinging on Goldberg.’ Could you imagine? Matt Riddle punches Goldberg unconscious in the back. I can’t do that. That is not a stallion move. You get a match set-up and beat him in front of millions. That’s a Stallion move.”
Riddle will take on Timothy Thatcher in a Cage Fight on Wednesday’s episode of NXT.
New WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman recently appeared on the Gorilla Position podcast. The SmackDown Superstar would discuss his title win at WrestleMania 36 earlier this month, as well as the hectic 24 hours that preceded the event.
Strowman was not initially pegged to face then Champion Bill Goldberg at WrestleMania. Roman Reigns was the challenger heading into the event, however due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic the ‘Big Dog’ would pull out of the show. This forced WWE to make a last minute change, and it was decided that Braun Strowman was the man to take the belt from Goldberg.
Driving To Wisconsin
“Oh yeah, without a doubt it was the craziest 24 hours of my life” Braun Strowman began. “There was quarantine and telling everybody to stay at home and doing everything they could to help control the spread of this virus. So I figured, you know, I have some land up in Wisconsin, I haven’t seen my family, they live out in the middle of nowhere. I’ve got 80 acres out in the middle of nowhere, it’s literally a town that’s barely incorporated. There’s 400 people in the old town so I was like, well, if I got to be locked down I’m gonna be locked down out in the middle of nowhere, being the country boy that I am.”
Vince McMahon
Strowman would then reveal how the 21 hour car journey ended with phone call from Vince McMahon. “So I loaded up my belongings in my car and drove 21 hours to Wisconsin. I got one hour away from my property and I got a phone call from the chairman of WWE, saying ‘Braun we’ve had some last minute changes, there’s a couple emergencies happening. We need you.’ And I said, ‘well, I’m in Wisconsin I just drove for 21 hours.’ He [Vince McMahon] said ‘we know, we’re sending a jet to Atlanta at 9pm, you leave at 9:15pm.’ So I made it to Wisconsin long enough to grab a quick bite at dinner and then headed to the little regional County Airport.”
Braun Strowman in a Four-Seater Jet
Strowman elaborated further, saying “I jumped on a four seater jet; which I’m terrified of flying on by the way because I barely can fit my large hairy self in there. So it was a pretty impressive, a very fast jet. It was timely to get me there. I think we got from Wisconsin back to Orlando in 1 hour 30 minutes? We were rocking and rolling. I landed, with the time change and everything? I got into Orlando like midnight-ish back to Florida? Got in bed about at one o’clock in the morning, woke up the next day and headed to the Performance Center.”
Goldberg vs Braun Strowman
Braun Strowman would finish by thanking his opponent in the WrestleMania 36 match. “I want to say a big thanks to Bill Goldberg for giving me the opportunity. To know and trust in me to want to get in there and ‘get these hands’ per se.”
Do you think that Strowman was the right man to beat Goldberg for the Universal Championship? Let us know in the comments
The decision of Roman Reigns to pull out of WrestleMania 36 due to health concerns after the coronavirus outbreak made a lot of headlines before the PPV event and it still remains a hot topic of discussion. The other part of this equation was Goldberg who ended up defending his Universal Championship against Braun Strowman at the Show Of Shows after the Big Dog decided not to work the event.
Goldberg opened up about this change for the first time since WrestleMania 36 when he recently appeared on the Carcast podcast. The former WCW star first mentioned how everybody knows about Reigns’ leukaemia diagnosis and how he is in remission now. He then claimed that he doesn’t know why the match was even considered despite the public knowledge of this situation:
“I don’t know why it was even considered in the beginning, except for the fact that we’d invested time and WWE invested the money in the angle, in the match, you know. So literally until the 23rd hour, it was still a possibility that he and I were going to wrestle. So plans kind of changed at the very last minute. I did my match with Braun, and it was possible that I could do a match with Roman again before the 5th [the night the match aired]. That obviously fell through.”
Goldberg Reveals His Reaction To Roman Reigns’ Decision
The now-former Universal Champion also detailed the precautions WWE was taking with the people entering the Performance Center and mentioned that he was told the match was still a possibility until the last minute. The former Champion then discussed the reported incident with The Miz that led to Reigns’ decision and when asked about his reaction to the whole thing, Goldberg said that you have to love the guy because he was still willing to go through it up until the 11th hour:
“I think what happened was, somebody was sick and Roman
heard about it. They didn’t have [COVID-19], they just had the flu. But just
the fact that someone was sick in those circumstances, at the end of the day he
just couldn’t do it. You know, more power to him to continually want to get it
done, whether that’s realistic or unrealistic from a person in his shoes are
concerned. But you’ve got to love the guy because up to the 11th hour, he was
still willing to do it.”
During the interview, Bill Goldberg also revealed that he had signed a 2 match contract with WWE and so his obligations for the year are done after he taped his match with Braun Strowman. Though this doesn’t necessarily mean that the former Champion is done for the year and it’s likely that the company will call him up again when they feel the need to add star power to any of their shows down the line.
Goldberg’s reign as WWE Universal Champion will not continue as despite not defending it against his original opponent in Roman Reigns but rather Braun Strowman.
“The Monster Among Men” toppled WWE Hall of Famer in less than three minutes to win the Universal Title in a top match on the WrestleMania 36 card in Orlando, Florida.
Goldberg became the champion when he won the title from Bray Wyatt, portraying The Fiend, at the WWE Super ShowDown pay-per-view event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He was scheduled to defend the gold against Roman Reigns, but it was not meant to be. The match was made official on the February 28th episode of SmackDown. Then-champion Goldberg came out for a promo and asked Who’s Next? ‘The Big Dog’ came out to the ring and accepted the challenge.
With just days until WrestleMania 36, Reigns announced his decision to pull out of the event due to health concerns. As a leukemia survivor, his immune system is weakened and he is at greater risk if he were to contract the Coronavirus.
Brown Strowman was announced as Goldberg’s opponent on Friday’s SmackDown. The nonchalant nature of this announcement just 24 hours before te pay-per-view left fans stunned.
Heading into Friday’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, most fans knew of the changes that had to be made to title matches taking place at WrestleMania 36.
The first expected change was Roman Reigns, who was slated to challenge Universal Champion Goldberg at this event, not competing.
Since the show was taped last week, Reigns decided to pull out of the contest due to his concerns about the coronavirus as he has a weakened immune system with his leukemia battle.
WWE confirmed on SmackDown that Braun Strowman will replace Reigns in the contest to challenge the WWE Hall of Famer for the Universal Title. Despite Triple H stated that WWE would make the match change in a unique manner, WWE had Michael Cole announce the news in a quick segment.
WWE had originally announced face-off for Friday’s SmackDown with Goldberg and Reigns, where it was expected that the change would be explained. Clearly, that didn’t happen.
The other change was to the originally announced contest that would’ve seen John Morrison and The Miz defending the SmackDown Tag Team Titles against The Usos and The New Day at WrestleMania 36.
The Miz was pulled from the match due to him being ill and not able to work the show. However, WWE didn’t announce that change during the broadcast.
WWE presents the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event as a two-night event on Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5 in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center.
WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry has shared his thoughts on who should fill in for Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 36. For “The World’s Strongest Man,” the answer is simple: Matt Riddle. Henry addressed the subject during a recent episode of Busted Open Radio.
“It’s easy to work with somebody that people want to see you work,” Henry said. “They [the fans] want this. Man, I love things that go together. I like peanut butter. I like jelly, I like milk, and I like cereal. And I definitely like meat on my sandwiches so I mean you gotta be able to put things together that match, that go together. that everybody wants to see.”
Mark Henry would detail the issues between Riddle and Goldberg. He pointed to Riddle’s perceived lack of respect for the former WCW Champion.
“Matt Riddle and Goldberg had an issue. Some of them based off respect [on Riddle’s side]. ‘You know, you overstepping your bounds, like you haven’t paid enough dues to be comfortable like that.’” Henry said. “And whatever the case may be, but I’m just saying. If you have an issue, and it’s gonna go to blows and it almost went to blows a couple of times. Yep. let em fight, put it together.”
Roman Reigns Out Of WrestleMania 36
Reigns recently confirmed that he had pulled out of his scheduled matchup with Goldberg. The two were due to face off for Goldberg’s WWE Universal Championship. Reigns had reportedly refused to compete out of concern of the coronavirus as he has battled leukemia twice and has a weakened immune system.
In a video statement, Reigns explained, “You don’t know the whole story, all you know is what you think. You don’t know what else is going on in my life. You don’t know if I have newborns, if I have family in my household, older family.”
At the time of writing, it has been speculated that Braun Strowman will be the Superstar to replace Reigns.
Matt Riddle On Goldberg Needing New WrestleMania Opponent
Matt Riddle gave his take on WWE Universal Champion Goldberg needing a new opponent at WrestleMania 36.
It’s been reported that Roman Reigns had decided not to work the match against the legendary pro wrestler at the show, which was taped on Wednesday and Thursday.
The reason for his decision was due to the concern over the coronavirus considering his battle with leukemia. WWE has yet to announce Reigns’ replacement.
Riddle took to Twitter where he wrote the following:
For those who are wondering, WWE has taped upcoming episodes of RAW, NXT, and SmackDown through April 6th, which would be the post-WrestleMania episode for RAW.
WWE plans to return for another set of tapings on Friday, April 10 at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando for the episode of SmackDown that night, which will be the post-WrestleMania 36 edition of the show.
The WWE 205 Live episode for that night will likely be taped as well. The belief is that WWE tape post-WrestleMania shows from this same venue.
It should be noted that for now, WWE will be allowed to tape episodes on that date despite Orange County, Florida making the “stay at home” order that went into effect on Thursday night to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
News broke earlier today that the former World Champion Roman Reigns has decided to pull himself from the upcoming WrestleMania event due to coronavirus concerns.
WWE was working on a replacement for the Big Dog for the PPV and on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio; Dave Meltzer provided an update on Goldberg’s potential new opponent for the Show Of Shows.
It was reported previously that the company taped some of the bigger WrestleMania matches on Wednesday and they planned to complete the tapings by Thursday before the Florida Mayor’s ‘stay at home’ mandate came into effect. Meltzer mentioned that he believes it was Braun Strowman who replaced Roman Reigns on the card and wrestled Goldberg at the tapings.
The Big Dog was present for this match and the former World Champion himself made the call for the Monster Among Man to be his replacement for the match.
It’s not confirmed how WWE is handling this situation storyline-wise and we should get a better idea about it on tonight’s episode of SmackDown.
There is no confirmation about the winner of this bout either. It would be interesting to see if the officials went with their original plans and put the title on Braun Strowman, giving him his first world title reign in the company.
WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry believes that wrestling fans need to show WWE Universal Champion Goldberg “respect.” Henry shared his thoughts during a recent episode of Sirius XM’s Busted Open Radiowhere he was discussing the upcoming WrestleMania clash between Goldberg and Roman Reigns.
“So Roman Reigns goes and does business. When will be the next time you see Bill Goldberg? You won’t see him very much because I don’t think that he’s going to work a full workload. […] primarily the whole thing is, we got to respect Bill Goldberg for who he is.”
Henry reflected on Goldberg’s infamous matchup against The Undertaker. The two wrestled during the controversial Super ShowDown event in Saudi Arabia. Goldberg would suffer a concussion during the matchup, leading to dangerous moments and botched spots between the two veterans. Mark Henry argued that the chance to move on from that match is a huge motivating factor behind Goldberg’s current run.
“He [Goldberg] wanted to get that horrible taste out his mouth,” Henry stated. “From having a bad performance. And here he is given substance to the business, and he’s doing exactly what he needed to do to get rid of that. Like people will remember him being involved in a hell of an angle and going out at WrestleMania.”
Goldberg will attempt to defend his WWE Universal Championship against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 36. “The Show of Shows” takes place on April 4 and April 5. It will be pre-recorded from multiple locations due to the coronavirus pandemic.
WWE Hall Of Famer Bret Hart is one of the most honest professional wrestlers you’ll ever come across.
“The Hitman” isn’t one to mince words, and will tell you his side of things regardless of how harsh they may be. That was no different during Hart’s recent appearance on fellow Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s “Broken Skull Sessions” on the WWE Network. During the program, Hart went in on WWE Hall Of Famer and current Universal Champion, Goldberg.
Hart called Goldberg “one of the most unprofessional wrestlers there ever was in the business,” before suggesting the ex-WCW World Champion “hurt everybody he worked with.”
“I always knew what I was doing and I would hurt myself before I ever hurt another wrestler,” Bret said. “I just wish some of the wrestlers I worked with, especially at the end like Goldberg. Goldberg to me was one of the most unprofessional wrestlers there ever was in the business.
“For Bill Goldberg to be in the Hall of Fame… he hurt everybody he worked with, so he might as well wrestle a real gorilla. He was the most dangerous guy to work with. He hurt everybody he worked with. I remember Curt Hennig being in pain all the time from the matches they had, and even when I worked with Bill…
“I always think, the last words I said to Bill before we went out and had that match where he injured, ended my career… I said, ‘Bill, whatever you do out there, don’t hurt me. Do whatever you want, we can do anything, just do not go nuts.'”
Hart’s beef with Goldberg stems back decades ago during the pair’s time together in WCW. A match between the two ultimately led to a career-ending injury for Hart. As for Goldberg, after a lengthy period of time away from the ring, he has since rekindled his relationship with WWE and is a two-time and current Universal Champion.
He’s scheduled to put that title up for grabs against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 36 on April 5. This year’s WrestleMania is currently scheduled to broadcast in front of an empty crowd inside the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida due to the coronavirus pandemic.
WWE announced on this week’s episode of SmackDown that the Universal Champion Goldberg will be returning to WWE Television on next week’s episode of the show.
This week’s episode of SmackDown saw Roman Reigns having a
sit down interview with Michael Cole where the Big Dog talked about his
WrestleMania 36 opponent.
Reigns said that he respects Goldberg but mentioned how he
is a part-timer and the former Universal Champion claimed that the company does
not have time for that.
The former Shield member then promised to beat the former
WCW star, and set things right in WWE by taking the championship back from the
53-year-old star.
After this, WWE announced that Goldberg will be making his return to WWE programming during next week’s episode of SmackDown where he and Roman Reigns will sign the contract for their upcoming match.
This week’s episode of SmackDown Live was broadcasted from WWE Performance Center due to coronavirus threats. Monday’s episode of Raw has also been moved to the PC and it’s most likely that next week’s SmackDown will be rescheduled as well.
Roman Reigns is expected to face Goldberg at WrestleMania, though the company is also putting contingency plans in place in case the show is cancelled. You can read WWE’s statement on WrestleMania here.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently commented on the company and their stance on using ‘older’ talent heading into WrestleMania.
Bully Ray on Goldberg
Bully began by referencing Goldberg winning the Universal Championship at Super Showdown last month. “If you’re angry about this you just don’t get it” stated Bully Ray. “People took that as if I was happy that Goldberg won. Or I thought it was good for the younger guys that Goldberg one.I ‘m just saying that I understand it from the business point of view, heading into WrestleMania.”
Bully Ray elaborated further, saying how he feels veteran talent should be used sparingly to help propel the newer generation. “I’m not a fan of it when it comes to constantly relying on the older talent, the veteran talent. The Hall of Fame talent. Because one day is going to come along where you cannot rely on that Hall of Fame talent anymore. I mean, when will Becky Lynch have the opportunity to get to the same level as Steve Austin did? When will Roman Reigns have the same opportunity to get to the same level The Rock did? Will anybody get the same opportunity that the nWo did? Or any of these guys. Why was the sky the limit for Austin and Rocky, ‘Taker, Cactus and Hardy? I mean so many acts, but now? Nope.”
FCW and Ruthless Aggression
Bully then referenced the FCW original documentary that aired on the WWE Network. “How come Roman is not at the same level as everybody else? Seth, Becky, Charlotte, they’re all the biggest names in the WWE, but they don’t even come close to what those other stars were able to accomplish. Last night after Elimination Chamber was over I watched the FCW special that I absolutely loved. And then I actually started watching the Brock Lesnar special from the Ruthless Aggression series. I got to the point where it was Brock vs The Rock from SummerSlam 2002. And I’m just like, holy crap. This is awesome. Look at what Rock is doing for Brock and look at how that propelled Brock into superstardom. Nobody is being given the opportunity to be propelled into superstardom now.”
You can listen to Busted Open Radio every day via SiriusXM. The podcast version of the show is also available via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and PlayerFM.
Current WWE Universal Champion Goldberg defeated “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt at Super ShowDown to claim the gold. His victory was met with a critical backlash from fans. This week, Goldberg joined WWE show The Bump. He discussed his victory over Wyatt as well as how he has dealt with the negative reception to his current reign.
“I’d love to see them do it, at any age, let alone at 53,” Goldberg stated. “I answered a phone call, and I did whatever I had to do to get ready in a short period of time, and provide a little bit of Goldberg out there. Fortunately, I was able to do it, and I’m looking forward to the next one [his title defense against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 36]. If I get a phone call and I believe that I can still do what I did back in the day to at least an acceptable level, then I’m not going to say ‘No.’ If you give me a challenge, I’m going to take it.”
Goldberg’s Next Challenger
Last week on SmackDown, Roman Reigns would be the Superstar to step up to Goldberg’s WrestleMania challenge. Goldberg noted how Reigns has been in his sights since he discovered “The Big Dog” played for Georgia Tech and does the spear. He shared that he “loves Roman to death” and appreciates all that he has done as an entertainer.
“I’m one of his number one fans,” he explained. “There’s no animosity there, I just have a job to do. Babyface, heel, I don’t give a damn what it is. I’m going to go out there and rip his face off like I do with everyone else.”
With both men known for their use of the spear, Goldberg broke down the differences between how they execute them. According to him, he always attempts to drive through people. Whereas Reigns’ is more “theatrical,” Goldberg’s is all about “delivering pain.”
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Mark Henry had some intriguing comments regarding the Universal Championship match at WrestleMania. Roman Reigns will be challenging new Champion Goldberg at the event; following a face-to-face with the former WCW star on SmackDown this past Friday. The live crowd in Boston not only booed Goldberg, who had defeated The Fiend just the night before, but also were not exactly receptive to Reigns, chanting “you both suck.”
Roman Reigns Main Eventing Again?
This will be the fifth time that Roman Reigns has main evented WrestleMania, if this match goes on last. The previous four bouts came at the height of fans completely rejecting Reigns in the main event position, however Mark Henry believes that this time will be different.
“This is a time where you’re not shoving Roman Reigns down somebody’s throat” Henry began. “And the people actually wanted…they were cheering for Roman, they were like, ‘kick his ass, take the title.’ They [the fans] want to see Roman Reigns have success again, that’s where we’ve evolved to, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Henry elaborated further, saying “I think that this is Romans time. People believe in him, people get behind him. They want to see him. Do they want to see him be [WWE] champion? I’m not sure, we’ll find out. But do they want to see him be champion more than Goldberg? Yes.”
Henry then made the point that Goldberg should be clearly positioned as the antagonist in the feud with Reigns. “He’s [Goldberg] gonna have to be arrogant. ‘I told you that I will be champion again, everybody was on my back about what happened the last time I was in Saudi but look at me now.’ I would paint the picture of him being the biggest assh*le that has ever been in pro wrestling.”
You can listen to Busted Open Radio every day via SiriusXM or the Podcast version via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or Player FM.
Do you think that Roman Reigns and Goldberg will main event WrestleMania this year? Let us know in the comments
Macaulay Culkin has been a wrestling fan for a very long time. He was shown in the live crowd at WrestleMania VII just months after Home Alone became a smash hit in movie theaters. Culkin has attended numerous other wrestling events in the nearly 30 years since as well but he won’t be attending WrestleMania 36 in Tampa Bay this year.
Culkin made a comment in reply to a Twitter thread about the Goldberg vs Fiend match at Super ShowDown that he has canceled his plans to attend WrestleMania 36 in Tampa Bay, Florida.
Culkin is the host of the Bunny Ears podcast. The podcast features notable guests such as Tony Hawk, Bob Saget, Andy Richtor, and more. Culkin has also been involved in wrestling at the independent level. He interfered in a match for Joey Ryan’s Bar Wrestling and used many tactics his character from Home Alone once did to fend off a pair of would-be burglars.
A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE WrestleMania 36 PPV and it’s a big one.
WWE Universal Champion Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns was confirmed. WWE did so on Friday’s episode of SmackDown in Boston, MA at the TD Garden on FOX in the opening segment.
Goldberg came out for a promo where he asked not who was last but who’s next. Reigns came out to the ring and said he was next. They had a quick staredown before the segment ended.
This was expected with original plans calling for Reigns to face Bray Wyatt as champion at the biggest event of the year for WWE.
Once Goldberg dethroned Wyatt, it was clear that Goldberg would walk into WrestleMania as Universal Champion as the company changed plans.
WWE presents the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event on Sunday, April 5, 2020 in Tampa, Florida at the Raymond James Stadium that will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks.
Updated WWE WrestleMania 36 Card
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre
WWE Universal Champion Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns
WWE NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
The Fiend’s dominating run that started at SummerSlam last year finally came to an end at Super Showdown where Goldberg defeated the Monster to win the Universal Championship in the main event of the show.
WWE cameras caught up with the new Universal Champion
backstage after the event was over and he was asked about his big win during
the night.
Goldberg was asked how it felt walking out of Super Showdown as the Universal Champion and he joked that he will be limping out of the country instead. The new champion then said that it’s an honor to win the title again:
“But hey man, it’s an honor just to be here and to be able to go out there and attain this belt again, this title again.” said Goldberg. “It’s a dream come true, it truly is. It’s something you always shoot for, but the older you get, the further that pinnacle is away you think, and I’m just… I’m in awe.”
Goldberg then detailed the strategy he used to defeat Wyatt
saying that he had to hit Bray with everything he had, as quickly as he could
to catch him off guard. He mentioned that this is how he defeated Brock Lesnar
as well.
The former WCW star has been announced for an appearance at SmackDown tonight. His Super Showdown win is expected to lead to a very interesting WrestleMania match. Click here to know the WrestleMania plans for Goldberg.
After weeks of speculation, WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt, portraying The Fiend, vs. Goldberg took place.
As seen at Thursday’s WWE Super ShowDown pay-per-view event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Goldberg ended up going over on Wyatt. This marked Goldberg’s first match of 2020 and his second reign as Universal Champion.
This match was booked on the February 7th episode of Friday Night SmackDown in San Jose, CA at the SAP Center on FOX when Goldberg made an appearance.
He talked about never getting a rematch for when he lost the Universal Title. He then issued a challenge to Wyatt. This is when Wyatt appeared in a Firefly Funhouse segment to accept the challenge.
Goldberg worked last year’s Super ShowDown show in the country where he battled The Undertaker. The match had received a ton of criticism from fans. The start of the match was good but it quickly went downhill due to unforeseen circumstances.
Thus, almost one year later, Goldberg was looking to right the wrongs that were made and did so.
What are your thoughts on Goldberg winning the Universal Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Goldberg will face Bray Wyatt for the Universal Championship in Saudi Arabia today at Super ShowDown. He spoke to SI.com recently about what he hopes to achieve with his performance on today’s show.
“I need to erase my last performance here, first and foremost,” said Goldberg, speaking from Saudi Arabia in reference to his match against Undertaker last fall. “I knocked myself out 30 seconds into the match, and I performed like a school child. That’s one of the reasons I’m back, and this is my opportunity to do it.”
Goldberg continued to say that he still wants to wrestle but his internal athletic clock is ticking.
“My internal clock is ticking, and I don’t know when it’s going to stop in terms of my ability to put these boots on and continue to do what I used to do. And when I’m posed with a challenge, I’m a defensive lineman, I don’t turn it down.”
Goldberg On Still Wanting To Wrestle
He would also talk about having a responsibility to his fans to be the same athlete he used to be.
“This is still a passion of mine,” said Goldberg, whose gratitude and appreciation for pro wrestling continues to reach heights he never imagined. “I also have a responsibility to my fans, who still believe in me to go out there and be the same machine I used to be, so I’m going to go out there and do it.”
Goldberg also spoke about experiencing the culture in Saudi Arabia. He told a story about another time he was in the country for a car show and meeting people from the country.
“I was here in November for a car show, and I was able to stay for a much longer stretch and experience the people from a different perspective. I met a little boy and girl, and that meeting brought me to tears. They were two beautiful, innocent children, no different from children anywhere else in the world. Experiencing it for myself, the people I’ve met here are gracious and kind.”
Goldberg recently did an interview with WWE.com where he spoke about his next match under the WWE banner.
The WWE Hall of Famer is slated to challenge Bray Wyatt for the Universal Title at Thursday’s Super ShowDown pay-per-view event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the Mohammed Abdou Arena.
In the interview, Goldberg sent a warning to Wyatt but did so before he praised him for never being against anybody like him before but he’s here to stand his ground.
He also wants to prove a point and show that no matter what age or what level of fitness you’re in, if you have something in your mind then you can do it. He added that he’s lucky he gets another chance.
“My first Saudi Arabia stint here was less than favorable in a lot of ways and it put me in a place that I’ve never been before and I think part of my reasoning for coming back is to kind wipe that out but I’m taking everything out on The Fiend tomorrow night, and hopefully it’s enough.”
Goldberg was referencing his match against The Undertaker at this same show last year which saw Taker go over after a disappointing match.
There were some botched spots due to miscommunication, the heat inside of the stadium, and Goldberg suffering a concussion.
WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg did a recent interview where reflected about his first encounter with The Undertaker.
He did so on the Total Slam podcast. The match between Goldberg and The Undertaker took place last year at the WWE Super ShowDown pay-per-view event.
It had received a ton of criticism from fans as the start of the match was good but it quickly went downhill due to unforeseen circumstances.
“My match with Taker was the perfect storm with no good. At the end of the day, I was not in the ring for two years. It was 150 degrees. Undertaker and I never worked together before,” said Goldberg. “My character is based on realism. My character is based on intensity and sometimes I forget I’m a little bit older than I used to be and my body is not [the same].
It was a spot over the years that I knocked myself out at times. Why? Because I refuse to do in there something that doesn’t looks real. If I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it 100 percent. If I knocked myself out, so be it, I knocked myself out.”
Goldberg Reflects On The Match
Goldberg noted that he had to deal with it and it was only his fault because he went too hard. He said that fans can’t fault him for it because he wanted to give the best show possible and make his family and fans proud.
Goldberg noted that he wanted to complete a dream of his and have a good match with Taker, but it doesn’t always turn out the way you want and unfortunately, it was on TV.
Goldberg continued by noting how everybody saw it but thinks that the match doesn’t defy him as a human being. He admitted that for two weeks he felt bad about it and he thinks they should get a pat on the back for putting ourselves out there at our age and doing the things that we do to entertain the people.
Goldberg returns to the country at this same event when he challenges Bray Wyatt for the Universal Title this Thursday.
Matt Riddle wanted to make sure that Goldberg has some extra confidence heading into his next match under the WWE banner.
The WWE Hall of Famer is slated to make his return to in-ring action when he steps into the ring to challenge Bray Wyatt for the Universal Title at WWE’s next special.
WWE presents the Super ShowDown pay-per-view event on Thursday, February 27, 2020 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the Mohammed Abdou Arena that will air on the WWE Network.
Riddle took to his official Twitter account where he sent a good luck message to the legendary pro wrestler. You can see his tweet here:
Riddle’s “booger bro” mention is a reference to the recent comments made by Goldberg, who compared Riddle to a booger.
The history between Goldberg and Riddle has been well documented. Thus, it will be interesting to see what Riddle has to say about Goldberg’s latest match after the show via social media.
Because of these types of comments made by Riddle as well as calling out main roster stars such as Goldberg and WWE Champion Brock Lesnar, it has led to him getting heat with WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon.
WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg did a recent interview where he spoke about Matt Riddle.
He did so on the Total Slam podcast about the NXT star, which he has some history with. Throughout the years, Riddle has been critical of the legendary pro wrestler even before Riddle got to NXT.
Goldberg made his feelings known but didn’t rip Riddle as some people may think.
“Riddle is like a booger stuck in your nose; he is annoying and won’t go away. He has no influence on Goldberg’s life. Period. End of story. It’s the wrestling business and sometimes when you’re out in public you may run into a former foe and you can never know how the situation will turn out. It is what it is, and we don’t see eye to eye.”
It turns out that they ran into each other while backstage at SummerSlam last year. Riddle actually talked about it on the SummerSlam Watch Along Livestream and WWE has released footage of it since then.
Most notably, Riddle was critical of Goldberg’s performance against The Undertaker in a singles match at the WWE Super ShowDown pay-per-view event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 2019.
Goldberg will make another appearance on WWE SmackDown Live on FOX next week, just six days before he gets into the ring with WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia.
The company made the announcement during this week’s SmackDown. Hulk Hogan made a return to the show and on the episode, he talked about Goldberg’s upcoming match with Wyatt. Wyatt interrupted Hogan during the segment and said that he could be his next victim after Goldberg.
While Goldberg returned to SmackDown via satellite last week, it appears that he will be appearing in person this time.
Another match that’s announced for next week is the number one contender match between Carmella and Naomi. The winner will go on to face WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley on Super ShowDown. This will be the first-ever women’s title defense in Saudi Arabia.
Next week’s SmackDown will emanate from the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona on Friday, February 21. This will be the final SmackDown episode before the upcoming Super ShowDown event taking place in Saudi Arabia on February 27 where Goldberg will face Bray Wyatt.
The WWE Hall of Famer did so on Friday Night SmackDown this week in San Jose, CA at the SAP Center on FOX. WWE hyped his appearance earlier this week with an announcement about him being back on Monday Night RAW.
As seen on the show, Goldberg did a promo via satellite where he stated that since he can’t fight WWE Champion Brock Lesnar at Super ShowDown, he’ll go after another title. He talked about never getting a rematch for when he lost the Universal Title.
He then issued a challenge to Bray Wyatt. This is when Wyatt appeared in a Firefly Funhouse segment where he noted that The Fiend accepts Goldberg’s challenge.
WWE makes its return with the Super ShowDown event in Saudi Arabia later this month.
Of course, Goldberg is looking to right the wrongs that were made at last year’s Super ShowDown show where he battled The Undertaker.
The match had received a ton of criticism from fans. The start of the match was good but it quickly went downhill due to unforeseen circumstances.
WWE presents the Super ShowDown pay-per-view event on Thursday, February 27, 2020 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the King Fahd International Stadium that will air on the WWE Network.
