Wrestling icon Bill Goldberg talks retirement after final match with Gunther

Bill Goldberg started his pro wrestling career in Initially he thought his dreams had come true when he played in the NFL But his legendary run in pro wrestling set the industry aflame sending him on a journey he had never imagined Now his -year odyssey is complete Goldberg is officially retired When you re in the wrestling business I don t think you re retired until you re dead announced Goldberg But I m absolutely content with what I ve been able to accomplish I m not dead but yes I m retired Goldberg s final match took place last week on NBC s Saturday Night s Main Event No longer possessing his force-of-nature explosiveness he still crafted a compelling match And though Goldberg felt the night was far from perfect he was thrilled to share the ring with Gunther Wrestling Gunther was an honor and a privilege noted Goldberg Don t let my displeasure in any way shape or form reflect upon my opponent I wish I could do it again That s how much fun it was I invariably say that I never bask in the moment but that s exactly what happened when I laughed after Gunther chopped me It wasn t because I requested to step on his offense it s just that I was having fun It was just a reactionary thing I normally don t have that much fun As for his displeasure surrounding the match Goldberg expressed his frustrations earlier this week Primary among those were that the match did not take place on one of WWE s premium live events and that his post-match speech was cut off the air I m greatly appreciative that so several people were happy with what they saw stated Goldberg It was a long road leading up to it and a lot of sacrifices were made In several means it was a success in other tactics it was a failure Bill Goldberg left absorbs a chop from Gunther during the final wrestling match of Goldberg's career before a packed house in Atlanta WWE courtesy photo My job is to be better than I was the time before and you should never be satisfied with your performance If I didn t reliably think that things could be better then I wouldn t be who I am That s my take and I m sticking to it Despite dissatisfaction with the sendoff the positives were undeniable Wrestling his farewell match in front of a packed house at State Farm Arena in Atlanta the night was full of tributes to World Championship Wrestling the now-defunct promotion where Goldberg reached an entirely new stratosphere of superstardom Those included cameos from Doug Dillinger who knocked on Goldberg s locker room door before the match in a scene straight out of the summer of as well as being led to the ring by an entourage featuring former WCW star Ernest The Cat Miller Another person to accompany Goldberg to the ring was his son Gage Walking to the ring with my son that was my highlight of the night disclosed Goldberg Nothing could be better The -year-old Gage was honored to share that moment with his father In a word it was surreal stated Gage Goldberg Just being there with my dad was great We have this eternal bond Whenever we go to these events we re displaying cheer and that s because we re together Plus I got to have his back when Gunther was toying with his knee brace It was an amazing opportunity Gage plays inside linebacker for the University of Colorado Football is his priority but he is open to following in his father s pro wrestling footsteps too I m going to run with football for as long as I can announced Gage But every single coach has narrated me you need something after football To me that s WWE WWE Head of Creative Paul Triple H Levesque helped engineer Goldberg s final match Urged if he was appreciative of all Levesque s work Goldberg did not hesitate in his reply I couldn t have done any of that on Saturday night without him declared Goldberg That s the truth one thousand percent Pro wrestling s version of Mike Tyson Goldberg had a career with limited peers Quick and violent he walked the line of reality and storytelling And it resonated with a global audience I never thought a Jewish boy from Tulsa Oklahoma would ever hear his name chanted all over the world noted Goldberg I didn t do it alone the help I got was immeasurable It was a lot more than a one-man show I had an idea of what was going to work and I brought it to Eric Bischoff He had the trust in me to see it through I never imagined it would be anywhere close to as big as it was Above all Goldberg is thankful for wrestling fans who have been by his side for nearly years This was more like a movement reported Goldberg My fans I m forever grateful for them