Goldberg wants to give back to the industry that provided him with a fast rise to superstardom.
When the lore and legacy of World Championship Wrestling, especially around the Monday Night War, is discussed, very seldomly were new stars created and launched into the main event scene during their tenure with the promotion.
Goldberg is perhaps the biggest standout name that was actually launched into superstardom during that time frame. However, Goldberg also had a very brief length of time in the sun. He was only in WCW 4 three and a half years and spent one year in WWE before leaving the industry altogether for over a decade.
Now, Goldberg is back and spends all of his time in the WWE as a legend helping to create a handful of marquee matchups per year. Goldberg, in a departure from his WCW dominance, has lost the last two matches that he has had. He lost to Braun Strowman at WrestleMania 36 and he lost to Drew McIntyre at Royal Rumble 2021.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated ahead of his match at this year's SummerSlam event against Bobby Lashley, Goldberg explains why he wants to give back to the industry by making sure there are still marquee matchups to be had with top superstars of today.
“I was fortunate to run through the wrestling world like a hot knife through butter in my career, and then I was gone,” Goldberg says. “Serving the business is a responsibility. That includes getting butts in seats and making sure people invest in the product, but it also means you have to give back. I didn’t always do that before. But that’s my duty, and that’s a big reason why I am here. I owe the business a lot more than I have given.
“I can provide a star like Bobby Lashley a worthy adversary. I need to come back for that reason. There is also a plethora of talent that I believe is on the cusp of stardom, and I am here to help elevate them to the next level.”
He later added, “As long as I can still provide something as this character, I’m willing to take these opportunities, because these chances pale in comparison to the payoff. The payoff is not monetary or glory-driven. It’s a chance to provide moments with my family that are few and far between in this world.”
Fightful will have live coverage of WWE SummerSlam beginning Saturday, August 21, 2021, at 7 p.m. eastern time.
