Goldberg Addresses ‘Pressure’ Of WWE Retirement Match

Goldberg has discussed his preparation for his WWE retirement match, which was officially announced to be taking place in 2025.

At WWE Bad Blood on October 5, Goldberg made his first appearance in the company since February 2022.

While he only appeared to be a guest at the show in Atlanta, he would find himself being called out by World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER – with the two appearing to tease a physical confrontation at a later date.

Weeks after Bad Blood, Goldberg would confirm during an appearance on ESPN that he will in fact be competing inside a WWE ring one more time in 2025.

While the match has not yet been set up, Goldberg recently discussed his preparations for it during his CarCast podcast.

Making the parallels between his last WWE match and Mike Tyson’s recent boxing match with Jake Paul, Goldberg said:

“First and foremost, in my professional opinion, it wasn’t scripted. I just think, at 58 years old, and this is me talking because I’m preparing for my final hurrah. The first thing that goes is your body, the last thing that goes is your mind. Tyson may have wanted to do better and wanted to perform better and knock Jake Paul out and give a better impression of himself to the world, but there is only so much you can do.

“I don’t think his legs were under him by any stretch. Roy Jones Jr made notice of it, Andre Ward mentioned it. He didn’t look good, he didn’t look stable leg wise. He looked like he was drained. It’s a lot of pressure. I’m in a fictitious business and there is going to be a lot of pressure on me just to show up in the condition people remember me in. That, in and of itself, is a heavy weight to bear.

“I’m going to be perfectly honest with you, and it pains me to say this, I got respect for Jake Paul after. Not because of his ability to box, but because of his ability to be a human being. I don’t care what he said afterward. Actions speak louder than words. If he would have shoveled up that uppercut and that overhand right, he probably would have hurt Tyson pretty bad.

“You can take away all the goofy shit Jake Paul brings to the table, the fact that he’s playing a character like Conor McGregor so people hate him and he can draw more money, he showed he has a heart and respect for his elders. He couldn’t do it. I don’t think he could bring himself to do it. The piece of shit that he portrays to many people couldn’t pull the trigger and I commend him for that.”

Goldberg would then be asked if he felt any pressure going into his final WWE match, to which he said:

“I just have to be me again. This is something I’ve tried to teach my son because at 18 years old, he’s going up against 25-year-old kids. Graduate assistants and grad students that have played for six years. It’s a difference in reality.

“Mine is a difference in reality also. I’m at least twice the age of whoever I’m going to wrestle. At least. Your mind is a very powerful thing. Your mind can make you do things that your body completely tells you no, but it can only go a certain distance.

“It puts things in perspective, but I’m a different person than Tyson is and I’m being asked to do something different than Tyson did. The amount of pressure I feel after watching Tyson and Paul does not weigh heavier on me by any stretch of the imagination compared to the pressure I’m going to put on myself.”

We will provide further updates on Goldberg’s last WWE match as details become available.

Transcript via Fightful

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