WWE News: Former Champion Wants To Come Out Of Retirement And Face Goldberg
During WWE‘s Attitude Era, the company tried to undermine Bill Goldberg‘s meteoric rise in World Championship Wrestling by creating a parody character called Gillberg. The superstar resembled Goldberg with his goatee and bald head, and his entrance was identical. However, he was also much smaller, older and booked as a jobber. Gillberg is retired these days, but the former Light Heavyweight Champion has revealed that he’d return for one last match if it was against the Hall of Famer.
As quoted by Sportskeeda, the 60-year-old recently spoke with Lewis Nicholls about the dream match. According to Gillberg, the match could be a draw, and he assured the interviewer that he’s still fit enough to compete should he ever receive the call to return to the ring.
“It’s Goldberg, I’ve been making fun of him for twenty-something years! And, to be honest with you, it would be WrestleMania-worthy. It really, really would. People would love to see that match. Believe me, I could really make the match look good. I’m still in great shape. I could still do everything I could do before. Maybe a little slower!”
During the interview, Gillberg shared a story about the time he met Goldberg at a convention in 2016. He revealed that he “begged” the Hall of Famer for a match, but Goldberg didn’t appear to be interested and the proposition wasn’t taken any further.
However, they did have a segment with each other back in 2003, which involved Gillberg trying to attack the former World Champion on an episode of Monday Night Raw. He also played a part in Kevin Owens’ 2017 feud with Goldberg, appearing on WWE’s flagship show for a short segment.
.@IAmJericho had one final #FestivalOfFriendship gift for @FightOwensFight that topped them all! #Gillberg @Goldberg #RAW pic.twitter.com/dlyNTBAdPt
— WWE (@WWE) February 14, 2017
Read This: 10 Items You Can (And Should) Buy On Amazon Right Now
Goldberg wrestles a couple of times a year these days, so perhaps he’d be open to the match if WWE management wanted it to take place. While it remains doubtful at this point, Vince McMahon is a fan of nostalgia and comedy matches, so it’s not beyond the realm of possibility should the WWE chairman ever want it to happen.
Gillberg enjoyed some success in the company after inheriting the Goldberg parody gimmick. He was a fan favorite as the WWE Universe was in on the joke. He also held the Light Heavyweight Championship for 15 months, making him the longest reigning champion of that specific title in WWE history.
Gillberg’s title run also resulted in the championship becoming a joke. During the title’s early days, it was treated with some respect and used as a catalyst for competitive matches. However, the division eventually became an afterthought, and its competitors ended up becoming comedic enhancement talents for the most part.
Gillberg retired from in-ring competition earlier this year, but at least he seems open to having more matches if the opponent is right.
