Bill Goldberg expects to receive medical clearance for a return to the ring in the near future.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show on Wednesday, the 58-year-old reaffirmed his intention to have a retirement match in 2025. Following a recent stem cell treatment, he anticipates being cleared to compete soon.
“I don’t have any idea,” Goldberg said when asked about a specific timeline. “I just know that I got stem cells five weeks and six days ago, and I’m cleared physically in a very short period of time.”
Back in December, Goldberg revealed on his podcast that he planned to undergo stem cell therapy ahead of his final match, citing concerns about his shoulder.
“I haven’t been able to do much at all preparation-wise. But I think that the positives of the stem cell treatment were such a positive that it was worth me staying out of the gym for the longest period of time I ever have in my entire life and staying away from physical activity.”
Goldberg also shared his immediate training plans, confirming that he will soon begin sparring in preparation for his farewell bout.
“I’m going to jump in the ring and start sparring seven to eight days from now. I got to be smart about it. But yeah, 2025, it’s going to happen. And I don’t know who it’s going to be against. I don’t know when it’s going to be. But I guarantee you, whoever it’s against, they’re going to understand what it’s like being in there with Goldberg.”
One potential opponent for Goldberg’s retirement match is Gunther, with whom he shared an intense exchange at WWE Bad Blood in Atlanta last October. During their segment, Gunther referred to the former WCW and WWE World Champion as a “one-trick pony” and suggested he hoped Goldberg was a better father than a wrestler.
Addressing the possibility of facing Gunther, Goldberg acknowledged the existing tension between them and the story it could tell in his farewell bout.
“If it was Gunther and I, that would be logical. There’s some heat there, obviously, that’s already been placed. And he’s the new generation. I’m the old generation. It’s kind of like a passing of the torch in a way.”
(H/T to Ian Carey and F4WOnline.com for transcribing the above quotes.)
