After a 12-year absence from WWE, Goldberg returned to the squared circle in November 2016, handily defeating Brock Lesnar in under two minutes at Survivor Series. ‘Da Man’ has since remained a semi-active performer, picking up one reign apiece with the WWE and WWE Universal Championships to mixed reactions.
Last wrestling Roman Reigns at the February 2022 Elimination Chamber premium live event, Goldberg was reported as having wrapped up his WWE dates when he made his surprise comeback on the February 4th Friday Night SmackDown. This wasn’t true, as confirmed by the man himself, but he is almost finished with the sports entertainment giant.
Appearing on The Roman Atwood podcast, Goldberg revealed during a hilarious Stephanie McMahon story that his current WWE deal expires in two months. This would in essence make him a free agent heading into 2023, provided a new deal isn’t offered from WWE:
“Stephanie [McMahon] if you’re listening to this, my contract ends in two months. So don’t hold this against me. Stephanie came up to me backstage one night and she said, ‘I heard you’ve been headbutting the doors.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s how I gotta be me.’ She’s like, ‘I don’t want you to headbutting any more doors.’ (…) I put my head through a lot of things across the country from ’94-’97, and I guarantee you half of them are still there.”
Goldberg Is 7-5 Since Returning
Although he’s arguably most famous for his legendary WCW win streak, Goldberg hasn’t had nearly as much luck since his 2016 return, winning just five of his sixteen matches. Of those he’s pinned, The Fiend and Kevin Owens were the most controversial, as Goldberg ended their WWE and Universal Championship reigns, respectively, weeks before WrestleMania.
Brock Lesnar, Dolph Ziggler, and Bobby Lashley are the other names defeated by Goldberg in his second WWE run, with Lashley being the most recent. ‘The All Mighty’ was felled by Goldberg in a well-received Falls Count Anywhere match during the 2021 Crown Jewel card.