A WWE legend was not left excited following Goldberg’s recent return.
Last year, during the 2024 Bad Blood PLE, Goldberg engaged in a heated confrontation with Gunther. However, the confrontation saw no further development until yesterday. Last night, during the 16th June episode of Raw, Goldberg made his long-awaited return and challenged The Ring General to a title match on the July 12th edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event.
However, after the return, Hall of Famer Bubba Ray Dudley was not impressed. Calling out the comeback and the creative direction as “insulting”, the legend shared his thoughts. On the recent episode of Busted Open Radio, Dudley claimed,
“I despise lack of logic in wrestling. I get it. It’s wrestling. I get it, it’s sports entertainment. I understand creative liberty… This is not wiggle room. You know how certain politicians get voted into office, and they consistently do a bad job, but yet, every voting cycle… the people continue to vote this politician back into office? That’s what’s going on here. Until the WWE Universe decides that they hate this and walk away from the product… nothing will change.”
“Did Gunther issue an open challenge? No. Did Gunther say, ‘no matter who it is… you get the next title shot’? No… Who made the match? Why did they make the match? What’s the logic behind them saying yes?… A storyline like this, to me, is insulting because it’s just ramming something down your fan base’s throat and just expecting them to consume it.”
He further pitched what the promotion could have done instead:
“How about Goldberg comes out? You do the segment exactly as it’s done… Then you go to the back. Nick Aldis walks in says, ‘Mate, I’m sorry… I can’t agree to this.’ And Goldberg says, ‘I want an answer, and I want an answer now. Who can make this match?’… And now all of a sudden, we have a camera follow Goldberg through the arena… right by Triple H.
Triple H looks up, takes off his headphones, gets up, stands right in Goldberg’s face… Triple H puts out his hand, shakes Goldberg’s hand. There’s the match being made right there. It’s a story… that would have made more sense than just going, ‘Hey, ladies and gentlemen, Goldberg versus Gunther.”
H/t WrestlingNews.co
The former Universal Champion’s return was not well received by the fans either. Soon after his comeback, several concerns also emerged about his in-ring fitness status.
Goldberg’s WWE Return Raises Several Concerns
“Bill looked old. He looked small too, next to GUNTHER. Bill was always this big powerhouse guy. I’ve met Bill many times and Bill’s roughly, when Bill was younger, he would be roughly the same height as GUNTHER, I’d say both 6’2″/6’3″, and he looked a lot smaller than GUNTHER next to him. Which happens when you get old, Bill’s 58.”
“He’s had shoulder problems for a long time, I would say at least 10 years. And shoulder injuries are a total bitch to have, I went through that forever and ever. A lot of wrestlers have that, a lot of people who do a lot of heavy lifting, when they get older, have that. That’s what pretty much does in most of your heavy lifters is their shoulders go out, the bodybuilders and everything like that, and it’s just too painful to train at anything. And he’s probably in that realm right now.”
“And to be the old Bill Goldberg, at 58, it’s next to impossible anyway no matter what you do, but it probably requires some pretty heavy lifting and I doubt he can do that now with bad shoulders and everything. Good luck to him, it’s his farewell, but I really did notice… I think for one day it’ll be fine. I don’t know if the match will be fine.”
“I’m not worried about GUNTHER hurting Bill, but I’m worried about Bill absolutely, you know, getting too fired up and trying to do more than he can do figuring it’s his last match and everything. But the thing is, for Bill to be Bill, he’s gotta do power shit. What else has he got? He’s got the hard spear and the Jackhammer, and he has to do both, right? It’s his last match, he has to do it. So we’ll see, hopefully it all works out.”
In other news: Mercedes Mone has confirmed her relationship status.