Goldberg Explains Why His Match With The Undertaker Was A "Debacle"
Goldberg was a recent guest on The Pat McAfee Show, where he spoke about WWE's relationship with Saudi Arabia. The Hall Of Famer admitted he was scared to compete there at first. However, he now believes the company should be proud of what they've achieved in the country.
"As one of the most visible Jewish guys on the planet, I was terrified to go over the first time, I really was. It was under the auspices of the WWE, so obviously, the security was there," he added. "I'll be perfectly honest; I haven't gotten a reception like that anywhere around the world that's much better. I mean, those people are so appreciative of what we do, the characters that we are, the business that we provide for them, the entertainment we provide.
"Let's be perfectly honest, they're at the groundbreaking stage of the westernization of that part of the world. We caught a lot of sh*t in the beginning," he admitted. "Look at all the people who've jumped on board right now. Look at all the talent, all the events that they've been able to put on, to westernize, evolve, that's the word I was looking for, no question. We caught a lot of sh*t in the beginning, I think we should be very proud of the precedent that we set."
While Goldberg has had several matches in Saudi Arabia, that might not be the case moving forward. That's because he revealed that, right now, there is only one match left on his contract.
"I've got one more match left on my deal, man. Then that's it," Goldberg stressed. "Everybody knows I've got one more and then that's it."
At this point, it is unknown when or where that match will be taking place. But Goldberg is putting off surgery in order to be ready for Vince McMahon.
Goldberg also discussed one of his most infamous matches in Saudi Arabia. That was when he faced The Undertaker, which he admitted was a match he didn't know if he could get through. The Hall Of Famer detailed some of the issues that night, and what happened in the ring.
"Yeah, 100%. Undertaker in Saudi," he said about matches he didn't think he could finish. "I'd been out for a while and everybody's got a routine, and I kind of forgot my routine. But I remembered the headbutt. So, on the way out, I headbutt the door. And I don't know where I am after that, I've got no idea what's going on.
"I'm kind of getting to the ring and then we've got the spot where he moves and I hit the turnbuckle. Well, I didn't go out and look at the turnbuckle beforehand, and it was a different setup from what we normally would have at Raw or SmackDown. I took that one," he said. "I try to take things as realistic as possible and I took it wrong. So, let's just say I got another concussion right there and opened myself up pretty good.
"It's the referee and the booker's responsibility to call what's going on in there. You know, they're on the mic and the headset and everything," Goldberg added. "The referee, I remember he came up to me 10, 15 times during that match, 'how're you doing?' And I'm like, 'I'm good, I'm good.' And by the time he'd walk away, I'd go, 'I don't know what's going on.'
"It was a different answer every time and the fact is, I never should've done what I did. But I did, I tried to go through with it but unfortunately, it turned out to be a debacle. It's a wonder that we both didn't get smashed during that match," he reflected. "It was a very bad missed opportunity. But hey, at the end of the day, I was just trying to provide a better show for everybody else."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit The Pat McAfee Show with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.