Bill Goldberg and his son, Gage Goldberg talked about the veteran’s legacy in wrestling and football. Gage discussed embracing the pressure that went along with the Goldberg name.
In an interview with Memphis in May, Gage Goldberg says he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and potentially surpass Bill Goldberg’s legacy.
“I’ve always wanted to continue his legacy. I feel like there’s always been the shadow of it. So, I’m just trying to do exactly what he did and maybe do it even better.”
“I’ve been having to deal with it my whole life. I mean, I’ve just been overcoming it and just trying to do exactly what he’s been doing and live up to that legacy and then hopefully get over the shadow and become a better badass than he was.”
Bill Goldberg discussed the hardships in transitioning from football to pro wrestling.
“I think the hardest part was two very difficult things for me. First and foremost, it was not to hurt people. Because you go from a sport that’s 100% full contact to more of a drama-filled because you go from a sport that’s 100% full contact to more of a drama-filled the existing wrestlers because it it it I’m coming in from a professional background trying to take the job of one of these guys who have aspired to do that their entire lives. For me, I was born in a football helmet and I’ve wanted to be a football player my entire life. And I transitioned to wrestling because I had to retire from football ‘cause I got hurt.”
“It’s tough to enter a profession as an outsider and there was a lot of pressure on me. But the reality is I came from a sport where I got two guys that are 320 lbs trying to kill me at the same time. So for me, anything beyond the football field was easy.”
When asked about the toughest obstacle faced as a pro wrestler, Goldberg reflected on a match with Paul Wight. He had to lift him up for a jackhammer, a move Wight significantly hated for being upside down.
Goldberg officially retired from wrestling in July 2025. He lost to Gunther at SNME that month, and it also kicked off his career killer persona in WWE.
Meanwhile, Gage plays linebacker for the University of Colorado and has expressed interest to pursue a career in wrestling.
In the same interview, Bill teased a reality show with his son, Gage for the Discovery Channel.
A new reality show featuring WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg and his son Gage could be coming to Discovery Channel.
During an interview at the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in Memphis, Goldberg shared that he and Gage are “up for the possibility” of a new Discovery Channel show. He did not reveal specific details of the project but said it would be outdoors-focused. He stressed the importance of having range as both a wrestler and human being and believes showing the outdoorsman side of his personality is what led Discovery Channel to be interested in this .
“The reality is, as a human being and as a performer, you’re of no value unless you have range. I like to say that I can pick up the giant, slam him and growl, and then get out of the ring and grab a baby and take a selfie,” he said. “The reality is that the further your range is, the more things that fall in between that range that you can accomplish and that you can do and that you can put your effort toward. Like Patriot Tactical, I’m trying to raise awareness for a company that, you know, years ago people may not have thought that I would be attached to.
“But I’m an outdoorsman. And right now, Gage and I are up for the possibility of doing an outdoor show on Discovery Channel. They may not have known that I was an outdoor freak unless I was associated with Patriot Tactical. And so, your passions tend to lead to other opportunities later in life — and you never know where you’re going to be. So like I said, you just put your nose to the grindstone, you work 100 percent, and you try to be the best at anything and everything you’re doing that day.”
Patriot Tactical is a company that sells knives, clothing, and protective equipment. Goldberg was announced as partner and chief executive officer this February, with this being a new pursuit for him after retiring from wrestling with a loss to Gunther at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event in July 2025.
Gage Goldberg is part of the University of Colorado football roster, playing under coach Deion Sanders after joining the team as a walk-on in 2024. In December of that year, Gage noted that Paul “Triple H” Levesque has told him the door is open if Gage ever wants to get into WWE down the line.
Gunther put an end to three wrestling veterans’ careers within the past year. From Goldberg in July to John Cena in December and AJ Styles in January.
Gunther revealed on WWE Retrospective that retiring Styles was a priority over Cena because he idolized his run before joining the company. He cited comparisons with Styles and himself in his early career and respected him.
“Everybody kind of knew backstage, it was an open secret that AJ was going to hang up his boots at some point, that’s what I wanted to do next.”
“AJ’s kind of different where it’s like; you have the WCW legend Goldberg, then you have the guy that stands for WWE, then you have AJ who’s somewhat more similar to me because he had a great run here but a lot of the stuff the people love him for happened before WWE.”
“He’s one of those guys that, the generation of wrestling I came up with, we looked up to guys like AJ Styles. I remember that when he was in New Japan and we always watched his big matches there, they were fantastic. There was the time where I was really grinding and developing, there was stuff I would watch.”
“I always had so much respect for AJ’s work. It almost kind of felt like, from the wrestler purist heart, that felt almost more important for me than the Cena match. But on screen being able to rub it in and try and ruin that last run he has was so much fun.”
He also added Goldberg and Cena’s retirement timeline was made public leaving an uncertainty around Styles’ match. The anticipation was heightened for the match given the stipulation that Styles’ loss would be the end of his WWE career.
“That’s the beauty of it because with Goldberg and Cena everyone knew it was their last match, and I think with AJ people weren’t too sure it was going to be his last match. A good chunk of them expected AJ to win and carry on with his career, but he went out on his own terms, that’s something a lot of wrestlers can’t manage, it’s always best to go at a point where people are still going to miss you, not at a point where people are like ‘ah it was time’.'”
“So hat off to AJ, great career, fantastic wrestler, but I took it away, what can I do.”
After December, Gunther bragged about making Cena tap out especially with his motto to ‘never give up’. An infuriated Styles confronted him leading to their match at Royal Rumble.
Styles will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this weekend, and Cena will host WrestleMania 42.
Gunther was scarcely seen on WWE TV in the aftermath of his attack on Dragon Lee in February. Last month he ambushed Seth Rollins during his confrontation with Paul Heyman. Ultimately, a match between the two was set for WrestleMania.
This week on Raw, Gunther revealed that his rivalry with Rollins was personal because he was determined to prove he was the better of the two.
“When I came up in wrestling and watched Goldberg matches, the most exciting part was always that something catastrophic could happen at any time. I think that was kind of the appeal too, it looked dangerous because it was. I remember Hunter asked me about it almost like a year before, where it’s ‘do you want to do that?’ Yeah, I want to wrestle Bill Goldberg, and I want to have the best match he maybe ever had.
“In that situation the only thing I can do is just give it my best and make sure it’s the best match possible. I mean on the one hand it was also kind of like a surreal moment because wrestling Goldberg was never my agenda or anything, it’s like sure I’ll wrestle Goldberg if it happens, I used to play that guy on the N64 with my friends. It’s funny to catch yourself in a situation like that,” Gunther continued.
Speaking highly of the feud and their match’s setup, the former champion commented, “He was doing so many things intentionally right that impressed me and I was like ‘that’s really cool’. I also liked the setting of it because we were early at bringing back Saturday Night’s Main Event again, the old school setting and stuff, that was really fitting.“
“At the end of the day it’s all about big characters, that’s the thing, everyone knows Goldberg. When we got to the place where it was time for him to hit his signature things, in that building, everyone was for Bill Goldberg, they wanted to see Goldberg win that night,” he further added.
Believing that retiring Goldberg helped him in his career, Gunther continued, “I think that match did a lot for me and my career, and I hope he can look back at it and be happy with the performance he put on that night, because I was very happy with that match and it definitely exceeded expectations I would say.“
Goldberg still sounds bothered about the way the final night of his wrestling career ended.
In July 2025, Goldberg wrestled his final match when he lost to Gunther at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event. Goldberg had fun in the match and came away from the night with a lot of respect for Gunther. But Goldberg was not happy about the way his retirement speech was abruptly cut off on the broadcast.
Goldberg was in Nashville on Sunday (March 29) for an autograph signing. During the appearance, TikToker Pop the Chain met Goldberg and recorded their interaction. Goldberg said cutting off his speech showed the disrespect WWE has for him — and he agreed with Pop the Chain that Paul “Triple H” Levesque is a “jackass.”
Pop the Chain: You know what really pissed me off? Was when WWE cut off your mic at your final performance.
Goldberg: Well, what do you think it did for me? It made me really happy [sarcastic]. It just shows what disrespect they have for me.
Pop the Chain: What jackass — was it Hunter? Who did that?
Goldberg: Probably.
Pop the Chain: Yeah, he’s a jackass, man.
Goldberg: 100 percent
Goldberg was the first wrestling legend that Gunther retired. Gunther has now adopted a “Career Killer” persona after going on to defeat John Cena and AJ Styles in their final matches.
It was announced last month that Goldberg has been named a partner and CEO of Patriot Tactical, a brand that sells knives and other protective equipment.
Though it was cut off on the broadcast, WWE did upload Goldberg’s full retirement speech online.
Wrestling fans haven’t seen much of Bill Goldberg since he lost his retirement match to Gunther last July. Now, after spending so many years keeping fans entertained, he’s looking to keep them safe.
Patriot Tactical, a company that manufactures knives and other self-defense gear, announced via press release that Goldberg has joined their organization as a partner and chief executive officer.
“Goldberg’s leadership now marks a bold new chapter for Patriot Tactical—a brand built on resilience, responsibility, and relentless execution,” the press release states. “Under his direction, Patriot Tactical will expand its mission to equip Americans not only with elite tactical gear, but with the mindset and community required to live stronger, safer, and more prepared lives.”
“For me, this isn’t about putting my name on a brand,” said Goldberg in the release. “It’s about building something that stands for strength, discipline, and protecting what matters most. Patriot Tactical is about empowering people—physically, mentally, and strategically. We’re creating a movement.”
One of the biggest stars of the Monday Night Wars in the late 1990s, Goldberg is a former WCW World Champion, WWE World Heavyweight Champion, and WWE Universal Champion, among various other titles. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. His last match was on Saturday Night’s Main Event on July 12, 2025, in an unsuccessful challenge for Gunther’s WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Editor’s Note: Several weeks ago, we saw the following post on Reddit and with the permission of author Kanenums88, we are republishing it here as Wrestling Observer Newsletter award season voting has officially begun for subscribers.
The following has been edited slightly and there is some light opinion in the write-ups that reflects the views of the writer and not our website.
Since 1980, voters in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards have highlighted the achievements of wrestlers in their first year of significant competition with the annual Rookie of the Year award.
To be fully transparent, this is copied from a user from a few days ago who copied this from another account’s post from four years ago. It wasn’t updated in such a long time and since a lot has changed in such a short amount of time, I thought it would be best to take it upon myself to do just that, as well as to give some of the entries more of a proper write-up with added bits of context I thought were necessary.
Wrestling Observer Newsletter Rookie of the Year Award:
1980 – Barry Windham
Windham went on to carve out a 30+ year career filled with many accolades in various promotions. He was most notable for his work in WCW where he became a member of The Four Horsemen and held the NWA World Championship. Most recently, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame for a second time, joining an elite class to do so, with his brother-in-law Mike Rotunda as part of the U.S. Express.
1981 – Brad Armstrong & Brad Rheingans
Son of “Bullet” Bob Armstrong, Brad Armstrong won numerous mid-card and tag team titles in different Southern promotions but never reached his ceiling. He signed with WWE in 2006, initially for the ECW brand, but soon became a producer. His career lasted for over 30 years before he died of a heart attack at the age of 50.
Rheingans was a prolific Greco-Roman wrestler before entering pro wrestling. He didn’t do much as a pro wrestler, though, and had a better career as a trainer, training the likes of Brock Lesnar, JBL, and Vader.
1982 – Steve Williams
“Dr. Death” had a solid career in the U.S., but an even better one in Japan. One of the top gaijins of all time, he was a former Triple Crown Champion and eight-time AJPW Tag Team Champion. His career was slowed after a throat cancer diagnosis in 2004 which returned in 2009 and worsened, leading to his passing in December 2009 at the age of 49.
1983 – The Road Warriors
Joe Laurinaitis and Mike Hegstrand were given the names Hawk (Mike) and Animal (Joe) and joined “Precious” Paul Ellering as the Road Warriors in Georgia Championship Wrestling in 1983. What followed was a team that is often recognized by many as the greatest of all-time and certainly went on to become one of the most popular acts of the 1980s. They held gold in multiple promotions, and, despite both having since passed on, their impact on wrestling still persists to this day.
1984 – Tom Zenk & Keiichi Yamada (the future Jushin Thunder Liger)
The Z-Man (not to be confused with Brian Zane) was a perennial mid-carder throughout much of his career, being more of an impressive bodybuilder than a wrestler. He passed away at the age of 59 in 2017.
Yamada, on the other hand, went on to become arguably the greatest junior heavyweight in Japan as Jushin Thunder Liger. A record 11x IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, he retired in 2020 until 2025 when he came out of retirement to answer Joey Janela’s open challenge at the WrestleCade Supershow in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
1985 – Jack Victory
Victory never really amounted to anything despite boasting a 37-year career. He was mostly an undercard guy in WCW, but his most notable run was in ECW when he was aligned with Steve Corino. He retired in 2021, teaming in a match alongside Steve’s son, Colby.
1986 – Bam Bam Bigelow
Scott Bigelow was a bounty hunter with a prison stint in Mexico before deciding to get into wrestling. What resulted was an all-around great talent, who found success in the U.S. and Japan. He was a former ECW Champion and a WrestleMania main eventer when he took on Lawrence Taylor at WrestleMania 11 (he also won the Slammy for Best Head in 1987 which is the greatest achievement on this list).
He unfortunately passed away at the age of 45 in 2007 due to an accidental drug overdose, a fate that has plagued way too many. His legacy as one of the best big men wrestlers lives on to this day.
1987 – Brian Pillman
One of the most innovative and best workers of his generation as “Flyin’ Brian” and the “Loose Cannon,” Pillman is remembered as a great “what if” case in wrestling. He unfortunately passed away from a heart attack at the age of 35 in 1997, right in the midst of his WWF run. People often wonder if he could have been a bigger name if not for the unfortunate circumstances he faced in life. His son, Brian Jr., carries on his legacy in WWE NXT as Lexis King.
1988 – Gary Albright
Originally from Stampede Wrestling, Albright had a much better career in Japan with runs in AJPW as a two-time World Tag Team Champion, but he was never as big as the other top gaijins. He sadly passed away at 36 years old while at an indie show in 2000. As a side note, he married Afa’s daughter and therefore was a member of the Anoa’i family through marriage. He was even included in the Rock’s Bloodline family tree during the buildup to WWE WrestleMania 40.
1989 – Dustin Rhodes
Dustin never managed to get over the shadow of his father in WCW, but after a repacking to the weird, androgynous character Goldust in WWF, he quickly carved out his own legacy as one of the most memorable performers of all time. He never quite reached the main event level in his many runs, but he’s always been seen as a great worker with character skills that can only be matched by a few. He joined AEW in 2019 where he’s been ever since, most recently winning the TNT Championship at All In Texas at the age of 56. He is working toward a comeback after undergoing double knee replacement surgery.
1990 – Steve Austin
There’s not really much to say about “Stone Cold” that hasn’t already been repeated to death. Simply put, he became the biggest name in all of wrestling during one of the hottest boom periods for the industry with his rivalry with Vince McMahon as one of the most defining fixtures of the Attitude Era.
After stepping away super young in 2003 due to nagging neck issues, he returned 19 years later to defeat Kevin Owens in the main event of WWE WrestleMania 38. An iconic household name of the business forever, Austin is by far the most successful star on this list.
1991 – Johnny B. Badd
Whether as a Little Richard impersonator or as a boxer, Marc Mero saw success with runs in WCW and WWF, always being a decently popular act. He was a bit overshadowed by his own former valet and then-wife, Sable, near the end of his run and didn’t do anything else of note as a wrestler after his departure from the WWF in 1999. He has since gone on to have a successful career as a motivational speaker, touring schools across the country to lecture on the dangers of bullying and drug abuse.
1992 – Rey Misterio Jr.
With great runs in AAA, WCW, and ECW, Rey’s run in the WWE is what truly led him to become the most popular luchador of his generation. Despite his small stature, he won three World Championships in the WWE and became a globally recognized name. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as an active wrestler in 2023 and shows no signs of stopping any time soon. Currently, he’s wrapped up in a perpetual feud with his son, Dominik.
1993 – Jun Akiyama
Akiyama managed to carve out a respectable Hall of Fame worthy career as one of the best technical wrestlers of his generation. Having success in promotions AJPW and NOAH as a two-time Triple Crown Champion and three-time GHC Heavyweight Champion, he currently competes in DDT where he is also a former KO-D Openweight Champion.
1994 – Mikey Whipwreck
A former ring-crew worker turned wrestler, he became a hugely popular underdog babyface in ECW. He reached his peak by winning the ECW World Heavyweight Championship at the age of 22, the youngest World champion of a major promotion. He continued to work sporadic indies through August 2024, but mostly remains a cult favorite amongst the loyal diehard ECW fanbase.
1995 – Perro Aguayo Jr.
Aguayo Jr. was mostly known for being the leader of the Los Perros del Mal stable in CMLL which was a big draw for the company. He was well on his way to becoming one of the biggest names in Mexico with AAA before his sudden passing in the ring. He tragically suffered a cardiac arrest as a result of three broken vertebrae in a 2015 match. In the wake of his death, he was honored greatly, and it raised many questions on the safety of wrestlers in the industry as a whole.
1996 – The Giant
The Giant debuted by beating Hulk Hogan to become the WCW World Heavyweight Champion. What followed was a respectable career for Paul Wight, better known as the Big Show where he had as many ups and downs as he had heel and face turns throughout his career. In WWE, he ended his 22-year run as a four-time World champion for the company. In 2021, he left WWE to join AEW where he’s worked as an analyst and occasional wrestler ever since.
1997 – Mr. Aguila
Aguila has had a career as a respected veteran in the lucha scene, but he’s known by many for his brief stint in the WWF as lower card wrestler Essa Rios. He eventually joined the aforementioned Los Perros del Mal stable in CMLL and now finds work in the Mexican independent scene.
1998 – Goldberg
Goldberg’s look, intensity, presentation, and charisma all led to him becoming WCW’s most popular act despite his lack of in-ring prowess. His undefeated streak and popularity as the WCW Heavyweight Champion were synonymous with that era of wrestling as a whole. His later WCW run and future runs in the WWE made him one of the most polarizing figures in wrestling, but at his peak, there was just about no one who was bigger than Bill Goldberg.
He officially retired earlier last year, losing to Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event in July 2025.
1999 – Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg was an insanely fun wrestler to watch with his brief stint in WCW being somewhat of a predecessor to the high-flying car crash style. He retired in 2004 to focus on a career as a computer technician, bestowing the gimmick on Jack Evans for a short period of time. He now works as a registered nurse in Texas.
2000 – Sean O’Haire
One of the biggest cases of a “what if,” his runs in WCW and the WWE showed he had the potential to be a main eventer but was never granted a real opportunity. He was released in 2004 and his life spiraled afterward. He had many demons and was sadly not able to overcome them, passing away in 2014. It’s a tragic reminder that if you ever feel alone or lost, please reach out and seek the help you need.
2001 – El Hombre Sin Nombre
El Hombre Sin Nombre is a title passed on to many luchadors and thus, it is hard to place the exact one this is referring to. The original author attributed this to Ephesto, but not only is the award not listed on his Wikipedia, he also didn’t use the “Sin Nombre” name until 2005. I don’t have much knowledge of Mexican wrestling and therefore, I’m stumped. If anyone can help identify this guy, please do.
2002 – Bob Sapp
Did somebody say Sapp Time? After failed careers as a football player and wrestler, he became a star in MMA and kickboxing during the boom period of PRIDE and K1. With wrestling and MMA intertwined in Japan at the time, he was used in places such as NJPW and AJPW, even holding the IWGP Championship for a run.
At his peak, he was a massive celebrity in Japan and a huge draw. His larger-than-life character keeps him memorable in MMA and wrestling today and at 52, he still does occasional fights. Expect to see him vs. Jake Paul in the not so distant future.
2003 – Chris Sabin
Sabin was one of the best workers in TNA history with memorable runs in the X-Division and alongside Alex Shelley as the Motor City Machine Guns. Despite holding the TNA World Championship for a brief period, he was never really valued as a main eventer. Despite this, he’s wrestled pretty much everywhere for over two decades with he and Shelley ultimately signing with WWE in 2024, becoming prominent figures in their tag division ever since.
2004 – Petey Williams
Another TNA X-Division talent, the inventor of the Canadian Destroyer is considered one of TNA’s best workers of all time who never made it out of the mid-card. He had many on-and-off again runs with the company until 2022 when he joined WWE as a producer, where he remains today.
2005 – Shingo Takagi
Takagi was one of Dragon Gate’s biggest stars in its history, amassing 15 titles during his run with the company. He joined NJPW in 2018 and is one of the most consistent main event workers. In 2021, he won the vacant IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and led the company as its top act during his run.
2006 – Atsushi Aoki
Aoki was one of the best junior heavyweights of his generation, working for both AJPW & NOAH. He was in the middle of his fourth reign as AJPW World Junior Heavyweight Champion when he tragically died in a 2019 motorcycle accident. The company honored his reign as champion until the six month defense clause kicked in after his death.
2007 – Erick Stevens
Stevens was a promising talent in ROH, mostly known for his feud with Roderick Strong on the late 2000s indie scene. His career never really panned out and he’s retired and come back numerous times since 2010. His most recent comeback happened last year where he even got to reignite his feud with Strong in Deadlock Pro Wrestling.
2008 – Kai
Kai was primed to be a potential future “face” of AJPW, but he was one of the many that joined Keiji Mutoh in the exodus towards WRESTLE-1. He was a focal point in the company, becoming their third Wrestle-1 Champion, but he did not go far in terms of long term popularity. He left in 2016 to become a freelancer and currently does most of his work in Dragon Gate.
2009 – Frightmare
Frightmare was one of the top acts of CHIKARA when it was at its peak as a top indie promotion. He stayed with Chikara until the company’s death and never really got out of the indie circuit. He continues to take various bookings at indies today.
2010 – Adam Cole
One of the best workers of the 2010s, Cole went on to have successful runs in all the promotions he’s worked for. He was the top heel in both ROH and NXT before he arrived in AEW in 2021. After returning from a nasty concussion in 2023, he began an oddball friendship with MJF and the two main evented AEW’s All In from Wembley Stadium.
His career was sadly cut short he was forced to vacate the TNT Championship before last July’s All In Texas due to undisclosed health issues. His future as a performer remains in jeopardy, but the time we’ve had with him on our screens cannot be forgotten so easily.
2011 – Daichi Hashimoto
Son of the late three musketeer Shinya Hashimoto, Daichi saw decent success early on but failed to overcome the shadows of both his father and the other two three musketeers. He left promotion Zero1 in 2014 and joined deathmatch promotion Big Japan Wrestling where he remains today.
2012 – Dinastia
Dinastía was practically the face of AAA’s Mini Estrella division winning the AAA World Mini’s Championship twice. With a total combined reign of 2,888 days, the title was vacated and abandoned once he left the company. There isn’t much more information about him online, but according to Cagematch, he still works on the Mexican independent scene.
2013 – Yohei Komatsu (the future YOH)
After an excursion, he was repackaged as YOH and had a successful junior heavyweight tag team run as Roppongi 3K with Sho Tanaka (repackaged as SHO). SHO turned on YOH in 2021 and the two would feud. YOH has continued to be a mainstay in the junior division ever since.
2014 – Dragon Lee
One of the best luchadors today, Lee was a multi-time champion across CMLL and NJPW. In 2022, he won the AAA World Tag Team Championships with his brother Dralistico and announced to the world that he had signed with WWE. His run in WWE got off to a shaky start, but it’s recently come around after WWE bought AAA earlier this year. He held the WWE World Tag Team titles alongside AJ Styles before losing them to The Usos on the final Raw of 2025.
2015 – Chad Gable
Starting in NXT with Jason Jordan as part of American Alpha, they had tons of potential to be a great tag team but never panned out. He coasted for a while and was saddled with an awful Shorty G gimmick that would have killed anyone else. It’s a testament to his skills as a performer that he not only overcame it but also became a naturally popular act in the company.
His recent heel run has been a mixed bag, especially when a mysterious new talent in El Grande Americano joined the company and took his spot. He has been out with an injury since June 2025 and only time will tell what’s in store for him in his future. According to reports, he is expected back imminently.
2016 – Matt Riddle
The UFC fighter turned wrestler joined WWE in 2018 and became an incredibly popular mid-card act in the WWE. After his pairing with Randy Orton ended with “The Viper” getting put on the shelf, it looked as if he was primed to be a main eventer. Real life controversies and general unprofessional behavior got in the way and he was fired from WWE in 2023. He’s popped up in a few places since, but hasn’t gotten close to the heights he was reaching before. He’s currently in MLW.
2017 – Katsuya Kitamura
Kitamura was one of the more unique looking young lions in NJPW, mainly due to his massive size, and was touted as the most promising of his class. He won the Young Lions Cup in 2017 but suffered a cerebral concussion that ended his career in 2018, quietly leaving New Japan in 2019. In 2022, he was tragically found dead at the age of 36 with no cause ever being publicly released.
2018 – Ronda Rousey
Rousey was the first female UFC fighter signed to the company and one of the big faces of MMA at her peak. She made her long awaited debut at WrestleMania 34, which may have been her peak as a wrestler. She quickly went on to become one of the most polarizing, if not downright hated, wrestlers for multiple reasons, both in and out of the ring.
However, she did manage to boast an impressive resume as a multi-time women’s champion and one of the first women to main event WrestleMania, but her star faded in her second run. She left WWE in 2023 and quietly retired in 2025.
2019 – Jungle Boy/Jack Perry
Son of late actor Luke Perry and nephew of famed Simpsons character Krusty the Clown, Jack Perry joined AEW as one of its young prospects. Seeing early success alongside Luchasaurus (and Marko Stunt) as Jurassic Express, his heel run was not perceived as well. After mocking CM Punk on the Zero Hour to All In in 2023 about an incident involving “real glass,” the two got into a legit fight backstage.
Perry was suspended but used his heat to become the Scapegoat character, joining The Elite and winning the TNT Championship. After a lengthy absence, he returned, turned face, and reunited with Luchasaurus. He also was an injury sub for this last year’s Continental Classic.
2020 – Pat McAfee
Not a wrestler in the traditional sense, McAfee is mostly known as an NFL punter turned sports analyst with The Pat McAfee Show as one of the most popular sports talk shows today. He joined WWE in 2019 to become an analyst, but he also had a feud with Adam Cole in NXT where he had an impressive debut match.
He’s mostly known to wrestling fans today as one of the most polarizing commentators of all time. Pat is a guy you either really love or really hate. He still wrestles occasionally with matches at WrestleMania’s 38 and 39, SummerSlam 2022, and last year’s Backlash.
2021 – Jade Cargill
Cargill was primed to be a major star in AEW right out of the gate, becoming the inaugural TBS Champion. She held the title for 373 days, boasting a 60-0 win streak at the same time. She left the company in 2023, joining WWE as a “monumental signing” for them.
Her initial run was used to strengthen up the women’s tag division alongside Bianca Belair to mixed results. A 2025 turn led to her becoming the WWE Women’s Champion as a dominant heel where she stands today.
2022 – Bron Breakker
Son and nephew to Rick and Scott Steiner, respectively, Bron burst on the scene with insane momentum. His skills as a performer as well as his intensity led to him winning the NXT championship four months after his debut, ultimately becoming the top star for the brand.
On the main roster, it’s already clear he is being primed to become the future of the company. A two-time Intercontinental Champion and a member of The Vision, Breakker scored the deciding fall in WarGames by pinning WWE World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk.
Despite losing to Punk on the first Raw of 2025, Breakker has perhaps the brightest future of anyone else on this list.
2023 – Yuma Anzai
A very hot prospect in the Japanese wrestling scene, Anzai won the Triple Crown Heavyweight Championship in 2024, becoming the youngest to do so at the age of 24. He continues to wrestle in All Japan today, so we’ll just have to see what’s in store for him in the future.
2024 – Je’Von Evans
Signing with WWE in 2023 at the age of 19, Evans has already become one of the most impressive and popular prospects in the company today. He has essentially become WWE’s go to guy for crossovers, competing in AAA, TNA, on SmackDown, and most recently on Raw as the sole NXT rep in John Cena’s Last Time is Now tournament. He was officially called up to Raw last week.
Who will be this year’s WON Rookie of the Year? Find out soon.
When Raven looks back on his career, one of his proudest moments is the United States title match he had with Goldberg in 1998.
Goldberg won his first pro wrestling title when he defeated Raven for the United States Championship on the April 20, 1998 episode of WCW Nitro. Raven remembers it as a “really good” match and the first good match that Goldberg ever had.
“Goldberg match, just because Goldberg had never had a good match before that,” Raven responded on Insight with Chris Van Vliet when asked about his proudest wrestling moments.
“And it’s one of his, I don’t know, Goldberg might have had good matches in this run he’s had recently. I don’t know, I haven’t watched any of it, as I said. But back in the day, I was the first good match he had. And the first really good match, let alone good match. I was really proud of that, that I was able to get that out of him.”
Goldberg made his pro wrestling debut in 1997 and went on to become one of the biggest stars in the industry. He retired from the ring last year in a loss to Gunther at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Along with the Goldberg bout, Raven named an ECW match against Terry Gordy and WWE match against Rhyno as some of his favorites. In the Gordy match, Raven feels like he was able to bring the old Gordy back one last time after Gordy had suffered from brain damage. Raven said he considers the Backlash 2001 bout against Rhyno the best hardcore match in history up to that point.
“Nevermore: The Raven Effect” — a documentary on Raven — is now available. Real name Scott Levy, the 61-year-old Raven is believed to be suffering from early onset Parkinson’s disease. He describes his overall health as good, though he has a sleep disorder that he attributes to his years of drug abuse and taking chair shots to the head. He is now sober and told Insight that he’s embarrassed by his past drug use.
Gunther is entering this weekend with higher expectations than the last time he retired a pro wrestling legend.
At WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event on December 13, Gunther will serve as the opponent for John Cena’s final match. It’s an opportunity for Gunther to retire both Cena and Goldberg in the same calendar year. Though Gunther was pleased with how that July bout against Goldberg went, he expects to have a better in-ring match against Cena.
“Goldberg, I was very pleased with the outcome of that, I think,” Gunther told the New York Post. “Obviously, I had different expectations in that match than I have with the match on Saturday. I’m expecting, obviously, a little bit more out of that because John is such a way more skilled wrestler than Goldberg was. He was very limited in what he could do. So, very different scenarios I think.”
Gunther added that he believes he and Goldberg delivered the best match they could given the circumstances. Even in Goldberg’s prime, he didn’t have the biggest repertoire of moves and instead had two or three things he did really well.
Cena’s final opponent was determined by WWE’s Last Time is Now Tournament, which concluded last week with Gunther defeating LA Knight in the finals. There was not any time for Gunther and Cena to have a promo segment together before Saturday Night’s Main Event — and Gunther regrets that he was not able to go back and forth with Cena on the mic.
“Oh yeah, for sure,” Gunther responded when the New York Post asked if he would have liked to have a promo exchange with Cena. “He’s, like, maybe the best on the mic to ever do it — or one of the best. People can argue whatever they want about those things, but he’s definitely in the top category. So it would have been good for experience-wise to get the chance. Didn’t work out, it’s fine. It is what it is. I’m more focused on the match anyway.”
Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. will be the venue for Saturday Night’s Main Event. The show streams live on Peacock starting at 8 p.m. Eastern.
The Josh Nason’s Punch-Out pro wrestling year in review series continues with a stop in July — arguably the busiest month of the year when it came to news.
That’s because Hulk Hogan passed away which brought out a lot of big feelings, memories and a lot of mainstream media attention.
The month also featured AEW All In which saw Hangman Page end the night as World Champion in addition to a lot of newsworthy happenings.
July also saw the retirement of Bill Goldberg on the same show in which Seth Rollins got “injured” which also saw its own torrent of speculation, news, and conjecture.
Helping me sift through that and a few hundred headlines is returning guest Jason Powell of ProWrestling.net which includes the rest of the news in AEW, WWE, NXTNAAA, Japan, Mexico and more.
Goldberg walked out of a previously scheduled autograph signing.
K&S WrestleFest shared on social media Saturday that Goldberg did not participate in a previously scheduled private autograph signing, writing that he walked past them and left after doing a signing for another vendor.
“Unfortunately Goldberg PRIVATE Signing did not happen,” they wrote. “We had all our items laid out ready to sign as Goldberg was doing another Private for another vendor. After he was done, he got up and said he was done…He walked out past our stuff, and left..We are all super disappointed, and frustrated…My apologies to all…”
Goldberg had his final match earlier this year, losing to Gunther at Saturday Night’s Main Event back in July. As Goldberg was giving his retirement speech, he was cut off, leading to some controversy.
“Let’s just say I’m pissed off at the way I went out,” he said in an interview shortly after the match took place. “Because I put so much into it and I don’t feel as though the effort was reciprocated to put a stamp on what I’ve accomplished. Again, I’m not going to say that I’m not ecstatic with the opportunity that I got.”
The WWE Hall of Famer also caused a stir last month when he said in an interview that “some girl” beat his undefeated streak, referring to current WWE star Asuka.
Asuka says there’s no need to make a big deal out of Goldberg’s comments about her.
In 2017, WWE promoted that Asuka had surpassed Goldberg’s undefeated streak when she recorded her 174th straight victory while NXT Women’s Champion. Although Goldberg congratulated Asuka shortly after the milestone, he has referred to her as “some girl” in multiple interviews about the subject since. He did so again recently during an appearance on Real Talk, saying WWE had her break his streak because he had been a big part of WCW during the Monday Night War.
Asuka responded to a post on X featuring transcriptions of Goldberg’s latest comments. She wrote:
“Goldberg’s comments about me are all over the news right now. But honestly, I’m not bothered by it at all. What he said came from his own perspective, and that’s fine. So there’s really no need to make such a big deal out of it. Listen to my philosophy. It’s not about what I accomplish. It’s about what I try to create. Philosophy and vision, that’s where the real value is. I don’t find meaning in anything without beauty. I’ve achieved every record, every title, but those are just milestones. What really matters is opening a new era. Creating the moment that separates Before Asuka and After Asuka. Having the power to change an era. That’s where true value and beauty exist. I don’t chase records or championships. They’re the ones that come to me. There’s not enough art in this world.“
Goldberg was quoted as saying, “Some girl at WWE. They did it on purpose. I have nothing against the girl, by any means,” in response to a question about his streak being broken (via WrestlePurists transcription).
During a March 2024 interview with Tim Green, Goldberg said, “Well, a girl beat my winning streak… beat my undefeated streak. Yeah, I can’t even remember. Aso͞oka is her name, some Japanese girl.” (Cageside Seats transcription).
Asuka and her Kabuki Warriors teammate Kairi Sane are coming off a loss to Rhea Ripley and IYO SKY at Crown Jewel earlier this month. A vignette of them putting the women’s tag team division on notice aired on last week’s Raw.
Goldberg’s comments about me are all over the news right now. But honestly, I’m not bothered by it at all. What he said came from his own perspective, and that’s fine. So there’s really no need to make such a big deal out of it. Listen to my philosophy. It’s not about what I… https://t.co/QRXUFom5Vmpic.twitter.com/AlIpq7IUiQ
— The legendary Empress ASUKA / 伝説のASUKA皇后 (@WWEAsuka) October 25, 2025
I respect Goldberg so much. He is amazing. I am honored to be the undefeated champion with the longest streak in WWE history. #WWE#WWENXTpic.twitter.com/eOZXIj4NGV
— The legendary Empress ASUKA / 伝説のASUKA皇后 (@WWEAsuka) May 24, 2017
The broken rib that Charles Robinson claimed to have suffered at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event this July was not legitimate.
During Goldberg’s retirement match on the July 12 edition of SNME, there was a spot where Robinson — the referee for the bout — was taken out by a spear from Goldberg after Gunther moved out of the way. Robinson claimed to have suffered a broken rib, even sharing an image of an X-ray on Instagram that he said was his. But Robinson has now admitted that the injury was just storyline.
“No [the broken rib was not legitimate],” Robinson told Insight with Chris Van Vliet. “My girlfriend and I — I said, ‘What can I do to put this over to make Goldberg feel good?’ And I said, ‘Hmm, there’s an image of a broken rib online.’ So I just posted that.
“And I called [Goldberg] to tell him what I was doing. And he goes, ‘That’s a great idea.’ So he didn’t mind.”
Robinson said that, while the broken rib was a work, Goldberg’s spear did leave him feeling sore.
“Normally, he picks you up, lays you down nice and soft. He went right through me,” Robinson said. “Now, I was sore seriously for about 10 days. You know, coughing and stuff. You can’t do anything about a rib anyway, so why go get it checked?”
Goldberg’s career ended with a loss as Gunther defeated him at the July 12 SNME episode. Robinson said he’s heard that Goldberg hand-selected him to be the referee for the match, but he does not know that for sure. The two first worked together for WCW in the 1990s.
As far as his own future, the 61-year-old Robinson told Van Vliet that he would love to continue refereeing for 10 more years.
Karl Stern returns this week with a new podcast looking back at the 1990s.
Recently, he took a look at the first pro wrestling newsletters of that era to get a feeling for where it began which was in a very low place. Today, he looks at the last newsletters from 1999 to discover that WWF/WWE was flying high and WCW was trying to regroup, yet again, from a failed reset.
Steve Austin, Bill Goldberg, Vince Russo, Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, and many others are discussed through the pages of the insider newsletters of 1999.
Gunther believes he and Goldberg exceeded expectations with Goldberg’s retirement match.
On July 12, Gunther stood opposite from Goldberg at State Farm Arena in Atlanta as Goldberg competed for the final time. They wrestled for about 15 minutes before Gunther got the victory, retaining his World Heavyweight Championship by making Goldberg pass out in a sleeper.
The Ring General told Radio Times that having an extended match instead of just going a few minutes was important to him, and he feels like they told a good story by making the audience sympathetic toward Goldberg.
“I was very happy with how everything went and I feel like we exceeded expectations for the match,” Gunther said. “For me, it was important to not go out there and have the typical three or four minutes of action and that’s it.
“I wanted time to tell a story and take the audience on a ride and make them feel bad for him a little bit before it all ends. I think we succeeded with that. He can be very happy with the match and the connection that he had with the audience because that felt very special.”
Gunther’s next World Heavyweight Championship defense will go down this Saturday when he puts the title on the line against CM Punk at night one of SummerSlam. In his interview with Radio Times, Gunther called Punk one of the most unique performers in wrestling history. Gunther said matchups like these are why he decided to join WWE in the first place.
