Booker T isn’t here for the Goldberg slander—and he’s making that clear.
Amid the backlash over Goldberg’s retirement match against Gunther at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event, Booker T took to his Hall of Fame podcast to back both WWE’s handling of the event and Goldberg’s legacy in wrestling. The match, which headlined the show in Atlanta, was supposed to be Goldberg’s final farewell, but controversy erupted after his post-match speech was cut short on the broadcast.
Booker T acknowledged Goldberg’s frustration, but said he felt the speech was always meant for the people in the building.
“I thought the speech was meant for the Georgia fans,” he explained. “I thought that would have been more for them than anything. I’m thinking, ‘all those guys, for that ride’… the intimacy with Georgia meant more for Bill Goldberg than the masses.”
As far as the sendoff itself, Booker believes WWE delivered. He called it a rare honor to headline a show of that magnitude and praised the company’s decision to give Goldberg the spotlight one last time.
“I couldn’t agree with you more. I think [they] did a great job. I thought it was a great sendoff,” he said. “For him to actually be headlining something like that, that’s just like a pay-per-view… his sendoff was definitely better than a lot of guys. A lot of guys don’t get that. A lot of guys don’t get a last match.”
Booker also fired back at Goldberg’s critics, reminding listeners of just how important Goldberg was to wrestling’s boom period and his undeniable box office appeal.
“I know a lot of people talk down on Goldberg and what he did for the business, but Goldberg, he brought a lot to the table,” he said. “And for the guys who really don’t understand that, it’s about putting behinds in seats. Goldberg did that in his era… So you can only give that guy his props for what he did for the business.”
To drive it home, Booker reminded everyone that walking away with a payday like Goldberg’s isn’t something to apologize for.
“I say this to anyone who was in that same position as Goldberg, and if they came to you and say, ‘Hey, man, we’re gonna give you millions of dollars to go out there and just be you,’ I think you would have done it as well.”
Goldberg’s emotional reaction to his retirement speech being cut ignited responses across the wrestling world, but Booker’s message is clear—Goldberg earned his sendoff, and it was handled with more respect than many legends ever receive.
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