Goldberg and Riddle have a long history of dispute in the media, but mutual respect is starting to form.
Riddle has taken plenty of shots at Goldberg on social media and interviews throughout the years and things came to a head during a backstage confrontation at SummerSlam 2019. Since then, Riddle has kept up the jokes, but in a recent interview, Riddle recalled a pleasant interaction with Goldberg backstage at Raw.
Speaking to Steven Muehlhausen of DAZN, Goldberg had some kind comments for RIddle.
"The cocky kid (Riddle) spouting off his mouth in the beginning, and I didn't appreciate it very much by any stretch of the imagination. But the guy has put in a lot of frickin hard work and a lot of hard work, and he's dedicated his life to this business. Whether I like him as a human being or not, I have to understand and appreciate his passion for the business and his work ethic. Because he works hard and that I appreciate as an athlete and as a human. Is he a prick sometimes? Absolutely. But that's him. That's his character, and so am I," he said.
Riddle's name came up as Goldberg was discussing potential dream matches in WWE.
Other names mentioned were John Cena, Roman Reigns, and Big E.
"Cena, that's always been a dream. Never been in the ring with him. We're two completely different characters. Hey, you never know. You never know," he said. "Obviously, I want Roman bad. I want a piece of somebody from Georgia Tech. Like, I can taste it. The comparisons, the football background, I truly believe that’s a match that needs to happen. Am I clamoring for it? Am I begging for it? Am I holding my breath for it? No, I do what my job asks me to do. I do what my boss asks me to do to the best of my ability, and then I ask for them to point me in the next direction. I'm not a booking agent. I'm not on the booking committee. They don't pay me to be in creative. Now, if they ask my opinion on something, I'm sure as hell going to give it to them, or an idea, a direction, or a list of who I'd like to face. No one's ever asked me. But if they did, I would not hesitate for two seconds to list at least two of the three that you mentioned. Big E has to be on that list. I've watched him for years develop, and I'm very proud of him. I do remember when he was in my autograph line 150 years ago, as a little kid having aspirations of doing things that he's doing now. The road that he's taken and the hard work that he's put towards it, he's reaping the benefits, and I'm extremely proud of him. I'm very happy for him. There are still people that I need to smash up."
Goldberg is set to challenge Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship at WWE SummerSlam on Saturday.
You can check out the current lineup for SummerSlam by clicking here.
