Legend on Bill Goldberg possibly joining AEW after WWE retirement match
Bill Goldberg recently announced he plans to retire from in-ring competition in 2025. Legendary wrestling commentator Jim Ross reacted to the news by questioning whether the 57-year-old might appear in AEW.
Ross has worked for AEW since Tony Khan launched the company in 2019. Goldberg previously held talks with Khan about possibly joining the promotion. However, he revealed on 93.7 The Ticket that the discussions did not go anywhere because he thinks the Jacksonville-based promotion's product is "too cheesy."
Ross said on his Grilling JR podcast that he "would love" to see the WWE Hall of Famer wrestle at an AEW stadium show. He also mentioned how finances will play a big part in what happens next:
"It might not be," Ross said, discussing Goldberg having his last match in WWE. "He's a businessman through and through. He's got a great agent. They'll explore every opportunity and follow the cash." [26:31 – 26:44]
Ross speculated that a clause could be added to Goldberg's contract, enabling AEW to potentially hire him after the WWE retirement match.
Goldberg's most recent match ended in defeat against Roman Reigns at WWE Elimination Chamber in February 2022.
Jim Ross on Bill Goldberg's future after WWE return
It had been widely rumored that Bill Goldberg could wrestle again after he got involved in a confrontation with Gunther at Bad Blood on October 5.
Even if the former Universal Champion only returns for one match, Jim Ross thinks the bout could present him with other opportunities to make money:
"There's a big payday there for him and our agent Barry Bloom, and it gets him restarted as far as awareness is concerned for other projects. It may be a one-off in the ring but it's a multi-level prospect if he does it and he gets himself back on television." [25:09 – 25:35]
John Cena is also set to retire in 2025. The 16-time world champion will appear at dozens of WWE events before competing in his final match toward the end of the year.
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Please credit Grilling JR and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.